October 2023 – Sleep & Health

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Despite the warm temperatures this week…Fall is here. Although Fall brings cooler temperatures, pumpkin spice, and Halloween, it also brings changes to daylight hours that can disrupt our regular sleep/wake habits. The sun is setting earlier, which can trick our circadian rhythms into thinking we should be sleepy earlier in the evening. We also will be setting back our clocks on November 5^th, putting us at risk of additional disruptions to our regular sleep/wake cycles. How can you combat these factors? Create a sleep routine that you stick to on a daily basis. Having that regular routine can help your circadian rhythms adjust to the seasonal changes in sunlight and temperatures. As we approach time change in November, you can slowly adjust your sleep schedule in the weeks prior to lessen its impact on your sleep. On the plus side, the cooler temperatures of Fall can also help you sleep more soundly. Cooler temperatures are more conducive to better sleep quality than warmer temperatures, with research suggesting overnight temperatures of 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal.

Sleep difficulty generally falls into one of three categories:

• Difficulties falling asleep
• Difficulties staying asleep
• Waking up too early (or not refreshed)

Many different factors can have a negative effect on your sleep quantity and quality, including daily or chronic stressors, psychological factors (depression, anxiety, sleep disorders), recent life changes, and medical diagnoses (e.g., hyperthyroidism, chronic pain). If you’ve noticed a recent change in your sleep habits, you may want to consider scheduling an appointment with your physician to rule out potential health-related reasons for sleep difficulty.

If you are unsure of the cause of your sleep difficulties, it may be helpful to keep a sleep journal for a few weeks. In the journal, you can keep track of your sleep/wake cycle, including when you go to sleep, how long (approximately) it takes you to fall sleep, how many hours you sleep, when you wake up, how refreshed you feel after sleeping, etc. Your smart watch may keep track of some of this information, but it is uncertain how accurate these trackers are for sleep-related information.

Sleep hygiene tips:

• Set your circadian rhythm:
  • Establish a regular sleep/wake cycle, even on the weekends. Keeping this regular schedule helps to cue your body that it is time for sleep.
• Set sleep boundaries:
  • Often if we are feeling tired/did not sleep enough one night, we will try to go to bed early the next night to catch up on sleep. Don’t! Keep your set sleep schedule. The body sleeps for the number of hours it needs to sleep, and if you go to bed too early, you’ll end up waking too early the next morning.
  • The same holds true if you have trouble falling asleep: wake up on schedule to help you reestablish this routine.
• Determine how much sleep you need:
  • Know someone who is fully functional and refreshed after 4 hours or sleep? Or someone who cannot think unless they’ve had 10 hours of sleep? We all have an optimal amount of sleep to help us feel rested and refreshed. How can you find yours out? Think about the answers to the following questions:
    • How many hours of sleep do you need to wake up without an alarm?
    • How many hours of sleep do you need to not feel sleepy/tired during the day?
• Create bedtime/sleep routines and rituals:
  • When you were a kid (or if you have younger children currently), did you have a set routine you went through before bed? That was to help ‘trick’ your mind and body into quieting down and falling asleep more easily. As adults we often skip this routine, yet it is still very effective in training the body and mind that it is bedtime.
  • What could you do help you relax before bedtime? The general recommendation is not to watch TV or use other electronic devices for at least 20 minutes before bedtime. Instead, consider reading a book (not on a device), listening to soothing music, or engaging in deep/mindful breathing exercises.
• Remove your office from the bedroom:
  • Do you watch TV in bed? Have your office/desk in your bedroom? Both of these can create a sense of confusion: is the bedroom for winding down and sleeping or is it for activities where you need to be awake?
• Avoid mental or physical stimulation before bedtime:
  • Exercising, working on complex projects, watching something exciting on TV, and more can energize you instead of helping you to wind down for sleep.
  • Just as important: be mindful of caffeine intake later in the day. The general recommendation is not to have any caffeinated beverages within 6 hours of bedtime (keeping in mind that teas, sodas, and chocolates, among other items, may have some caffeine content).
• Get regular exercise:
  • Engaging in regular exercise is not only good for your physical health, it helps decrease body tension, alleviates stress, and contributes to an increased sense of well-being. All of these factors can in turn help improve your sleep efficiency.
• Be mindful of naps:
  • Just as some individuals can feel refreshed from differing amounts of sleep, some individuals can feel rejuvenated following a nap and others can feel even more tired. Some can take a nap and see no effect on their nightly sleep habits, whereas others who nap will then experience even more difficulty falling asleep.
• Avoid alcohol at bedtime:
  • Although alcohol is a depressant and may help some fall asleep, the overall quality of sleep is then fragmented and results in even more difficulties feeling refreshed/rested.
• Create a sleep-friendly environment:
  • Although this may differ from person-to-person, here are some of the most common recommendations:
    • Make sure the room is dark (shades/curtains on windows, electronic devices turned off or at least moved so they don’t light up the room)
    • Turn down the heat (excessively warm rooms can disturb sleep)
    • Make sure the room is quiet (or mask the outside noise with a fan or white noise machine)
    • Keep pets out of the bedroom
• If you find yourself unable to fall asleep within ~15 minutes:
  • Get up and go to another room. Watching the clock to see how long it is taking you to fall asleep does not help you fall asleep, as it instead increases your stress/anxiety.
  • While in the other room, read a book or engage in other relaxed activity.
  • Return to bed when you feel sleep. If you still can’t fall asleep, repeat this cycle again.