How did you sleep last night? Did you feel rested this morning?
We all know sleep is important but many of us still neglect it. We go to bed too late, wake up early and then try to get ourselves through the day with endless cups of coffee or energy drinks.
I LOVE coffee (an Ethiopian yirgacheffe is my fav) but it's way better when you actually get beneficial sleep to go along with it.
But what actually happens to us when we sleep and why is it so important? Hang with me while I nerd out for a second. I promise it gets really interesting and you can improve your sleep with the tips at the end.
Countless sleep studies have found that humans need about 7.5-8.5 hours of sleep per night. I used to live by the motto "I'll sleep when I'm dead"...but the reality is, aging is sped up by a lack of restorative sleep.
Numerous restorative processes happen while we sleep. In particular, our sleep hours are where we primarily heal ourselves. So much so that it's not uncommon for professional athletes to shoot for 9-10 hours of sleep per night...and a nap during the day.
I know that is probably not realistic for you or me. However, 7-8 hours of sleep definitely is realistic. There are very few exceptions to this rule unless you have really small kids.
It's not just about sleep duration but also sleep density. By density, I mean the quality of sleep you are getting. Focusing on sleep density is where we really get some fast changes.
While we drift off to dreamland, our bodies go through a fascinating orchestra of changes during sleep. These changes can be broadly categorized into two main phases: non-REM sleep and REM sleep.
Non-REM sleep:
- Stage 1: A light doze where your body temperature and heart rate begin to drop. Muscle activity slows down, and your brain waves slow down as well.
- Stage 2: This is the stage you spend most of your sleep in. Your body temperature continues to drop,and your heart rate and breathing become even slower and more regular. Brain waves slow further, with occasional bursts of faster activity.
- Stage 3 and 4: These are the deepest stages of sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep. Your brain waves become very slow, and your body is very relaxed. This is when important physical restoration processes occur, such as:
- Muscle repair and growth: Growth hormone is released, which helps to repair and rebuild muscle tissue.
- Tissue repair: Other tissues throughout the body are also repaired and regenerated during this stage.
- Energy restoration: Your body replenishes its energy stores for the next day.
- Memory consolidation: Memories are consolidated and stored in the long-term memory.
REM sleep:
- Rapid eye movement sleep gets its name from the rapid movements of your eyes under your closed lids. It's also called paradoxical sleep because your brain is very active, similar to being awake, while your body is mostly paralyzed. This is when dreaming occurs.
- During REM sleep, your brain:
- Processes and consolidates new information you learned during the day.
- Regulates emotions.
- Enhances creativity and problem-solving skills.
Throughout the night, you cycle through these stages of sleep several times, with longer periods of REM sleep occurring later in the night.
Here are some additional things to keep in mind:
- The amount of time you spend in each stage of sleep varies throughout the night and can be influenced by your age, health, and sleep habits.
- Getting enough sleep is crucial for both physical and mental health. When you don't get enough sleep, you can experience a variety of negative effects, such as fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, decreased sex drive and impaired immune function.
If you’re having trouble sleeping, here are my top, easy to implement tips to improve your sleep and feel better within a couple of days.
- NO SCREEN TIME WITHIN ONE HOUR OF BED. Seriously, put the phone down and stop scrolling through social media, your stock portfolio or reading emails. If you're going to watch TV, try not to watch a thriller or horror movie. Even better, no TV at all before bed and just read a book for 30 minutes to an hour.
- HAVE A NIGHT TIME ROUTINE. I have three small kids. When we get them ready for bed, its the same thing every night. They get a bath, brush their teeth, we read them a book, and tuck them in and pray over them. Now...imagine as an adult someone did this with you. Just imagine someone reading you a book, tucking you in and praying over you until you fall asleep. You would sleep great! Regardless of what it is, you do need to develop your own routine. Don't make it complicated and start small. Maybe your routine is a shower, a little bit of stretching and then read a book for a few minutes. The routine is key and it will help you fall asleep much faster.
- KEEP YOU ROOM AS DARK AS POSSIBLE. This is such a simple fix. Get black-out shades for the windows. If you don't want to buy black-out shades, buy the paper blackout temporary shades and keep your curtains closed so no one can see them. This is a no brainer. The darker the room, the more beneficial your sleep is.
- MAKE SURE ITS COLD ENOUGH. We actually sleep better when we are in a cold environment. Think about the last time you were in a really hot area camping or maybe with no AC. You sleep like crap sweating on yourself all night. Research has shown that ideal temps for sleep are around 65-70 degrees. This may be a bit cost prohibitive during the summer but it makes a huge difference with how good your sleep quality is.
- MAKE YOUR BEDTIME And WAKE UP TIME CONSISTENT. Humans are creatures of habit. We adjust to schedules really well and sleep is no different. Pick a time that you go to bed and wake up everyday. You can deviate from this on the weekend but during the week, keep it consistent. Your body will be fully adjusted within 7 days.
Nerd session over - anyone else learn something new?
Maybe pain or injuries are keeping you from sleeping well. If you are waking up in the middle of the night in pain, or you can't fall asleep because something hurts or you can't get comfortable - give us a call! Our movement experts can help you get out of pain and moving better to help you get your sleep back on track.
Catch some zzzzz's,
Doc Shawn
PS. If you are in pain, have an injury or just want to be healthier and move better for longer, then we should have a talk. We help people get out of pain and back to the high-performance pain-free life they deserve because life is more enjoyable when you can do the things you love with the people you love, pain-free. Schedule a time to talk today.