One in three adults do not regularly get the recommended amount of uninterrupted sleep they need to protect their health, and the NIH estimates that between 50 and 70 million Americans have sleep disorders.
According to the CDC, a number of chronic diseases and health disorders, including as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and depression, are linked to sleep disruptions and insufficient sleep.
Lifestyle Recommendations for Sleep
- Lifestyle factors
- Nutrition
- Herbal teas
- Foods to avoid
- Factors that disrupts the circadian rhythm
- How to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm
- Building a routine
- Sleep environment
- Exposure to Morning Sunlight
- Relaxation Techniques
- Autogenic training
- Biofeedback
- Deep Breathing Exercise
- Guided imagery technique
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Journaling
- Mindfulness
What lifestyle factors effects sleep?
- Lifestyle factors
- Chronic Stress
- Frequent and long naps
- The hour before bedtime
- Bright artificial light
- Screen time
- Strenuous exercise
- Stimulants
- Nicotine (cigarette, half live 2 hours)
Nutrition for better night sleep
Herbal teas for better night sleep
- Chamomile
- Lavender
- Passionflower
- Valerian root
- Oats (Avena sativa)
Foods to avoid for better night sleep
- Foods to avoid
- Caffeine
- Coffee, tea, caffeinated soda, and chocolate
- Caffeine effects can last up to 8 hours or longer
- Coffee, tea, caffeinated soda, and chocolate
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Meat
- Hot sauces
- Spicy foods
- Fry foods
- Fatty foods
- Salty foods
What disrupts the circadian rhythm?
How do we maintain a healthy circadian rhythm?
Be consistent, build a routine, keep the same sleep schedule every night
- Reserve 7-8 hours for sleep every night
- Sleeping between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. is the best time for heart health
- Early or late sleeping hours may disturb the circadian rhythm with adverse consequences for cardiovascular health
- According to the CDC, sleeping less than 7 hours increases the risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and obesity
The hour before bedtime
- Read
- Take a hot shower
- Take an Epsom Salts Bath
- Slow down
- Use relaxation techniques
Sleep environment
Have a comfortable bed
- Mattresses
- Pillow
- Bedding
Darkness Matters
- Body programmed to sleep when it is dark
- Practice sleep routine that integrates a gradually darkening environment
- Dim the lights
- Nightlights
- Blackout curtains
Noise masking or silence
- Noise provokes stress response, affects sleep architecture, and sleep quality
- Put cellphone in airplane mode
- Turn off alerts
- White noise machine
- Earplugs
- Install soundproof windows to block outdoor noise pollution
Decrease Electromagnetic fields (EMF) exposure
- Put cellphone in airplane mode
- Turn off other devices in the bedroom that are using WIFI
- Remove Wi-Fi router from bedroom
- Maintain room temperature approximately 65°F
- Open windows
- Turn on air conditioner
- Turn on heater
- Wear seasonal sleep attire
- Cooling mattresses
- Designed to cycle heat away from the sleeper
Limit daytime naps
- Longer naps increase risk of falling into deep stages
- Waking up from deep sleep causes feeling of grogginess and drowsiness (sleep inertia)
- Napping is recommended no later than 2 pm
- Set phone alarm for 20-30 minutes for a power nap
Exposure to Morning Sunlight
Relaxation Techniques for Sleep
- Autogenic training
- Biofeedback
- Deep Breathing Exercise
- Guided imagery technique
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Journaling
Autogenic training
- A technique that focuses the mind’s attention to the physical sensations of the body by using both visual imagery and verbal cues
- Autogenic training achieves deep relaxation by reducing stress both mentally and physically
- It helps control
- Breathing
- Blood pressure
- Body temperature
- Heartbeat
- Autogenic training consists of six standard exercises that induces sensation of warmth, heaviness, and relaxation
- As part of the nightly power-down routine, it is an effective technique to practice daily in order to reduce stress and assists the body and mind to prepare for sleep
Deep Breathing Exercise
Deep, slow, diaphragmatic breathing is a technique that can assist with relaxation and decreases tension in the body
Deep breathing aids with relaxation and leads to physiological changes including
- Reducing muscle tension, blood pressure, anxiety, stress
- Improves mood, circulation, focus
- Slowing breathing rate, heart rate
Guided imagery technique
- When imagine something, the body responds as if it is presently experiencing that moment, that is the power of imagination
- Guided imagery uses all of the senses to help imagine calming, peaceful, and pleasant thoughts to bring relaxation and shift the body to parasympathetic response
- Guided imagery is an excellent mind-body nightly pre-bed technique that can help promote sleep by
- Increased relaxation
- Reduced stress and tension
- Reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression
Progressive muscle relaxation
- Is a mind-body technique that takes the focus of the mind to areas of muscle tension
- This technique diverts the focus of the mind from thought to focusing on the body
- It involves tensing and relaxing muscles, one at a time, with different areas and muscle groups
- The benefits of this nightly power-down routine incudes
- Bringing awareness to what a relaxed state feels like
- Increased familiarization with the body and with areas that are stressed and tensed
- Assists with physical and mental tension release
- Tension in the muscles can lead to tension in the mind
Journaling
- Overwhelmed with tasks and worries about tomorrow’s chores may disturb sleep
- Writing down thoughts, emotions, and plans is a healthy pre-bed routine to clear the mind and prepare for sleep
- Setting intentions
- Raise emotional and physical energy
- Focus on who you are in the moment, recognize and live your values
- Raise emotional and physical energy
- Showing gratitude
- Journaling about gratitude enhances sleep, mental, and physical health
- Reflect on everything that you are grateful for
- Gratitude encourages a positive mindset and decreases anxiety
- Google “Gratitude Journal Prompts”
- Feel connected
- Journal about someone meaningful when lonely
- Self-Love
- Self-love journaling boost confidence, provides direction, and motivation
- Google “Self-Love Journal Prompts”
- Make a to-do list
- Writing out a to-do list may help quiet anxious thoughts and clear the mind before sleep
- Compile unfinished tasks and make a to-do list
- The benefits of a to-do-list includes
- A clear list of intentions for the next day
- Track progress
- Decreased stress levels
- Vent to Let it Go (Vent Your Day’s Worries and Frustrations)
- Frustration, anger, worry are healthy and natural responses to daily stressors
- It is important to discharge unpleasant thoughts and emotions
- Writing down in a journal troubling experiences is a healthy discharge technique to clear the mind
Mindfulness for sleep
- Definition
- “An intentional act of present-moment awareness without attachment to an outcome”
- Practicing mindfulness
- Manfulness allows for awareness, circumspection (being watchful about your thoughts), self-compassion, promotes letting go, non-judgement, patience, non-striving (being here and now without anticipation of future outcomes), acceptance (but not giving up) and trusting yourself
- This pre-bed technique involves breathing exercises, guided imagery, and other mind-body relaxation practices
- The benefits of mindful techniques for good night sleep includes
- Cultivate awareness
- Decreased anxious thoughts
- Calm mind
When to see a doctor
Seek a healthcare provider when experiencing sleep disturbance to assess and diagnose the potential root cause.
DISCLAIMER
This information is intended for educational purposes only and it is not intended to take the place of consultation with your physician.
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