Self • November 7, 2024
Karen
Did You Have a Good Sleep?
How Did You Sleep?
Remember when you were young and that was such a simple question. Now, it’s a really loaded one! Sleep is one of the most important things we do: it makes you smarter, healthier (it can add years to your life), more creative and definitely makes you look fresher. So, how can we get more of it?
How much sleep do we really need?
For most people 6-8 hours a night with occasional naps as needed. But if you find yourself dragging through the day, 8 hours is better with a couple restful breaks during the day. Remember that lightbulb moment when desperately trying to get babies and toddlers to sleep through the night: sleep breeds sleep! So take those small doses of relaxation during the day, including naps and your overall health will thank you.
Easier said than done!
Yes, of course 6-8 hours of sleep a night sounds dreamy and you probably feel like you’ve tried everything to get there. But it’s important to pay more attention to your habits and sleep style. What’s your bedtime routine, what kind of sleeper are you, how did you spend your day and what did you eat or drink? It all plays a role and it may be time to change some habits.
Try this routine on a consistent basis and see if you notice a difference:
Make your bed first thing and then stay out of it until it’s time to go to sleep (no crawling into it to read, scroll on your phone or watch tv during the day).
Within two hours of waking, get natural sunlight on your face - it sets your internal clock and by aligning your body with nature’s light/dark cycle, you’re naturally regulating the release of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate sleep-wake cycles and circadian rhythms. Your body produces it naturally, but if your hormones are off, you may need to try a supplement until you get more balanced.
Get in a moderate to strenuous workout for either 20 minutes a day or 40 minutes a few days per week. This is said to improve your sleep quality by 65%! But try this in the morning or afternoon, as it may energize you if you do it in the evening. I love these short, full body workouts by Cara Metz.
Eat your magnesium! If you have been avoiding whole grains, you have been avoiding a key player in the sleep game. Magnesium has a relaxing effect on the nervous system and helps with the production and absorption of one of the main sleep-promoting neurotransmitters. So good quality wheat, oats, barley, buckwheat and quinoa are your friends. Other great sources are: avocados, dark chocolate, spinach, black beans, pumpkin seeds, bananas, fatty fish.
Do less in a day! Somehow we have trained ourselves to believe that if we are really busy, then we will sleep better at night. But busy typically equates to a list of things to fret over while you’re lying in bed at night. Just try scaling back a bit; welcome a nap, a slow walk to a pretty place, a reading break, or if you must, lock yourself in the bathroom and do a self care ritual like use your red light wand or gua sha.
But life can be busy and that’s unavoidable. Try writing out a list of things you need to do on a piece of paper before you head to bed to release the night worries.
Some may hate this one, but we all know it’s true: avoid caffeine and alcohol late in the day. They will both interfere with your sleep stages. So, if you love your glass of wine at night, try having it earlier and then switching to water or chamomile tea.
One to two hours before bed, take a bath, sauna, read or create a self care routine of dry brushing, showering and applying soothing body oil. A relaxing night time ritual can calm you, which should lower your cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone to help you wake up and feel energized - you definitely don’t want to go to bed with it elevated.
Now for the biggie - watch tv, read, scroll your phone on the sofa, not in the bed! Spending time out of your bed increases your need for deep sleep, so if you are like me “and take to the bed” early to watch some bad tv, you just lowered your chances of a restorative sleep. Apparently spending more time in bed tells your body you need less rest.
Set a routine bedtime - ideally about 10pm, but do what suits you, so if you like to go to bed earlier, so you can wake up early that’s ok, but remember to get that sun within two hours of waking.
Remember habits take time to work and become routines
Be consistent and allow yourself a couple weeks to see if this helps. If you are still struggling here are a few other tips we’ve uncovered.
If you are having a hard time falling asleep, try these breathing techniques or get out of bed and go somewhere to read or do some gentle stretches then try again. It is better to get up than lay there frustrated.
If you wake up in the middle of the night, don’t turn on your tv or phone and scroll - that light is a disruptor. Instead listen to a podcast (like “How I Built This” - this is not the time for a psychological thriller) or gentle music (spotify has awesome sleep playlists). You may want to keep some cozy earphones handy, particularly if you are a side sleeper. These are highly rated.
Create a sleep haven in your bedroom: keep it cool, dark and cozy with your bedding. If you haven’t tried bamboo sheets yet, you must! They are so soft and keep you cool throughout the night.
If you are tossing and turning a lot, it may be time for a new mattress. Their life expectancy is 7 years.
If you wake up to go to the bathroom at night, avoid watery foods like soups and salads for dinner and don’t drink a lot of liquids for a few hours before bed. That means you should get a lot of your hydration in when you wake up in the morning.
Avoid sugary, spicy foods in the evening. Snack on these sleep friendly foods instead: whole grain toast, granola, milk, low sugar yogurt, almonds, honey, hummus, berries, cherries and bananas.
Avoid Tyramine-rich foods, like tomatoes, soy sauce, eggplant, red wine and aged cheeses, which contain an amino acid that causes the brain to release a natural stimulant.
If you want to try a supplement, it can be helpful to get back on track. But most doctors don’t recommend relying on them forever. Here is a great list of natural supplements to consider, but of course check with your doctor before taking any.
Check out all of our favorites for getting a good sleep here!