I am not sure about you, but I crave sleep and it is simply the best feeling to get into bed after a tiring yet productive and progressive day. It is like I feel deserving of it and want to get to sleep to let my brain properly process my day-to-day living experiences and what is next for me and as long as I have a healthy sleep routine (tips below), I mostly sleep well and wake up invigorated ready for the next day ahead.
How important is sleep for you and what about the routine of getting to sleep and waking up from sleep? Have you considered how important this is and what impact it has on your health and well-being? It is a sad fact that many will get into bed only to use it as an additional deserved space to continue scrolling on their phones or even get their laptops out and do more work because they simply run out of time from increasing demands for work. These days we definitely have so many more tasks and chores to get through and it is like we are all on a conveyor belt of output with very little redress being made to balance things between rest and work.
Well, today happens to be World Sleep Day in the global well-being calendar, so what better way than to become mindful of the purpose and importance of good sleep and renegotiate sleep routines? Sleep is part of a natural rhythm in our bodies – it is a way for our cells to reproduce, heal and repair, to avoid the destruction of our bodies’ intricate workings. This phase needs us to rest and can help us navigate ourselves away from illness. Furthermore, our brain needs processing time and for it to be quiet from the over-stimulation we experience these days. Our intuition and source of life need time to reconnect all parts of us as one and promote health and well-being in all its states. To put it mildly – sleep is incredibly restorative and is the basis of functions in our creation as physical beings.
Lack of quality sleep has a huge negative impact on our health and well-being. Today, our world promotes it to be less and less valuable as we live our lives stressed out suffering from worry and insomnia. How much sleep one needs is individual and it is best for you to experiment on how much is best for you. it might take some time to adjust to new sleep cycles but it is essential to experiment. For me, it is lights out at 10.30 pm and up at 6 am- that 7.5 hours of rest and sleep for seven days, with minimal deviation, if I can help it. Ironically in my younger days, this was less of a target almost deviating from it on a daily basis because of socials and educational assignments and exams.
But like many, even today my sleep is not perfect and as much as I strive to get this into a set but not-so-rigid routine, there are nights when I toss and turn and can’t get comfortable. I can however say with reasonable confidence that I have developed a routine that works for me and I get grouchy when it gets disrupted.
An example of the negative effect of the lack of good sleep is the concerning situation and
statistics on obesity today. There is a direct correlation between bad or inadequate and unhealthy sleep patterns and the resultant weight gain many experiences that drives increasing obesity rates.
It is proven that lacking quality sleep in its natural cycles throughout the night gives the craving for unhealthy and processed fats and sugars the next day, destabilising your body from its natural satiety signals to help with overeating. So advising on eating less of these highly processed unreal food is a waste. Let’s first look at where and why cravings exist in the first place and it is important to understand how good sleep can improve eating choices for real food. There are many other factors involved in aspects of obesity, but I will write about that another time.
So how can you practice good sleep habits and promote your own health and well-being from this foundation?
Firstly, reflect on your own individual and home patterns – this depends on your job, and tasks to complete daily like home life and travel. Experiment with a timeline for sleep. Once you have decided how many hours of sleep you actually need, then you can work out your sleep and wake-up times. This has to be a match for your individual needs and circumstances. For me, it is about 8 hours and even though I am getting older, it is the same and not less. What is important is for you like me, to avoid oversleeping just because we can. If I do oversleep or cannot get out of bed and start my mornings in a helpful way, this really disrupts my patterns and makes me feel tired and lethargic. It is really about going with what your body is telling you to do and so it is Power napping during the day for those of you are needing that extra sleep is a good way to help you keep your sleep patterns steady and consistent. Power naps of 20 minutes and no more can help you catch up at times of busy experiences or stressors without affecting the natural rhythm.
Secondly, once the patterns of time you dedicate to sleep are secured, then clean up your sleeping space and environment- best if its cooler and with lots of pale colours, clean and uncluttered with no technology with you at best or at least a bedside table you can hide phones, iPads and so on.
Thirdly, invest in the quality of your bed and mattress, pillows and quilts. It is best to be at a steady temperature throughout the night and to avoid aches and pains, the quality of your pillows and the position you sleep has to be renegotiated. Some of us sleep best on our backs or fronts and some sleep best sideways with a supportive pillow holding our backs from arching over. Sleep positions are tricky because if you have a partner who tosses and turns this can disrupt sleep. One that snores is even worse. Try to sort this out and if the mattress is too small and the body size is larger than average, invest in Kings size and Queen size beds. There are many couples who make a decision to have twin beds in the same room to get the better quality of sleep they both deserve but are just as much of a couple if not more than the traditional set up of shared beds. Cotton material is best
as it keeps you cooler and temperature steady and that also applies to your own sleep wear
material.
Fourthly, create an informed bedtime routine and waking routine. Avoid food and hot drinks at least an hour and a half before lights out. Active digestion or fresh food in the stomach disrupts sleep due to the active role digestion plays, but don’t go to bed starving either. Your evening meal can be eaten early and should be about four hours before sleep. The contents of your stomach should be easily digested, so pay attention to foods that are healthy and easily digested like vegetables and fish or chicken and avoid heavier foods like red meat. Avoid drinking coffee after midday, if coffee keeps you awake.
Furthermore, I would say watch your evening television shows but avoid watching anything again about one and a half hours before lights out. That also means avoiding the use of mobile phones and iPads and laptops. Many say they need their phones nearly as they set the alarm- set your alarm the traditional way through alarm clocks and not your phone. If you are worried about it not working, set your timer on your phone but put it away regardless at bedtime. Notifications and so on, can wake you up during the different phases of your sleep cycle and is to be avoided. On waking, avoid the entry of information from your phone and social media first thing so be disciplined in avoiding any tech contact before you are dressed and about to go to work. It is also a good tip for time management!
Lastly, keep a notebook or journal beside you and a book that you can read, on getting into bed. Another choice might be a quiet evening and peaceful meditation practice and maybe even 5 minutes of journal writing has been proven to enhance the quality of sleep and how it can get the mind ready for a deep sleep phase, essential for growth and repair. There are no hard and fast rules to getting good sleep and the practices that promote it naturally, but these tips are just a few I practice myself and they work for me. I hope you find your own patterns and get the sleep you deserve.
Here is a summary of these practices with headings as Reflect and experiment on how much sleep you need to feel your best:
- Keep your sleeping environment clean, uncluttered and cooler.
- Invest in the quality of your bed, mattress, pillows, bed linen and bedclothes.
- Create an informed bedtime routine, which means eating and drinking earlier in the evening and avoiding technology.
- Mediate and/or journal your key thoughts and experiences of the day.
Happy Sleeping.
