“There are never enough hours in the day!”
Ever said that? I certainly have. Have you ever tried to squeeze in more hours by burning the candle at both ends? Yep, I’ve done that too. In fact, in our society, it’s even considered a badge of honour to exist on just a few hours of sleep. It means you’re achieving more, right? Wrong.
Insomnia is reaching epidemic proportions. In our fast-paced, 21st century, more of us than ever are walking around sleep-deprived, reaching for the caffeine to keep us going during the day and then popping sleeping pills to help us shut our brains off at night. Even our ‘rest’ times are not really times to rest. We mistake ‘recreation’ for ‘rest’, and fill our weekends with activities and social events, never truly allowing our bodies time to wind down.
Sleep disturbances are also a common symptom of perimenopause, due to fluctuations in oestrogen and progesterone. Waking up because of night sweats, or having trouble falling asleep because of anxiety, can also be issues during perimenopause.
Why is lack of sleep a problem?
Truthfully, science is only just beginning to work out exactly why sleep is so critical to our bodies. One thing we do know is that when we sleep the immune system is able to repair itself, and so lack of sleep is strongly correlated with chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases and mood disorders, as well as inflammation and strokes. Poor sleep is linked to depression and even suicidal thoughts.
There’s also a strong correlation between sleep loss and weight gain. When we’re sleep deprived we make poorer decisions about the food we eat and we crave more sugary foods to give us the boost of energy we’re looking for. Sleep deprivation also affects two important hormones: leptin, which tells us when we’re full, and ghrelin, which tells us when we’re hungry, leading us to eat more than we need to during the day. Also, when we’re tired we tend to move less, which means we’re not expending as many calories. All of this contributes to the growing obesity and diabetes trend.
What Can Good Sleep Do For Us?
Good, consistent sleep will result in better performance, greater concentration and better memory function. There are two important types of sleep: deep sleep and dream sleep (REM). We get most of our deep sleep in the first third of the night, and most of our dream sleep in the last third of the night. Most people with sleep issues wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep, so what they’re missing out on is the dream sleep. Dreaming is critical – it consolidates memory, which decreases our risk of getting dementia or Alzheimer’s. The brain is acting almost like a second gut, digesting and assimilating information, but anti-depressants, sleeping pills and alcohol have all been shown to repress dream sleep.
When we get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep on a regular basis we actually get more done, not less. We will be more productive and have better problem-solving skills. We’ll be happier, less irritable. We will make better choices during the day. Our immune and digestive systems will function better, meaning we’ll be healthier and have more energy. We’ll have improved athletic performance. We’ll be less likely to gain weight, and less likely to succumb to chronic disease.
Sleep is powerful medicine; getting sufficient, timely, quality sleep has never been more important.
Sleep is absolutely critical to healing and to immune system support.
A plethora of studies have shown the importance of sleep for every single aspect of our health.
The wisdom that ‘every hour of sleep before midnight is worth two after midnight’ is proving true: studies confirm that sound sleep between 10pm and 1am has a tremendous impact on the production of growth hormone to support tissue repair and fuel our immune system against invading viruses.
What does good sleep look like for most of us?
- You sleep for 7-10 hours (depending on your age and other factors)
- You do not wake in the night or if you do, you don’t remember and go straight back to sleep
- You do not need the loo in the night
- You sleep peacefully and don’t thrash around
- You wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day
So, How Can We Improve Our Sleep?
Here are 5 ways:
1. Reset Your Circadian Rhythms
Our bodies have a natural, internal clock, which is linked to sunlight. It’s important that we maintain a good, daily routine. At the end of the day, as the sunlight is fading, be sure to be winding down with calming activities like reading and journaling. Try to limit your exposure to blue light (screens) at least an hour before you go to bed. It’s important to have a regular bedtime and to wake up at a regular time the next morning if you can. A great time to aim for, for going to bed, is around 10pm if possible.
Once we’re up the next day, we should try to reset our internal clock by getting outside in the sunlight as early on as possible, perhaps by taking a quick walk around the block. This is especially important to do in the winter, as we have less sunlight. And taking that walk, or doing some other form of exercise each day, will also help us get better sleep that night.
If you’re not sure how much sleep you’re getting or what your circadian rhythm looks like, then I highly recommend getting a sleep tracker. I track my sleep through my Garmin watch. You might be surprised to find out how little you’re actually sleeping. This happened for one of my clients. She often felt like taking an afternoon nap each day, but thought she was getting adequate sleep so couldn’t understand why her energy was so low. After buying a tracker and starting to track her sleep, she found that she was actually waking up several times in the night and getting less overall sleep, particularly deep sleep, than she realised. She started going to bed early and focussing on sleep hygiene and the need for her afternoon naps went away.
