2020 has been, well, interesting. But instead of focusing on all the negative aspects this year has brought us, maybe we could focus on the positives. For me at least, the biggest positive (and I’m choosing this to be a positive even though it very well could be a negative) is the lack of out of the house commitments. Why is this a positive you ask? Well, because it has reinforced that the consistent aspects of my day remain consistent.

This includes my sleep schedule, sleep hygiene, and improving my sleep environment.

Health Benefits of Regular Sleep

It seems that anytime someone asks what they can do at home for better health during any stage of their life, the answer is always: sleep better and more regularly.

Want to balance your hormones? Sleep better so that your hormones have time to reset.

Losing focus on your zoom call? Sleep better so that your brain can recharge and be ready for the next meeting.

Want to lose weight? Sleep better to allow your body to reset.

Feeling kind of cranky and want to improve your mood? Maintain a regular sleep schedule.

Emotionally, you are less stressed, in a better mood, and tend to make better and more rational decisions when you have had enough sleep.Physically, your body will be healthier when you have had enough sleep.

This can be seen in having an improved immune system and not getting sick as often, easier to maintain a healthier weight, and you are less prone to serious diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

Sleep Hygiene

Sleep hygiene is “behaviors, environmental conditions, and other sleep-related factors” (Stepanski and Wyatt, 215) that impact the quality and quantity of sleep. These behaviors and environmental factors can be in your control, which is a great place to start.

Behaviors That Impact Sleep Hygiene

Wake Up and Go To Bed At The Same Time: Regular sleep schedules strengthen the circadian rhythm and helps your body adjust to more regular sleep.
Hunger Impacts Sleep: While we are not recommending a sugary or carb loaded snack, sometimes a small snack before bed can help reduce hunger and improve sleep quality. One of our favorite pre-bed snacks is a warm glass of milk.
Regular Exercise: Staying active during the day will help your body actually get tired, and can be very beneficial to help improving your sleep quality. Specifically, exercising at the same time daily is helpful.
Get Out Of Bed When You Wake Up: While it can feel super lovely to lay in bed forever, it actually hurts your ability to sleep later in the day. It is recommended that once you wake up, you should get out of bed and start your day.
Reduce Caffeine and Alcohol Intake: Specifically in the evening, these two beverages can impact your quality of sleep. Even if consuming caffeine later in the day does not feel like it keeps you awake, it may be negatively impacting your sleep. Alcohol may feel like it is relaxing and may help you fall asleep, it often interrupts sleep and decreases the overall quality.
Decrease Blue Light Exposure: Blue light is similar to sunlight in the way that it gives natural wake up cues to our bodies. So watching TV, playing on your phone, and working on your computer all emit blue light and keep your body from wanting to sleep. If you are unavailable to avoid some screen time in the evenings (hello, being a parent), on some phones and computers, you can decrease the level of blue light at a certain time to help relax your eyes.

Environmental Factors That Impact Sleep Hygiene

Sleep In Darkness: Sleeping in the dark triggers your body to produce the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin that helps you get to sleep and stay asleep. This means that it is important to eliminate a bedroom clock that has a light, making sure there are no night lights or light coming into bedroom, and even blocking out light from small things like your smoke detector. If eliminating all light is impossible, sleeping with an eye mask is an excellent way to be in total darkness while also not living in a cave (Gooley et al.).
Reduce Occasional Loud Noises: Occasional loud noises are not usually able to be controlled, but making sure your bedroom is located somewhere where loud noises are less common can be helpful. Even if you do not wake up from the noises, they impact your sleep. If noises are common, consider using a sound machine to play a consistent sound that will block out external noises.
Proper Temperature: Warm rooms negative impact sleep quality, so keeping your room on the cooler side is helpful.
Comfortable Bed: This seems like an obvious way to improve sleep, but often times our beds or pillows become gradually less comfortable so we do not notice that that is the contributing factor to poor sleep. Replacing your mattress, pillows and blankets as needed is helpful to maintaining a comfortable sleep environment.

Daily Activities To Improve Sleep

Sleeping better at night includes doing various activities throughout the day to better prepare your body and mind for sleeping at night.

First thing first, exposing your eyes to natural sunlight at wake up time is very beneficial. Light, either artificial or natural, sends wake up cues to your body. So first thing in the morning, walk outside enjoy the sunlight on your face to wake your mind and body up for the day.

A few weeks ago, we talked about how stress impacts your physical and emotional health in both good and bad ways. The good stress that we have throughout the day is expressed through the Diurnal cortisol curve that gives us more energy in the morning, and gradually less throughout the day. Work with that natural curve to make the most of your day.

Throughout the day, keep moving and using your body. Not necessarily running a marathon each day, but walking, stretching, and general movement is good for the body and good to prepare to sleep later in the day.

As the evening approaches, decrease the amount of light in your home by turning off overhead lights, reducing the blue light on your computer, turning off the TV, and other artificial light sources.

Before bed, check in with your body to see if a small snack is needed, double check the thermostat to ensure your bedroom is cool enough, turn on your sound machine, and put your eye mask on for total darkness.

Getting into bed at the same time and waking up at the same time are extremely healthy, so try to keep a steady schedule most nights.

We hope this help you understand how sleep impacts your body and mind, and to hopefully improve your sleep behaviors and environment.

Sources:

Gooley, Joshua J., Kyle Chamberlain, Kurt A. Smith, Sat Bir S. Khalsa, Shantha M. W. Rajaratnam, Eliza Van Reen, Jamie M. Zeitzer, Charles A. Czeisler, Steven W. Lockley, Exposure to Room Light before Bedtime Suppresses Melatonin Onset and Shortens Melatonin Duration in Humans, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 96, Issue 3, 1 March 2011, Pages E463–E472, https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2010-2098
Stepanski, Edward J., and James K. Wyatt. “Use of Sleep Hygiene in the Treatment of Insomnia.” Sleep Medicine Reviews, vol. 7, no. 3, June 2003, pp. 215–225.