The importance of sleep
This blog post is focused on the “what” of sleep rather than the “why.” We can probably all agree that our whole day is different when we sleep well – from mental alertness, mood, energy, and cravings. There is a good reason for that as there is a very close connection between sleep and daytime alertness.
Sleep:
Affects cardiovascular health
Sleep and metabolism have a close relationship and can impact weight gain, blood sugar regulation
Sleep deprivation can result in food cravings, especially sugar, processed carbohydrates, and coffee- can you recall a day where you were just so tired all you wanted was comfort food…
Good sleep can boost your immune system, or compromise it.
Chronic sleep deprivation can alter and damage the DNA.
Sleep helps with memory
The importance and difference between REM and Deep Sleep
REM and deep sleep are often used as interchangeable terms, but they are actually very different and both have a specific impact on your health. We need all forms of sleep (light, REM, deep) to get and stay healthy. Let’s take a closer look at the REM and Deep Sleep as these two forms seem to be impacted the most in people with sleep issues.
REM (Rapid Eye Movement, where dreams happen)
Happens in the second half of the night, in the 90-minute cycles
Boosts creativity and problem solving skills
Emotional “first-aid” in resolving problems, trauma, and adversity (the saying “sleep on it” come from getting enough REM sleep)
Deep Sleep
Happens predominantly early in the night
Weeds out and removed unnecessary neural connections
The brain shrinks to make space for the glymphatic system to “flash out” toxins from the brain (how cool is that!)
Helps retain memories and information
Recharges the immune system
Overhauls the cardiovascular system
Now that you know why sleep is important, let’s talk about how to better your sleep with actionable steps you can take.
Balanced blood sugar levels
Fluctuating blood sugar levels cause cortisol spikes. Cortisol, known as the “stress hormone” also has other functions, including regulation of blood sugar levels. How do you know if your blood sugar levels need some balancing (without testing)? Most common symptoms include feeling dizzy, shaky, anxious, and irritable when hungry; craving sugar and processed carbs, and feeling hungry after a full meal. Eating meal that don’t spike your glucose all day long helps your body regulate blood sugar, keeping things “cool”. Another reason to keep your blood sugar in check is chronic hypo- and hyper-glycemia (drops and spikes in blood sugar) eventually lead to pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. One of the symptoms is frequent urination which can be the reason you need to use the bathroom several times at night – disrupting your sleep.
Eating early and light
On my quest to better sleep I have found that the best sleep came after I ate dinner 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. I also noticed that I sleep much better after eating complex carbohydrates (such as sweet potatoes- my personal fave) but not after a large serving of protein and fats. Eating early may be key for you too. Your digestive system makes a significant effort to breakdown the food, extract the nutrients, move and eventually excrete your evening’s provisions. The body is using energy for digestion; not resting, calming, and preparing your body to sleep. Consider earlier nutrient dense dinner to aid your sleep.
Alcohol
Alcohol is such a prevalent custom in today’s culture; we drink to celebrate and grieve, to address anger, disappointment, boredom, to relax and unwind. There is social pressure, or “norm” to drink which normalizes drinking. Mommy’s juice, rose all day, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere- we’ve all said it before to kick off our daily night cap. Many women also feel like “this is my only and last vice and I’ve given up everything else.” I hear ya, loud and clear, but consider this- the truth is alcohol impacts your liver, inhibits estrogen metabolism increasing your risk of estrogen dominance and breast cancer, this isn’t to scare you, but many of us are using clean make it and such to prevent exposures to endocrine disrupts linked to the very same things- estrogen dominance, cancer, liver disease, so why do we get so hung up on alcohol when it comes to our very own health?
