How to get more quality sleep.

Sleep positively impacts every single cell and function of our mental and physical health.

Yet, according to Dr. Walkers prominent book, “Why We Sleep”, 65% of the US adult population fail to get 7-9 hours of recommended sleep each night. He goes on to further to share that, “After 10 days of 7 hours of sleep, the brain functions as if it was going without sleep for twenty-four hours.”

As someone who spent the majority of my high school and college years getting around 6-7 hours of sleep each night (and occasionally less than that!). This was a huge wake-up call for me. Pun intended. Getting more sleep has not only made me feel sharper and happier, but I can see a noticeable difference in my health, my emotional wellbeing, and my productivity. Research shows again and again that getting more sleep is essential to feeling and functioning at our highest capacity.

What you can do, right now to get a better night of sleep.

1. Prioritize a good night of sleep.

This may seem obvious, but in order to get a proper amount of quality sleep —especially if you aren’t getting at least eight hours — you really do need to prioritize it. This may involve some radical behavior shifts — like going to bed and waking up at the same time each and every day. Not drinking caffeine after 12pm and avoiding alcohol a few hours before bed.

The benefits of getting enough quality sleep are enough to fill entire books.

Here’s the basics. You’ll not only drastically increase your ability to learn and retain information, live longer, but reduce your chances of developing or dying from cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease, and accidents related to drowsy-driving. You”ll also feel happier, be more creative, and look and feel healthier. 

2. Go to bed and wake up at the same time — everyday. 

Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day helps you to keep your circadian rhythm on track. Dr. Walker recommends that you even set a bed-time and wake-up alarm to help you stay consistent in your sleep patterns.  When we stay up later and/or sleep-in on the weekends we create what sleep scientists refer to as social jet lag. It’s essentially like waking up in a different time zone every weekend and expecting your body to be able to adjust to your “normal” schedule by Monday morning. It isn’t going to happen and. it’s probably why Monday’s have gotten such a bad reputation.

3. Notice your light exposure.

Sunlight and blue light helps to wake us up. When we are exposed to sunshine early in the morning it helps to keep our sleep cycles on point. Unfortunately, the majority of our time is often spend on screens that mimic the blue light of the sun and our brains can’t tell the difference. When we’re exposed to too much blue light in the evening, our brain thinks it’s earlier than it actually is and this makes it more difficult to fall asleep. 

An easy way to prevent this is to block blue light on our phones and computers by updating the settings to remove blue light after 5 or 6pm, purchasing a pair of blue light blocking glasses, and avoid screen usage at least an hour before heading to bed.

4. Make time to unwind.

Anxiety and depression are often linked to sleep issues. The question is which one came first? Research shows that not getting enough sleep increases your chance of developing depression by ten-fold. If you find yourself ruminating over the day or past events as you climb into bed, you might try incorporating some de-stressing, mood-boosting habits throughout your day. Try starting a daily mindfulness practice like a gratitude journal or daily meditation. Add in more movement by going for a walk or run in the morning, try a yoga practice, rock climbing, kick-boxing, or any other form of exercise that is appealing to you. Research shows that every minute counts, so if you only have five minutes, it’s still worth it! It’s best to wrap up your exercise routine at least three hours before you plan to go to bed. 

5. Be intentional about your consumption habits. 

What we consume and when we consume it can make a big impact in our ability to get a quality night of sleep. Caffeine blocks the chemical adenosine from building up in our body, which helps us fall asleep each night. The effects from the caffeine in one cup of coffee lasts 12-14 hours in our bodies and the older we get the longer it takes our body to clear it. This means the caffeine from a cup of coffee at 2pm is still in our body at 2am — or maybe even 4am! If you can drink coffee in the afternoon and fall asleep without any issue — it’s a sign that you are sleep deprived. 

Try to cut out or reduce the amount of caffeine you consume on a daily basis. You’ll start to feel sharper within a few nights of getting quality rest and you may even find that you no longer need the caffeine. 

Avoid big meals — or any food — an hour or two before going to bed. I’m not suggesting that you go to bed hungry as that can cause it’s own issues, but allowing your body to focus on all the important functions it completes while you’re sleeping — instead of digesting food — is better. 

Night-caps aren’t helping you fall asleep. They’re just sedating you. The difference is important, because while alcohol may appear to help you “fall asleep” faster, a different chemical process is actually taking place. So not only are you missing out on the benefits of a good night of sleep, but you’re more likely to wake up when the sedative effect of the alcohol wears off, meaning you miss out on even more quality, and important sleep cycles. Your best bet is to avoid alcohol a few hours before bedtime and try to limit your overall consumption.

Shifting these food and beverage habits can be a real shock to the system, which is why the number one way to improve your sleep is making it a priority. When you understand all the important functions that are happening while you sleep, the pros of staying up late, drinking coffee in the afternoon, and too much alcohol in the evening really start to wane. (I don’t follow this perfectly, and don’t expect you too either, but at least I know the trade-offs I’m making — and so should you!)

6. Create a pre-sleep routine.

If you’ve heard of creating a sleep hygiene routine, this is part of what they’re referring to. Having a wind-down routine starting about an hour before bedtime not only helps your body recognize you’re shifting into sleep mode, but helps you get into your parasympathetic nervous system so that you can actually relax and more easily fall (and stay) asleep. Avoid checking your work email, or having any discussions that may wind you up. You may do some light reading, meditation, take a shower to help lower your body temperature. Remove any light that’s coming into your bedroom by closing curtains, purchasing an eye mask, removing the tv from your bedroom, or covering any electronic lights. It can also be helpful to sleep in a cooler room — between 60 and 67 degrees. 

7. Check your sleep efficiency.

Quality sleep leads to a higher quality of life — both mentally and physically. If you’ve made an effort to create all these changes to improve your sleep quality and duration and are still feeling exhausted, it may be time to turn to a sleep specialist. They’ll be able to help you uncover any sleep inefficiencies and see if you’re dealing with issues like sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, or REM sleep behavior disorder, or insomnia.

If you sleep with a long-time snorer, it’s worth asking them about the quality of their sleep and suggesting they look into getting tested as well.

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