Bedtime routine did I say? Yes. Why? Are you having trouble getting those important 8 hours of sleep a night, struggling to recover from an illness or struggling with muscular injuries even finding it difficult to concentrate.
This article might be just what you’re looking for to improve your sleep quality.
But why do some people find it so difficult to let our bodies do the most natural habit in our daily routines?
Maybe it’s time to reassess why you are getting poor quality sleep and what might help with getting that important shut eye.
· The half-life of caffeine, or the time required for just half of it to be eliminated from the body is usually 4 to 6 hours.
· Painting the bedroom Blue has a calming and relaxing effect, it has even been shown to reduce blood pressure and to relax the mind.
· Women are 40% more likely to have insomnia more than men.
· Every hour of sleep before midnight is worth 2 hours.
· 50% of people who watch TV before bed get less than seven hours of sleep.
· The ideal room temperature for sleep is between 15-19 Celsius and for over 50 years of age between 19 – 25.
This natural human behaviour and most animals too is dictated to us by our body clocks or also known as circadian rhythm, this is when the body realises hormones during the light and dark periods of the day. The light simulates our bodies with many hormones to prepare the body for activity and during the day these hormone levels drop helping the body relax and prepare for the night’s sleep, being the body’s natural way of recovery and self-repair.
There are health effects of poor quality sleep which is less than the recommended 8 hours a night, this has effects on the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, endocrine, immune and nervous systems. Further such examples are:
· Chronic fatigue syndrome
· Chronic pain
· Obesity
· Hypertension (high blood pressure)
· Depression & Anxiety
· Recovery from physical activity
Why is it the majority of people are not getting enough sleep of at least 8 hours a night, according to one study 1 in 7 people in the UK struggle to even get 6 hours a night. As modern technology becomes part of our every life from everything being connected, lifestyles causing stress and anxiety and screens. Am not telling you that you should go live in a cave even though it would probably improve the quality of sleep you might not tolerate the bats in there, we should be aware of things that might be disrupting sleep quality and be health conscious.
So what our some of these modern marvels that I speak of that disrupt our circadian rhythm? Blue light is a wave of light that is emitted by the sunlight making us feel awake and alert but it can also be produced artificially by florescent light and LEDs, which are found on most electronic devices which has an effect on the body’s hormone production and sleep cycles. Blue light inhibits the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, so watching television or playing on your phone before bed messes with your sleep quality. So avoid being on your phone an hour before bed, get some blue blocking eye ware and reduce the amount of unnatural light in the room towards bedtime.
Another contribution of poor quality sleep is what I would name the “Smart machines”, anything with the name smart is connected via a wireless signal such as the smart meters, smart TV, smart speaker, the smart phone and of course the Wi-Fi boxes where the signal comes from. The signals from these devices are known as Electromagnetic Fields or EMFs, these signals constantly ping to one another 24 hours a day. Where do you keep your phone when you sleep? Or even those with smart watches? Usually not far from your head. My tips for a better night sleep would be to keep your phone further away from your bed maybe even means that you have to get out of bed for it, put your Wi-Fi box on a plug in timer turning it off the night and even turn off the mobile data.
Sleep deprivation has an impact on anxiety which in turn makes insomnia worse. These effects on the body can range from poor athletic performance or just everyday life, having tense muscles, lack of concentration, being fatigued. Also being sleep deprived the immune system will never work to its full potential which in turn can inhibit recovery from stress, illness and exercise, which can lead to higher levels of cortisol in the body.
Having a bedtime routine is key for your mind, body and health remember when you was a child or you have children they have bedtime routines, we should still have some kind of bedtime routine. Such as going to bed at roughly the same time every night being asleep for no later than 11pm and waking up at the same time every day. Creating one positive routine helps to create another ones and starting with sleep couldn’t be any easier. Preparing the body to relax for a restful and deep sleep by using some of the tips already discussed above, but here are a few more for those that really struggle with sleep.
My recommended supplements to help with a good night sleep:
Magnesium – The most absorbable type of magnesium is Threonate, some medications and some medical conditions can reduce magnesium absorption which in turn can effect sleep. Magnesium supplementation can also aid with muscle cramps and restless leg.
Valerian root – increases the GABA levels in the brain which reduces the levels of cortisol, calming brain activity which helps you to fall asleep more easily this improves overall sleep quality. This can help people who have mild to moderate insomnia. To boost its effect can be combined with lemon balm.
L-Theanine – A green tea extract helps at reducing levels of stress and anxiety by raising levels of GABA in the brain helping to regulate emotions, mood and sleep. It can be taken during the day since it helps with stress and anxiety without being non drowsy, dosage usually starts from 100 mg.
Self-Care
Breathing technique – cover the right nostril and breathe through the left one deep and long at least 10-15 times resist your body from rushing you to breathe faster, this technique can help with stress and anxiety.
Have a note pad and pen beside your bed either write down the things you’re planning to do the following day which helps stop thinking about it all night or write down 5 things you are grateful for, what made you happy in the day, what you are proud of or what you’ve learnt that day. There is some research that suggests reading the things learnt from the previous day will help to retain the information for longer.
If you find yourself tossing and turning after a few hours sleep keep a book next to your bed and read a chapter and go back to sleep.
Did this article improve your sleep quality? Maybe that coffee I saved you from mid-afternoon donate it to me instead.