This is a screenshot of my sleep after 2 afternoon glasses of wine. 2 glasses of wi left me with only 17 minutes of deep sleep (go back to the caption to read why deep sleep is important), while wine free night resulted in 1 hour and 56 minutes of deep sleep (YAY)
Caffeine
Listen I LOVE my coffee, and giving it up is hard for me, but setting boundaries around my coffee hairs is a must for my sleep. Similarly to alcohol, caffeine can impact each person differently. The enzyme that breaks down caffeine in the liver is the P450 enzymes and it’s coded by the gene CYP1A2. Your genetics and liver health/efficiency can determine how quickly you break down caffeine and evacuate it from the body. Some people can drink coffee at night and go right back to sleep, others don’t sleep even after having a decaf at 10am. The general recommendation is to stop drinking caffeine at 2pm. Note that chocolate, many sodas, white and green tea (including matcha) also contain caffeine.
Blue light
Blue light is emitted by devices containing LED lights such as computers, smartphones, tablets, TVs, and LED bulbs. This kind of light interferes with your pineal gland’s ability to produce melatonin.
If your melatonin level is insufficient, you may experience frequent mid- night awakenings Brain stimulated by the blue light during the day and especially at night is not an easy one to calm down and unwind. Consider blue light blocking screen protectors, glasses and overall limit on blue light exposure passed dinnertime. Darker or amber lighting can also be very helpful to allow your brain to calm things down before bed.
Morning sun exposure
Getting outside and getting sunshine before 8am will help calibrate your circadian rhythm and help produce cortisol – which should be highest in the mornings. All you need is a 20-minute walk or just being outside, wearing no sunglasses (remember, morning sun exposure does not mean starring at the sun directly). Getting morning sunlight and avoiding too much artificial light at night will help you reset your circadian cycle and set you up for sleep success.
Low progesterone in women
One possibility your sleep is off is a decrease in progesterone levels which typically starts to decline after age 35. Progesterone in women is responsible for fertility and healthy pregnancy during the reproductive years, but as we age- in post reproductive years, progesterone helps us fall and stay asleep, keeps us calm, helps healthy bones, cardiovascular health, and lots more.
Optimal estrogen levels
Fluctuations in estrogen can impact your sleep, too, which may explain why women tend to have more sleep problems than men. Estrogen changes can impact both women who are still menstruating as well those in perimenopause and menopause. When cycling, it is common for women in the follicular phase to experience insomnia because of rising estrogen levels. With the progesterone rising in the luteal phase, which starts after ovulation, women tend to feel sleepy and want to go to bed earlier but also wake up earlier.
Histamine
This is a big one- histamine is a stimulatory neurotransmitter that can be highly problematic when there is too much of it. More and more people struggle with histamine intolerance when they consume food or drinks high in histamine. They could include cheese, alcohol, fermented vegetables (such as kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles), long-cooked foods (such as bone broth), and cured meats (such as salami, sausages, ham).
Symptoms of HIT (histamine intolerance) can be many but some of the most common ones are heart palpitations, sleeplessness, hives, red and itchy skin, stuffy nose and ears (especially after consuming a high-histamine food or drink).
Supplements and herbs
When choosing herbs you wan to make sure you not only focus on the sedative one ssuch as valerian, hops, California poppy, or passion flower, but also on the calming herb like emon balm, chamomile, lavender, and kava.
Magniesium can be very helpful when it comes to sleep, and given that most of us are Mg deficient, we could all use a little bit of help here. Start with 200 to 300mg of magnesium glycinate (avoid oxide or citrate, the latter only if constipated) in the evening- with dinner and again at bedtime. You can keep dosing up until you get a loose stool– then, back off to the previous dose and continue taking it.
GABA in the afternoon and evening will help you relax and unwind, studies have shown GABA significantly reduced the time it took to fall asleep- in my opinion it is a great alternative to melatonin.
Some of my favorite “sleep” supplements are the Quicksilver Scientific Lipocalm and GABA L-theanine.
Infrared sauna
Personally, sauna session sone of favorite way to unwind before bed. Dry brush, 30 minute sauna, shower and straight bed- simple, quick, drug free bedtime routine. Don’t have a sauna- take a hot bath (with epsom salts) or a hot shower instead, no it will not be the same, but still very much beneficial.
