5 Tips for Better Sleep

Sleep is something we all do, but too many of us are doing it wrong. You might ask yourself, what is so hard about sleeping? How can you be doing it wrong? Before we dig into how you can improve your sleep, let's first discuss why sleep is so important.

Why do we sleep?

That is the million-dollar question. Even though we spend almost a third of our lives sleeping, scientists still have so many unanswered questions regarding sleep. There are many theories as to why we sleep and why sleep is so crucial to our health:

• Energy Conservation: Sleeping allows us to reduce the calories our body needs to burn by spending part of our time functioning at a lower metabolism.

• Restoration: Sleep allows cells to repair and regrow. This fact is supported by evidence of muscle repair, protein synthesis, tissue growth, and hormone release during sleep.

• Brain Function: While you are sleeping, your brain's glymphatic system clears out toxic byproducts from your brain. These Toxins are built up throughout the day. This process allows your brain to function well when you wake up. A good night's sleep can stimulate learning, memory, problem-solving skills, creativity, decision making, focus, and concentration.

• Emotional Wellness: During sleep, brain activity increases in areas that regulate emotion, such as the amygdala, located in the temporal lobe. Amygdala is associated with the fear response. It's what determines your reaction to a perceived threat, such as a stressful situation.

• Weight Management: Ghrelin is the hormone that increases appetite. During sleep, the body limits the release of Ghrelin since our body is in "standby" mode. Unfortunately, lack of sleep has been linked to elevated Ghrelin and suppresses leptin which is the hormone that signals the brain that you are full after eating. This hormonal imbalance makes you feel hungrier than you are and increases the risk of eating more calories and gaining more weight. Recent research suggests that sleep deprivation, even as few as five nights in a row, could be associated with an increased risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.

• Immune System: During sleep, your body creates cytokines, which are proteins that fight infection and inflammation. In addition, your body produces specific antibodies and immune cells while you are sleeping. Together, these molecules prevent illness by abolishing harmful germs, which is why sleep is so imperative when you are feeling sick or stressed, during which your body needs even more immune cells and proteins.

If you don't get enough sleep, your body will not function properly. Lack of sleep can affect your mental wellness in the form of mood changes, anxiety, depression, poor memory, poor focus, and concentration. So how much sleep is enough sleep? The Center for Disease Control suggests the following durations based on age:

birth to 3 months: 14 to 17 hours

4 to 12 months: 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours, including naps

1 to 2 years: 11 to 14 hours per 24 hours, including naps

3 to 5 years: 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours, including naps

6 to 12 years: 9 to 12 hours

13 to 18 years: 8 to 10 hours

18 to 60 years: 7 or more hours

61 to 64 years: 7 to 9 hours

65 years and older: 7 to 8 hours

While these are guidelines set by the CDC, statistically, many adults are not getting enough sleep. It could be due to external factors such as school, work, or a newborn baby. It could also be due to internal factors such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Whatever the reason may be, it is absolutely imperative that you take the necessary measures to improve your sleep. Here are a few tips:

1) Increase Your Exposure to Bright Daylight.

Your body has an internal clock called the circadian rhythm. It regulates your brain as well as your hormones which is how your body knows when it is time to sleep and when it's time to wake up. Natural sunlight helps tune your circadian rhythm. A study conducted at Cornell University on people with insomnia showed that daytime bright light exposure improved sleep quality and duration. The study also showed daylight exposure reduced the time it took to fall asleep by almost 83%.

2) Disconnect Before Bedtime.

Getting bright sunlight during the day is excellent for your health, and it helps you sleep better at night. As mentioned before, exposure to light does regulate your hormones, so it can have a destructive effect on your sleep if done at the wrong time of day. Exposure to light, specifically blue light emitted from your iPhone, iPad, or computer screen, reduces hormones like melatonin, helping you relax and get deep sleep. Avoid bringing electronics into your bedroom. Try reading a physical book instead of scrolling through your social media feed. Reading bad news or looking at content with negative connotations can also affect your mood and your sleep. Start by moving your charger out of your room to charge your phone overnight. Doing so will avoid the temptation of picking up from your nightstand before sleep.

3) Avoid Drinking Liquids Before Bed.

In general, drinking large amounts of liquids before bed can cause excessive urination during the night, affecting sleep quality and daytime energy. So, try to avoid drinking any fluids 1 to 2 hours before going to bed. This is true in the case of caffeine and alcohol. Caffeine can stay elevated in your blood for approximately 6–8 hours, so avoid drinking large amounts of coffee or caffeinated tea after 3 p.m. Alcohol can cause or increase the symptoms of sleep apnea, snoring, and disrupted sleep patterns. Moreover, alcohol can also alter melatonin production at nighttime, which plays a crucial role in your body's circadian rhythm.

4) Exercise

Exercising is one of the best ways to improve your health and your sleep.

A study out of Stanford University suggested that exercise nearly halved the amount of time it took to fall asleep. It also increased sleep time at night by 41 minutes.

While exercising can help improve your sleep, you don't want to be exercising too close to bedtime. Exercising can stimulate your body which increases alertness and hormones like epinephrine and adrenaline and can be harmful to your ability to fall asleep.

5) Take A Hot Bath

A relaxing bath or even a hot shower is a sure way of falling asleep faster and achieving deeper sleep. A hot bath or shower 90 minutes before bedtime has been shown to increase sleep quality. Hot water can lower your blood pressure and put you in a relaxed state of mind. So even if you don't have the time for a bath or shower, you can soak your feet in hot water, and it will help you fall asleep much faster.

Bonus Tip: Minimize external noise, light, and artificial lights from devices like alarm clocks. Make sure your bedroom is a quiet, relaxing, clean, and enjoyable place to sleep.