How Clean is Your Sleep?

This is the first post in a series on “clean” sleep (sleep hygiene) and how to improve it. Jump here to find effective sleep tips. This one focuses on women in perimenopause and go here for natural sleep solutions you can implement on your own. Learn more about circadian hormone balance here.

I didn’t sleep all night

Do you ever say this? Do you look or feel like the woman in the picture above? If you suffer from insomnia, after a bad night it can feel like you haven’t slept at all. You then drag through your day feeling exhausted, with brain fog and cravings for sugar and caffeine. You may push yourself to exercise but barely have the oomph to do so. Perhaps you are cranky and irritable. Then, the next night, rinse and repeat. Sound familiar? If so, your sleep may not be so “clean.”

Just how much do I need?

According to the American Sleep Association, these are the mean sleep hours needed by these age groups every 24 hours:

• Adults need 7 – 9
• Teenagers need 8 – 10 (studies show teens need exactly 9.25 hours)
• 6 – 12 year-olds need 9 – 12
• 3 – 5 year-olds need 10 – 13
• 1 – 2 year-olds need 11 – 14
• 4 -12 month-olds need 12 – 16

If you are an adult who claims you do fine on 5 or 6 hours of sleep, guess what? You are fooling yourself. Almost everyone thrives on 8 hours, and some of us do better with closer to 9. Sleep deprivation is widespread in the United States, and we don’t tend to prioritize it enough.

But is it so bad if I don’t get enough?

Well, yes, it is. It’s likely you feel tired, grumpy, irritable, short-tempered, and drowsy. It may be hard to focus, think clearly, or concentrate when you’re awake.

On a more serious side, short sleep duration, which is less than 6 hours, has been shown to increase risks for depression, diabetes, childhood obesity, high blood pressure, adult weight gain, immune system disruption,  and accelerated aging.

In fact, some people cannot lose weight until they start sleeping more!

What about the timing?

Timing does seem to matter. Recent research shows that later bedtimes lead to depression, risk-taking behavior, addiction, and daytime sleepiness in adolescents. One study shows that delayed bedtimes have poor metabolic effects in adult women, and increase insulin resistance and weight. There is a growing amount of research on night shift work, which shows detrimental effects. In fact, there is a condition called “Shift Work Disorder.”

Early bedtimes make sense from an evolutionary perspective. In the days before we were able to stay up late with electric lights and a plethora of glowing digital media, we tended to sleep with darkness and be up in the daylight. When our light sources were from the sun, moon, candlelight, and fire, our circadian rhythms were more in tune with light and dark cycles.

Make no bones about it: People who stay up late are at risk for under-sleeping. And when you stay up late and then sleep in, you often do not feel as rested and energetic as when you go to bed early.

There is an old saying that every hour of sleep before midnight is worth two hours after midnight. Many people are tuned into exactly what bedtime gives them the best energy and mental performance the following day. These bedtimes tend to be between 9 and 11 PM.

The yin and yang circadian hormones: cortisol and melatonin

When it’s light, you secrete cortisol, which is your wake-up hormone (yang, light, warm, activating). In fact, you should secrete 50% of your cortisol in the first 30 minutes you’re awake. When it’s dark, you secrete melatonin, your go-to-sleep hormone (yin, dark, cool, nourishing, restorative). These hormones oppose each other. When one is high the other is low.

If you take the complete Dutch hormone test, you can learn exactly what happens with your cortisol and melatonin, as well as other neuroendocrine signallers that orchestrate your cortisol and melatonin.

Without testing, there are other ways to figure out if your circadian hormones are disrupted.

• Do you stay up late with a second wind?
• Are you a night owl?
• Do you look like the woman pictured at the top when you go to bed?

If so, chances are good that your cortisol is high at night, when it should be low.

• Do you go to sleep easily but then wake up frequently?
• Do you ever spend time awake in the middle of the night?

Chances are good that your cortisol is rising during the night. You might be short on melatonin (or it’s precursors, serotonin and tryptophan). Or you may have enough melatonin but your cortisol spikes and overrides it.

Clean up your sleep

Sleep hygiene is a term for practices that are conducive to “clean” or good sleep. If you are not sleeping well, this is the place to start. According to the National Sleep Foundation, you should:

1. Limit daytime naps to 30 minutes. Naps do not make up for inadequate nighttime sleep. However, a short nap of 20-30 minutes can help to improve mood, alertness, and performance.
2. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine close to bedtime. When it comes to alcohol, moderation is key. While alcohol is well-known to help you fall asleep faster, too much close to bedtime can disrupt sleep as your body begins to process the alcohol.
3. Exercise promotes good quality sleep. As little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as walking or cycling, can drastically improve nighttime sleep quality.  For the best night’s sleep, most people should avoid strenuous workouts close to bedtime. However, the effect of intense nighttime exercise on sleep differs from person to person, so find out what works best for you.
4. Steer clear of food that can disrupt your sleep. العاب فلوس حقيقية Heavy or rich foods, fatty or fried meals, spicy dishes, citrus fruits, and carbonated drinks can trigger indigestion for some people. When this occurs close to bedtime, it can lead to heartburn or reflux that disrupts sleep.
5. Ensure adequate exposure to natural light. حكم القمار في الالعاب  This is particularly important for individuals who may not venture outside frequently. Exposure to sunlight during the day, as well as darkness at night, helps to maintain a healthy sleep-wake cycle.
6. Establish a regular relaxing bedtime routine.  A regular nightly routine helps your body recognize that it is bedtime. This could include a warm shower or bath, reading a book, or light stretches. When possible, try to avoid emotionally upsetting conversations and activities before sleep.
7. Make sure that your sleep environment is pleasant. Mattress and pillows should be comfortable. Your bedroom should be cool, between 60 and 67º Fahrenheit, for optimal sleep. Light from lamps, cell phones, TV screens, and night lights can make it difficult to fall asleep, so turn those lights off or adjust them when possible. Lights stimulate cortisol and interfere with melatonin secretion! Consider using blackout curtains, eyeshades, white noise machines, or other devices that make your bedroom more relaxing.

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Got your clean sleep dialed in but still not cutting it? Learn more about retraining your circadian rhythms here, and book a consult for help with sleep.

I welcome your questions and comments,

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