2. Set Your Environment Up For Success
We need to ensure that our bedrooms are conducive to a good night’s sleep – otherwise known as good sleep hygiene. Here are some tips:
- Make sure the curtains block out the light well, and that there’s no light creeping into the room from outside.
- Wear a sleep mask.
- If you can’t minimise noises from outside (like traffic or your partner snoring!) then wear earplugs.
- Make sure the temperature is not too hot, ideally on the cool side.
- Ensure that the air is able to circulate, perhaps by having a window open or using a noiseless fan.
- Ensure that the air is of good quality, again by having a window open, or using an air filter. Have air-filtering plants in your room like Peace Lilies.
- Burn essential oils such as lavender just before you go to sleep.
- Make sure you have a good quality mattress.
- Paint your bedroom walls in calming colours such as lilac or beige.
- Keep your bedroom clear of clutter.
- Reduce exposure to EMFs (electromagnetic frequencies) by switching off your wi-fi at night, switching your mobile phone to aeroplane mode and leaving it out of the room.
- Rid your room of anything emitting lights, such as digital alarm clocks, and invest in an old-fashioned alarm clock instead.
3. Manage Your Stress
Stress and anxiety can severely disrupt sleep. Our minds are whirring and won’t calm down. We can even get stressed about the fact that we’re not sleeping!
During the day, make sure you have ‘downtime’. Use deep breathing techniques, prayer, meditation, walking out in nature, reading a book… You could also use herbal supplements to help with stress, such as Rhodiola or Ashwagandha. When you go to bed, keep a notebook on your bedside table and jot down things you’re worrying about, promising yourself you’ll deal with them tomorrow.
4. Clean Up Your Diet
If we’re eating heavy or unhealthy meals during the day, especially late in the evening just before we go to bed, it means our digestion system is having to work extra hard at night and our body is not able to relax and rest properly and do its important job of cleaning up the toxins and dead cells and generally repair itself. Try to include more vegetables, fruit, clean protein, healthy fats and plenty of water in your diet. It’s important to make sure you finish eating at least 2-3 hours before you go to bed.
Cut down on caffeine and alcohol, which also disrupt sleep. Alcohol might make you feel sleepy at first, but then you’re much more likely to wake up in the middle of the night. And remember that caffeine has a half-life of about 5-6 hours, maybe more in some people, so your mid-afternoon coffee might still be in your system when you want to wind down and go to sleep that night. And ladies, I’m sorry to say, that chocolate also has caffeine in it, so you might need to not eat that within a couple of hours of going to bed.
In fact, if we’re eating healthily during the day, we can ensure that we’re getting the nutrients we need to maintain our energy levels, so we’re not tempted to rely on outside stimulants like caffeine in the first place.
Although water is really healthy for us, it’s not so great if we’re drinking so much that we’re waking up to go to the toilet during the night! Arguably our sleep is more important, so try to drink most of your water earlier on in the day, and perhaps avoid that late night hot chocolate.
5. Get Socialising
People who socialise with others on a regular basis tend to have better sleep than those who don’t. Why? Because they have the opportunity to talk through their issues with others, whether that be friends or family members, and so the brain doesn’t need to work so hard to process everything through its dreams at night. So don’t bottle things up. Reach out to a trusted friend instead.
- Reset your circadian rhythms
- Set your environment up for success
- Manage your stress
- Clean up your diet
- Get socialising
Why not pick one suggestion and implement it over the coming week.
If you’d like to know more about this fascinating topic of sleep, then I recommend the book: Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker.
P.S. If you have babies at home or children who aren’t sleeping through the night, then please don’t worry if you’re not getting 7-9 hours a night! You’re doing your best, and this season will pass. Sometimes we just need to give ourselves grace in the hard seasons xx
If you’re concerned about your sleep or other menopausal symptoms, it’s important you always check with your doctor. However, there are a lot of simple steps you can take by modifying your diet and lifestyle which can have a hugely beneficial effect on your overall health and energy levels, as well as help ease your symptoms. If you’re interested to find out more, jump on a free, 30-minute discovery call with me, I’d love to hear from you.
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and does not replace advice given by your primary care provider. Please see your doctor if you’re considering making substantial changes to your diet and lifestyle.
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