The Why’s and How-To’s of Sleep

11 Mar The Why’s and How-To’s of Sleep

One significant focus in the sight-line of most medical and mental health practitioners is sleep. Though always deemed important, it’s true impact on short and long-term wellbeing is has been reinforced by medical research.

One such study has outlined not only the short and medium-term effects of sleep deprivation, but also the long-term effects; particularly if the deprivation is chronic. Some of the short and medium-term affects include reduced immunity, weight gain, low mood, increased anxiety as well as hampering proprioception. One of the identified long-term impacts has been an association between chronic sleep deprivation and Alzheimer’s (Slow Wave Sleep Disruption Increases Cerebrospinal Fluid Amyloid-β Levels, Ju et al, Brain: A Journal of Neurology, 2017).

The purpose of highlighting the effects of poor sleep is certainly not to sow panic: that would be self-defeating (or sleep-defeating)! But it is vital to establish the importance of sleep and use that motivation to gently guide our bodies and minds to a better night’s rest.

The Body: Tweaks to Help You Sleep 

A key psychological myth to bust, right at the outset is to clarify the vital link between our minds and bodies. As a psychologist, many expect me to focus on the mind first, and make that my go-to. For me, based on experience and observation, that is not automatically or consistently the case. Sometimes, it’s important to go to the body first, so let’s start there. Before you start frantically scanning the events of the past, week, month or year to identify psychological stressors, identify lifestyle choices that might be key in impacting sleep. Ask yourself a few basic questions:

• At what time of the day do I have my last caffeinated drink? 

Though considered a no-brainer, many don’t realise the proximity between their last cup of coffee and the time they go to bed. Elongating the gap can work wonders and it’s a small but mindful shift to make. 

• Am I conscious of stimulants I may be inadvertently consuming that could disrupt sleep, which could include medications, foods and drinks (for example, some analgesia has caffeine)?

Popping that Panadol, sipping that Diet Coke or snacking on chocolate may be what’s disrupting a good night’s rest. Being mindful of what and when you consume any substance that may be a stimulant is another lifestyle change to make. 

• If and when I exercise, how much of a time-gap is there between exercise and sleep? 

Too short a gap between exercise and sleep and you may be too stimulated to sleep. Too much of a gap or too little exercise and your body may not be tired enough (even if your mind is). 

• Have I set up a cycle of poor sleep?

This is the easiest trap to fall into: get a bad night’s sleep, over-caffeinate and over-eat to keep up energy and by nightfall you are so wired and your digestive system so overwhelmed, sleep seems impossible. And the cycle is repeated the next day. 

To break that cycle, action needs to be taken the day after the first night of poor sleep. Despite the fatigue, try to fight the urge to boost energy through caffeine, sugar and carbohydrate consumption and eat as you would normally, in terms what and when you eat. Keep the last intake of caffeine a good 5-6 hours before bedtime. Try not to nap, to ensure both mind and body are tired by night. Then try going to bed at your usual time: resist the urge to go to bed too early, you might end up waking up too early and re-setting your sleep cycle again.

It’s a bit of a balancing act to get the mind and body to sync up, but once you become mindful of these changes, making and sustaining them is simply a question of exercising that ‘awareness’ muscle. 

The Sleep Space

Once you’ve checked in with your body and adjusted what’s needed, then it’s time to check in with your environment (nope, not the mind, just yet; I promise we’ll get to it!).

• Is your room too hot/the air too dry?

In winter especially, heaters tend to dry out the air, which can dry the sinus and mucous membranes which can make sleep uncomfortable, cause disruptive snoring or even thirst. Sleeping in a cooler room with the heater either turned off or low can be helpful. Or getting a humidifier to combat the dryness can be helpful.

• Is there too much light?

Yes, you might switch off the lamps and over-head lighting, but streetlights, pinpoints of light from laptops, computers and mobile phones can disrupt sleep. Try keeping all electronic devices out of your room, even when charging them. Keep curtains closed and try to get it as dark as possible. If your room is street facing, maybe black out curtains to block street lights?

