Many of us know the importance of sleep. Whether it is from someone telling us or knowing how we feel after a night of not sleeping well. Memory, mood, blood sugar, and metabolism are some of the systems impacted when we do not get enough sleep. We go through various sleep cycles throughout the night. The first sleep cycle after we fall asleep helps our bodies clear out toxins and restore proper functions. The next part of the sleep cycle that occurs closer to the early morning helps us to restore and clear out our emotional centers. If you ever wonder why after not sleeping well your mood is different, this is part of the reason. It is important that we get enough sleep to go through all the cycles. Of course, life happens and depending upon various circumstances it can be a challenge to get the amount we need. Here are some tips and tricks to help with those sleep troubles.
General Sleep Hygiene Habits
· 7-9 hours/night
· Go to bed and wake up at same time.
· Turn off lights last hour before bed.
· The best sleeping temperature is 65-68° F. Our body temperature needs to drop to fall and stay asleep.
Waking up at night
· After 30 minutes of trying to fall back asleep, get out of bed and do something like reading, listening to music, or meditating.
· If you do not feel like getting out of bed, go on a mental walk. Picture a path or a route you know well, picture yourself traveling along it and picture it clearly in your mind.
· Anything that takes your mind off trying to fall asleep can be helpful.
Napping
· Do not fear napping! Done well they can be a great tool to help fill sleep gaps. They can help reset our emotions and help with our memories.
· 20 minutes is the sweet spot for napping. Too long and you may wake up feeling groggier than before the nap. This is because you’ve entered one of the deep sleep cycles.
· Naps after 3pm may make it harder to fall asleep at night. But you all know your schedules best 😊, so do what works for you.
Caffeine
Caffeine can disrupt our sleep in 3 ways:
· It blocks the signals that tell us we are tired.
· It can inhibit the deep sleep cycles. If you are the type of person who can fall asleep right after drinking coffee it is important to remember that it can still be affecting your quality of sleep even if you are able to fall and stay asleep.
· It has a half-life of around 6 hours. This means that after 6 hours half of the amount of caffeine initially consumed is still circulating in the body. Noticing what time of day, we are having caffeine can be a useful tool for improving sleep quality.
Give these tips a try next time you find yourself having sleep troubles. If you feel like you need more support, chiropractic care and acupuncture can be helpful. Please contact our office if you have questions or need assistance.
Take Care!
Dr. Alex
216-952-3830
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Source
Podcast. Bartlett, Steven. “The World’s No.1 Sleep Expert: The 6 Sleep Hacks You NEED! - Matthew Walker | E228”. The Diary of a CEO. May 9th, 2023. Date Accessed 10/1/2023. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6F3dV8BzpJyHR61hDnrdxS?si=90cd4cf6c3df4599