Getting Good Restful Sleep

Adequate sleep is essential for wellness. It refreshes and re-energizes us. Sleep is also when our brains eliminate harmful toxic waste. Sleep circulates cerebrospinal fluid which, when done regularly, can help reduce the risk of many mental and physical illnesses, including Alzheimer’s.

There are many things that prevent us from getting good restful sleep. When we’re busy, sleep is the first thing we remove from our schedule to get more time. When we’re sick and our bodies need rest the most, we aren’t able to stay sleep from the pain. When we suffer from a mental health-related disorder, a symptom of that disorder can be the inability to fall asleep.

The most common reason for losing sleep, however, is chronic stress. Chronic stress can impact our ability to obtain restful sleep. Lack of restful sleep then causes chronic stress. It’s a vicious cycle that ends in irritability and moodiness. These symptoms in turn increase emotional dysregulation, which feeds right back into chronic stress.

When stress becomes chronic, it causes us to live in a state of constant distress. We’re often not aware, then, that we are missing out on vital sleep. We stop listening to the needs of our bodies until we develop an unhealthy pattern that results in our giving up on sleep altogether.

Circadian Rhythm 

Connecting to your body will allow you to realize when sleep is truly needed. Listening to the rhythms of your body will tune you into your Circadian Rhythm. A Circadian Rhythm is your body’s natural daily cycle of physical, mental, and behavioral changes. It’s the internal clock that keeps us feeling energized or sleepy depending on the time of day. It’s true when they say some of us are early birds, while others are night owls.

Listening To Your Body

Listening to your body means becoming in tune with its needs. Notice what times throughout the day you’re more energized. When do you feel more naturally focused? Even if you haven’t gotten a good night's sleep, you have certain times in your day where you are most productive. What times of day do you naturally want to snack or take a nap? These are the moments in the day where your body seeks assistance in order to function. Lastly, notice when your body craves being awake and what it craves being asleep.

Once you are aware of these moments, attempt to structure your day around them. If your body wants to be alert, then wake up. If your body wants to sleep, then don’t push your sleep time back. Schedule the hardest tasks that need accomplishing during your focused time and tasks that are more lax during your mild production time.

Learning to listen to your body’s needs can be difficult. Practicing attunement techniques, like mindfulness meditation, will help you develop this skill.

Sleep Hygiene For Regular Schedules 

Our body runs in cycles. In order to maintain our health, we have to allow our bodies to sync to our cycles. Not getting enough sleep actually throws off this natural cycle and cuts into our brain’s time to clean out toxins. Listening to your body's needs is important to synchronize our cycles. But this is not enough. We must also develop sleep hygiene in order to obtain a deep slumber. Sleep hygiene is the practice of habits that are necessary to prepare the body for sleep.

There are many sleep hygiene routines that you can incorporate in your nightly regimen. 

Some sleep hygiene routines include:

• Getting natural exposure to daylight and natural exposure to darkness. Use a natural sunlight lamp if you’re unable to get regular daylight. At night, cover any electronic lights such as brightness from an alarm clock, or wear a sleep mask.

• Going to bed at the same time every night. When possible, choose the time that is your body’s natural time for sleep.

• Incorporate a bedtime ritual that puts you in the mindset that the next task is sleep. This could include brushing your teeth, showering, or drinking Sleepy Time tea.

• Eliminate distractions that prevent good sleep. Shut off the TV or put  your phone on “Do Not Disturb.”

• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and other substances that can disrupt your sleep cycle.

• Avoid food that is rich, fatty, spicy, or fried before sleep.

• Avoid excessive napping, which can also throw off your sleep cycle.

Sleep Hygiene For Odd Schedules

Some people have schedules that prevent them from actually aligning their sleep with their internal body clocks. Surprisingly, teens need between 9 and 11 hours of sleep. School schedules prevent this from happening. Adults who work the night shift are also unable to obtain sleep during the time when their bodies need it most.

Some sleep hygiene routines that can be included for individuals with conflicting schedules include:

• Taking naps to increase the amount of sleep obtained.

• Keeping lights bright at work or in school. Our bodies want to stay awake when we are surrounded by light. If possible, use a natural sunlight lamp.

• Limit changes to your schedule, so that your body can learn to adjust to sleeping during the day and staying awake at night.

• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and other substances that can disrupt your sleep cycle.

• Change your eating habits. Eat items you would normally eat in the morning during the night, when you need to stay awake. This will put you in the mindset of “daytime.” 

• When you’re going to sleep, obtain as much darkness in your room as possible, to make your body want to go to bed. Use light-blocking curtains and wear a sleep mask.

Incorporating these techniques will increase your ability to obtain good sleep. If, however, you find that you’re still not able to get good sleep, it may be time to speak to your doctor. Many mental and medical conditions result in sleep loss, and without proper treatment, they will continue to affect your sleep.

There are a variety of treatments for sleep loss or even insomnia. These can include the natural “sleep hormone” melatonin. Prescription sleeping pills are sometimes also prescribed to assist you in falling asleep. You may even be referred by your doctor to a sleep clinic to be studied, to learn if something like sleep apnea is preventing you from getting full sleep. Or a doctor may refer you to a therapist or psychiatrist to work on a possible anxiety or depression disorder.

It’s key that you do what is necessary to get good restful sleep. Just as eating and breathing are essential basic human needs, so is sleep.
For additional sleep hygiene guidance and tips, check out Slumber Yard’s “34 Self-Care Tips to do Before Bedtime.”

What do you do to get more sleep? Did you know sleep was so vital? Let me know in the comment section below!

---

---