• Is your bed and bedding comfortable?

Again, sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s shocking how lax we can get with our own self-care, especially when caught up in what seem to be more pressing issues in our daily lives. But pillow and mattress comfort is as pressing an issue as any. If it’s been a while since you renewed and refreshed this part of your bedroom, it might be an idea to do it now. 

• Is your bedroom only for sleep?

Try and keep your bedroom only for sleep (and sex). Using your bedroom as a work place or a place to watch television or fold laundry then creates a mental association between your bedroom and sleep-negating activity. Also, if you use the bedroom for work, the physical space may start reflecting that, with paperwork, files or associated devices, which creates visual cues which may be linked to those sleep-negating activities. Make sure the bedroom reflects what it should be primarily dedicated to i.e. sleep. 

The Mind

And now we get to it: the mind. The stronghold of our psyche and sometimes our biggest saboteur, especially to sleep. Ask yourself a few questions about your headspace and gauge if that is one the factors disrupting your nights. 

• Do you develop a pattern of spiralling, sleep-defeating thoughts?

It’s all too familiar especially for someone who has struggled with sleep on more than one occasion: the inability to sleep, the tossing and turning and the rising panic that can spiral out of control. It can go something like this “Not again”, followed by “I’ll be exhausted tomorrow and I’ve got so much on” to “I need to sleep, NOW”. 

This thought pattern will pump your body full of stress chemicals as your nervous system perceives a threat (lack of sleep) and triggers your fight/flight/freeze response. This response can include muscle tension, rapid heart rate and rapid breathing. None of which are conducive to relaxation, let alone sleep. 

Try grabbing this chain of thought and breaking it before it spirals. Do a quick scan of your body and soften any muscles that may have tightened, consciously slowing your breath (both muscles and breath are ways the mind and body communicate with each other and right now they need to be communicating calm). 

Then tell yourself (in a soft, calm self-talk voice) the facts, which are:  

1. Your body is prone and therefore already resting
2. That it’s ok to have a temporary struggle with falling asleep
3. That the struggle IS temporary

• Do you jump up to complete a task that pops into your head while you are trying to fall asleep?

It’s not uncommon to do that, because we tell ourselves that if that task is put out of the way, we will be able to relax. Actually, that is a short-term fix and a dangerous slippery-slope. By listening to that urge to complete that recollected task, we are inadvertently training the mind to respond to every random trigger, rather than teaching ourselves to prioritize. One way of looking at it would be to see your mind acting like a tantrum-ing like a child. Engage with it now and you’ll reinforce the belief that tantrums work and so the tantrums will repeat pretty much ad nauseum. Ignore and they’ll taper off. 

Though a slightly difficult learning process in the short term, what yields better long-term dividends is to talk back. Tell that insistent voice that it’s ok if the task is dealt with in the morning and that it is not urgent and that immediate address is not required. And then go back to ensuring a soft body and slow breathing. 

• Do you plan the day ahead while you’re in bed?

Just like the bedroom is not the place for work, it’s not the place for work thoughts either. Plan your day just before or after dinner, scheduling, diary-ing, emailing and prepping what you need then, so that once in bed you avoid kicking off a chain of work related thoughts (and possibly, stress). 

• Do you still count-sheep?

Counting sheep is an old clunker, with the theory being that the monotony of the task will help you nod off. It may work for some, but if it doesn’t for you, try visuals instead. These need not be the within the cookie-cutter realm of sandy beaches or soft waves. Pull up images that you associated with being relaxed: those visual cues and associated feelings of calm can help your mind and body relax and bring on sleep. 

Remember, practise makes perfect, in all things, so be patient with yourself in the process of learning new sleep habits. There is no quick fix that is beneficial in the long-run, so investing a little time in your sleep habits now will pay well later.