Sleep-It’s the Body’s Best Medicine!

Sleep gets no respect. Really, don't you agree? It is a basic need for good health, but we tend to overlook that much of the time. We think we can stay up a bit later and it won't matter so much. Lost sleep is a withdrawal from our savings account of good health and it can catch up with us over time. We find ourselves aging prematurely, having various adrenal/thyroid issues, weight gain, compromised immune system, foggy thinking, and the list goes on. We tend to forget how important sleep is. Sleep-It's the Body's Best Medicine!   

When we go to sleep our body is able to begin the process of repair, regenerate, and heal itself. That alone should help you see how important it is, no matter what your age. We could talk about the different stages of sleep, REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and Non-REM, but most people want to know why they need sleep or how it helps them. And, of course...how to get to sleep when they can't. Johns Hopkins Medicine and their neurologist, Mark Wu, MD say this on sleep (1)...

What about sleep and memory?

Sleep is important for your memory, reasoning, and restoration within the body. Toxins or waste products that build up during the day are cleared from the brain while you sleep though the glymphatic system (9) as controlled by the glial cells of the brain. Sounds a lot like the lymphatic system, doesn't it? Scientists reported that the toxic protein called beta-amyloid, which is implicated with Alzheimer's disease,  is removed from the brain during sleep (2).  Alzheimer's disease is an illness that everyone worries about and hopes to avoid. But as we see the special senior care homes for Alzheimer's patients, it certainly seems their numbers are rising (both patients and care homes). Perhaps, sleep can play an important part in prevention and healthy aging?

Could your lack of sleep be contributing towards weight gain?

 It seems so. Lack of adequate sleep affects hormones such as increasing evening cortisol levels, decreasing glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and hormones that regulate hunger (3). Anyone tired and hungry a lot, and yet they are wired when they try to sleep? Remember cortisol is your "stress" hormone and should increase in the morning, throughout the day, and decrease as the evening begins. Higher cortisol means insulin is allowing less glucose into the cells in order to allow more in the blood to be available to be burned by the body. So, that you can run from that tiger that everyone talks about when stress hormones come up.

Other processes shut down such as those involving fertility, digestion, or immune functions (4). After all, no one is worried about getting pregnant, digestion or absorbing nutrients properly, or having a healthy immune system if you are more concerned about being killed by that tiger right now! Leftover glucose that isn't burned by the body and poor digestion all lead towards weight gain. And, possibly other illnesses such as diabetes over time.

How to improve your sleep hygiene? 

Start going to bed incrementally earlier by 15 minutes each night until you hit a bedtime that will give you around 8 or 8 1/2 hours of sleep. Keep your bedroom as dark as possible, even turning your alarm clock around if needed. Consider an eye mask, if that helps you sleep better. Keep your bedroom temperature as cool as reasonable since we sleep better at cooler temperatures. Start hydrating with water earlier in the day, so that you can taper off a bit before bedtime to try to avoid bathroom visits during the night.

Give yourself enough time between your meal and bedtime for your food to digest properly. 3 hours would be ideal. Avoid caffeine after 2pm and watch alcohol. At least avoid alcohol close to bedtime. Many fall asleep quickly after drinking, but then wake up around 3pm wide awake. Breathing and snoring can be worse after drinking which may disrupt your sleep and that of your partner.  Some like the idea of a warm beverage such as an herbal tea or a warm milk like Golden Milk.  A warm bath in the hours between dinner and bedtime helps many relax, so they can head right to bed.

What to do about electronics?

Turn off the TV and other electronics about an hour before your bedtime to allow your body and brain to wind down (5). Don't watch TV or use electronics in the bedroom! The bedroom should be only for sleep and sex. Consider turning off a few lights or dimming those in dimmer switches in your home to help your body to prepare. Over a hundred years ago, most either read or had conversations by candlelight for a short while after dinner, but most went to bed soon after the meal. After all, "early to bed, early to rise"!

Reading during that last hour might help you prepare for sleep. While helpful for sleep earlier in the day, avoid strenuous exercise too close to bedtime since that could be stimulating. Easy, gentle stretches similar to yoga would be an option. And, some people find they enjoy a short meditation just prior to bedtime...as long as you don't fall asleep sitting instead of meditating.

What if you can't sleep?

If you wake and find yourself tossing and turning for 20 or 30 minutes, then get up and try reading for a bit. Leave the TV and computer off! Then, once you are distracted from your thoughts and relaxed try going back to bed. If you find your brain too engaged with worrisome thoughts or your "To Do List" before bed, then try making a list of them. This seems to take them out of the "worry bucket" for many people and they stop circling through your brain. I find focusing on my breath, counting in and out, helps me fall back asleep many times. It helps me turn my thoughts off by shifting my attention to something else.

Please avoid sleeping pills if you can. Consider discussing herbs such as Ashwagandha, Passionflower (6), or the hormone Melatonin (7) (8) with your healthcare practitioner to see what might be best for you, if none of the above options work for you after a few weeks. It does take us a while to get used to a new routine, so be prepared to allow your body to adjust.

Let me know how these tips work for you. Please share if you have any of your own that have worked for you. We're all different and what works for one may not work for another. Sleep is just one more very important component to maintaining good health. Sweet Dreams!