Learn to Sleep Like a Baby- The Importance of Sleep (Part 2)

During this concluding section on sleep, we will look at five everyday lifestyle habits which adversely affect the quality and duration of our sleep. I will also suggest practical ways to help eliminate or balance out these disturbances.

#1 Light exposure:

Thomas Edison was undeniably a genius in his own right. It's clear to me however that he probably knew very little about sleep and its importance.

Researchers at Harvard, for example, found that blue light, emitted by T.V. screens, mobile phones, computer monitors and most light bulbs, mimic the light emitted by the sun.

The artificial light enters the retina of the eye and signals the brain that it is day-time. Our poor brains don't​ know whether we should be sleeping or awake.

Fix:

• Sleep with an eye mask. This will block out any artificial light entering your room.

• Once the sun sets, wear a pair of ‘blue blocker’ sunglasses, which are designed to block out all blue light, but still keep relative​ visibility. A pair can be easily purchased through Amazon or eBay for under 20 USD, or, 0,5 Steem, in the near future :)

• Red light does not affect our circadian rhythm as blue light does. Swapping out a bedside lamp with a red bulb will maintain visibility while preventing insomnia. You can also buy ‘smart lights', which connect to a mobile app on your phone. You can manipulate the colors and brightness of these lights.

• For those who spend time on mobile devices or computers at night, there are specific apps designed to block out blue light from your monitors. Windows, Mac, Linux and iOS users can download the ‘f.lux‘ app for this job. Alternatively, Android users can download the ‘Twilight‘ app from the Google play store.

#2 Excessive night time heating:

As the sun descends, the environment around us starts cooling down. The body registers the drop in temperature as 'night time'.

The use of electric blankets, gas heaters and hot water bottles may prevent ones body temperature to drop, the way it is supposed to.

Fix:

• Switch off all direct heating before bed in the winter months. Conversely, use an air-conditioner to cool the bedroom on hot summer nights.

#3 Sleep structure:

In ancient times, nature would cue us to sleep at sunset and awake at sunrise. This led to consistent sleep times. Nowadays, one tends to be more irregular with bed timing and total sleep duration, which may affect our natural circadian rhythm and hormone response.

Fix:

• Try to keep sleep and wake times consistent. The recommended sleep durations for various age groups are presented on the right.

• Every hour of sleep lost puts you in sleep debt. Making up that rest is essential. Short (30-60 minutes) daytime naps are an excellent way to do that.

Google Headquarters even have ‘sleep pods,’ available for staff, to make up sleep debt during office hours….

#4 Mobile networks:

During sleep, the brain consolidates all the memories and information from the day.

According to Tara Swart, a senior lecturer at MIT, who specializes in sleep and its effects on the brain; nighttime exposure to 3G and 4G signals, emitted from your smart devices, adversely affects neural patterns during sleep.

Fix:

• Switch mobile data and wi-fi off at night. Do not keep Wi-Fi routers near the bed.

#5 Stimulants:

Caffeine and nicotine are the two most used stimulants in the U.S.

These substances suppress adenosine, a hormone which builds up in your body throughout the day and is supposed to act as a natural sedative.

These stimulants also switch the central nervous system into flight or flight mode, which counteracts the mechanisms of sleep and relaxation.

Nicotine has a very short ‘active-life,’ whereas caffeine is stimulating from 8-36 hours, depending on the sensitivity of the individual.

Fix:

• Avoid using these stimulants late in the day, to allow time for the body to metabolize the chemicals and restore itself back to normal.

The total removal of stimulants would, however, allow for the most natural and consistent sleeping pattern.

Concluding thoughts:

Sleep is crucial for productivity and health. Our discipline in this regard will pay dividends in both the short and long terms.

I Recommend that everyone start a sleep journal. Record you're: sleep, wake times, total sleep duration and sleep quality score (0-10). Gather 2 weeks of data without changing your current routine

For the two weeks that follow, implement the five fixes mentioned in this post, and, record that data too.

Compare your results between the two trials. I am interested to hear what you find out, so, please stay in touch.

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Bibliography:

[1]http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0072832

[2]https://sleepfoundation.org/excessivesleepiness/content/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need-0

[3] http://www.m.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-101

[4] http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/napping-reverses-damages-caused-by-poor-sleep-study-738705

[5]http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352721815000157

[6]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19956/

*All illustrations, except the one cited in the text, were created by @exercisinghealth