Transform Your Life
SLEEP
Renewal
THERE ARE THREE SIMPLE ELEMENTS
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL REST
Brain:
Sleep is an important part of your daily routine—you spend about one-third of your time doing it. Quality sleep – and getting enough of it at the right times -- is as essential to survival as food and water. Without sleep you can’t form or maintain the pathways in your brain that let you learn and create new memories, and it’s harder to concentrate and respond quickly. Sleep is important to a number of brain functions, including how nerve cells (neurons) communicate with each other. In fact, your brain and body stay remarkably active while you sleep. Recent findings suggest that sleep plays a housekeeping role that removes toxins in your brain that build up while you are awake.
Breathing:
It changes a lot when you’re awake, of course. But as you fall deeply asleep, you breathe more slowly and in a more regular pattern. Then, as you enter the REM stage, your breathing gets faster and varies more
Time to Repair
During deep sleep, your body works to repair muscle, organs, and other cells. Chemicals that strengthen your immune system start to circulate in your blood. You spend about a fifth of your night’s sleep in deep sleep when you’re young and healthy -- more if you haven’t slept enough. But that starts to fade, and by the time you’re over 65, it could be down to zero.
Heart Rate:
Deep, non-REM sleep lowers your pulse and blood pressure, which gives your heart and blood vessels a chance to rest and recover. But during REM, these rates go back up or change around.
BEDROOM ENVIRONMENT
Temperature:
Whether you only use a top sheet or sleep beneath a thick comforter, many experts agree the ideal bedroom temperature for sleeping is 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 degrees Celsius). This might sound a bit chilly for some, but a cooler thermostat setting helps you maintain a lower core temperature while you sleep.
That said, 65 degrees may not be the best temperature for everyone. A range of 60 to 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to 22.0 degrees Celsius) should be suitable for most sleepers. If you still find these settings too cold, try adding a layer or two to your bedding. If you’re too warm or the weather is particularly hot or humid, consider removing a layer or wearing lighter bedclothes in order to stay cool in bed.
Noise:
It should come as no surprise that a quieter bedroom is better for sleep than a louder one. Loud noise disturbances can cause severe sleep fragmentation and disruption, which in turn can have negative impacts on your physical and mental health. Research even suggests that noise at low levels can cause you to shift to a lighter sleep stage or wake up momentarily.
You should strive to keep your bedroom as quiet as possible by blocking outside noises. The whir of a fan or a soothing white noise machine can effectively mask other sounds and help you fall asleep. Some people also enjoy listening to music when they go to bed. Ambient sounds or soothing music, which may also alleviate anxiety and ease physical pain. Noise-blocking curtains are also widely available.
Light:
The circadian rhythms that guide your sleep-wake cycle are heavily influenced by natural light and darkness. During the day, your eyes perceive sunlight and signal the brain to produce cortisol, a hormone that helps you stay alert and energized. At night when darkness falls, your brain then produces another hormone, melatonin, to induce feelings of sleepiness and relaxation.
Exposure to artificial light in the evening can delay circadian rhythms and prolong sleep onset, or the time it takes you to fall asleep. Light intensity is measured in units known as lux. Studies have found that exposure to light sources with a lux of 10 or higher later in the day can lead to more nocturnal awakenings and less slow-wave sleep, a portion of your sleep cycle that is vital to cell repair and bodily restoration. Smartphones, televisions, and other devices with screens also produce artificial blue light that can be detrimental to sleep, even if you use dimmer “nighttime” screen settings.
Keep your bedroom light levels as low as possible if you like to read in bed before sleep. Dimmer lights will help you fall asleep more easily. Another good rule-of-thumb is to avoid using screen devices – including televisions – in your bedroom.
OPTIMAL SCHEDULES
Best Sleeping Hours
Ideally, people ought to go to bed earlier and wake up in the early morning hours. This pattern matches our biological tendencies to adapt our sleep pattern with that of the sun. You might find that you’re naturally sleepier after sundown.
The exact time depends on when you tend to wake up in the morning. Another consideration is the amount of sleep you need per night.
Finding your optimal sleeping hours
The first step in maximizing your routine is figuring out what your ideal sleeping and waking hours are.The goal here is to get you to wake up without an alarm in order to determine—and stick to—your natural sleep rhythm.
Early Bird?
For morning people, start by determining your ideal waking time and counting backward five 90-minute sleep cycles (or 7.5 hours). (Use Sleepyti.me to make it easy.) That’s your starting bedtime. Try it, then see what happens—if you wake up within 10 minutes of your alarm going off for the next three days, you’ve found your schedule! If not, move your bedtime back by 15 minutes every three days until this happens.
Night Owl?
For night owls, we’re going to adjust this a bit. Think about when you would go to bed in your ideal world—then count forward by 7.5 hours to determine your wakeup time, and do the same process, shifting your wakeup time up by 15 minutes every three days until you wake up before your alarm. (Unfortunately, this time may not be realistic if you have to be at work by a certain hour—in which case, follow the process for morning people and set your waking time to the latest possible time you can wake up and make it to work on time.)
What if I like naps?
To get the most out of a nap, follow these tips:
Keep naps short. Aim to nap for only 10 to 20 minutes. The longer you nap, the more likely you are to feel groggy afterward. However, young adults might be able to tolerate longer naps.
Take naps in the early afternoon. Napping after 3 p.m. can interfere with nighttime sleep. Individual factors, such as your need for sleep, your sleeping schedule, your age and your medication use, also can play a role in determining the best time of day to nap.
Create a restful environment. Nap in a quiet, dark place with a comfortable room temperature and few distractions.
After napping, give yourself time to wake up before resuming activities — particularly those that require a quick or sharp response.
FINALLY
Don’t worry and have good dreams.
