SFH #7: Some Sleep Basics for Sunday
Simple tips for better night's sleep 😴
Sleep 🛌 is the body's natural detoxification process, draining fluids from tissue and flushing out cellular waste and neurotoxins.
A good night's rest regulates our hormones to help us feel satiated, improving cognitive abilities 🧠, promoting skin health 🧴, and encouraging healthy cell division 🔬. A perfect night's rest maximizes your time in both REM sleep and deep sleep. REM stands for rapid eye movement, and it's the kind of sleep in which you dream. During deep sleep, which is also called delta sleep, your breathing and heart rate drop, and your brain waves slow down. Scientists believe that it's deep sleep that turns short-term memories into long-term memories, reduces stress levels, and releases hormones for immune support.
How can you improve or optimize your sleep in a simple fashion?
Go to bed consistently around the same time each night. It doesn't matter your chronotype1, just that you get your circadian rhythm inflow. It's the biological clock that runs every cell in our body. ⏰
Avoid caffeine2 and alcohol3. My rule is no caffeine after lunch. And when consuming alcohol, I do my best to hydrate and stick to 1 to 2 drinks simultaneously. ☕️🍸
Aim for darkness. Darkness triggers the release of melatonin. Avoiding screens several hours before bed will go a long way to help regulate melatonin release. Going further, you can get black-out shades or use an eye mask. Do your best to remove any light source in your bedroom. 🌑
Cold is better for sleep conditions. The ideal temperature to sleep in is between 65 to 68 Farenheight. That range can be quite an adjustment for our AC-controlled sensitivities, but it's worthwhile to test out for yourself. Chiling pads and blankets are a popular new sleep tool on the market if you want to explore those options. 🥶
Set up a bedtime routine to wind down. The focus is to relax and cool down. I love warm Epsom salt baths4 and setting a mood with candles and sage. It's easy and fun! 🛁
Hear these tips and some more depth from one of the most respected academics in the field of sleep.
https://thepowerofwhenquiz.com/
https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/7/305/305ra146
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20090901/Alcohol-consumption-disrupts-circadian-rhythm-in-humans.aspx
https://thesleepdoctor.com/2019/07/27/warm-baths-help-sleep/