Humidity &room temperature
Winters in Boston can be cold and dry, which gives a whole new meaning to “dry indoor air”, so running a humidifier can be very helpful at both keeping you nasal passages moist (yikes, I said it, and made you read it), but also keeping the room temperature down. Ideal room temp, for the optimal sleep is between 60-68 degrees, so in the winter it’s low heat and humidifier at night, and int eh hot summer months it’s AC to keep things cool.
Re-think what you read or watch before bed
Let’s be honest last few years definitely opened our eyes to just how stressful the content we consume can be. from movies, TV shows, to news, IG, Twitter- we are getting bombarded with information and stimulations left and right. My personal way to control just what I consume is the make clear boundaries- no nw first thing in the morning or last thing at night, hard pass on scary movies, book instead of TV before bed as much as I can/want/have something to read each week.
Breathing exercises
Deep abdominal breathing engages the vagus nerve – a nerve that runs from the brain all the way to down your back. It connects many organs and it also activates the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) nervous system which is crucial to falling and staying asleep. My favorite deep abdominal breathing is the 4-7-8 technique. In only six rounds of doing it, you may feel much calmer and ready to sleep. A round of six only takes a few minutes.
Gentle yoga
Vigorous exercise 2 to 3 hours before bed isn’t recommended and it could include certain types of yoga. Gentle yoga can have the same effect as deep breathing. Try yin, restorative, or Kaiut yoga. These forms of yoga are slower and focus on breathing, not speed of movement. The main point here is to not go crazy with exercise too close to your bedtime. As your body is getting ready to shutout down for the night, try to match its pace instead.
Meditation
Many people feel that meditation is their sleep savior. Focusing your thoughts on a set of gentle instructions can be helpful.
Pick a meditation style and app that works for you. There are so many of them now! I personally don’t do well with guided meditations, my brains tends to wonder even more when I am forced to listen or follow ones lead to relax, but I do much better in complete silence, focusing on my breath only, in-out, I allow my thought come and go, coming back to my breath with each thought passing through.
Snoring partner and/or dogs
I love our pup, but she knows momma needs her sleep. I also love my husband, and he also knows I need and love my sleep, but the dog seems to be a lot more accommodating here. (read, if the dog sleeps inner bed she will snooze on my husband’s side away from her sleeping beauty mom, my husband will snore no matter what my sleep status is) In all seriousness, snoring is a sign your body isn’t getting the oxygen it needs during the night, so if your partner or you are snoring, I would suggest a visit with a airway focused orthodontist and ENT.
Mouth taping
This might seem like an extreme measure but many people swear by it. In my experience you can still snow while having your mouth taped. Try this, close your mouth, make sure your tongue is touching the roof of your mouth, bite down on your back teeth, now try to oven your jaw/teeth without opening your mouth… It can be done, all you nee dis the release your tongue and “Sesame Open”, and here are you snowing again. So it’s not as much about taping your mouth as it is about occlusion- the way your mouth/jaw/teeth aligns. Another reason to see an airway specialist.
Mold
Mold is a complex topic and I recommend working with a skilled functional practitioner to figure out your plan of action. Mold is complicated and people with mold exposure have reported sleeping problems as one of the many symptoms.
The only way you will fix it is to completely eliminate mold from your life. If that’s not immediately possible, supporting your elimination and detoxification pathways may be sound tentative help.
Weighted blanket
People with anxiety, ADHD and autism may find weighted blankets to be calming and help their sleep. This is a very personal preference and choice, it also is not a solo type solution, meaning, it is great as an add-on, but on it’s own it may not be enough. If you like sleeping surrounded my pillows, blankets, snuggling up again your partner- this may be a great option for you.
I hope you find this information helpful. One last piece of advise I have for you is the try each of these solution one at a time, not cherry picking what you think will help, but starting with most basic solutions, no meditation will help you calm your brain down after you serf the web for hours before bed.
In health,
Ally
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