Sleep is a dynamic, complex process that affects every tissue, organ, and biological system in our bodies. When we sleep, we tap into our healing potential and support cellular repair.
When we neglect sleep, and fail to prioritize our need for this daily reset, it puts us on a fast track to burnout and chronic disease.
Critical Functions of Sleep
Sleep plays several important roles that are essential to our health and daily function.Sleep is vital to several brain functions, including how nerve cells communicate and how the brain manages waste by removing memory-impairing proteins.
Sleep activates neurotransmitters and hormonal switches that prime the body for rest and repair.
Sleep helps our nervous system to de-stress. During sleep, our sympathetic nervous system—which controls our fight-or-flight stress response—can drop its guard and reset while the parasympathetic nervous system takes over to promote relaxation and digestion.
Sleep regulates our cortisol levels. Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands that affects many systems in the body and helps manage blood pressure, blood sugar, and the body’s response to stress, inflammation, and metabolic health.
Sleeping Well
Good sleep requires a flexible and consistent commitment. Sleep has two dimensions—quality and length—and you want to be good at both. On average, school-age children require about 10 hours of sleep each night, whereas adults aged 18 to 64 need seven to nine hours, and those aged 65 and older require seven to eight hours. If this isn’t your reality or you routinely wake without feeling refreshed, you should take actions to resolve any issues. If the issues persist, you should speak with your health care team.If achieving seven to nine hours of sleep nightly feels overwhelming, try extending your sleep by 20 to 30 minutes each night over several weeks until you hit the target. This may require you to make important lifestyle changes to support sleep.
Stress resiliency expert Robyne Hanley-Dafoe uses a three-day sleep average to mitigate anxiety on days when sleep time is cut short. If her schedule pulls her off track, she goes to bed a little earlier the next night. Managing sleep in three-day chunks keeps her from forcing rest, which can boost her stress, she told me in an interview for my book.
“We pick up energy, thoughts, and emotions all day. It isn’t realistic to expect to turn these off and enjoy restful sleep on demand," Ms. Hanley-Dafoe said.
“One of the goals that I have before I go to bed is to find a way to wind down and hold peace. I need to find a sense of stillness before I sleep.”
She begins an unwinding ritual by emptying her short-term memory and placing tomorrow’s to-do list on post-it notes. With these priorities accounted for, she said, they lose their authority and no longer distract her thinking or spark rumination.
Shift workers, new parents, and individuals grappling with sleep disorders, persistent pain, or mental health issues often find sleep consistency elusive despite earnest efforts.
A racing mind, replaying an emotionally charged experience, general anxiety, or thoughts of self-doubt are well-known foes to sleep.
If you find yourself in a negative mental spiral or stuck in a scarcity mindset, Ms. Hanley-Dafoe recommends practicing gratitude as a way to tap into a feeling of rich energy, fulfillment, safety, and love.
“I go over the basics in my mind, starting with what I’m grateful for, and use gratitude reflections to knock myself out of a toxic hustle mode,” she said.
Our genes may also play a significant role in the amount of sleep that each person needs and the quality of the time that we dedicate to it.
Establish a Relaxing Bedtime Ritual
An hour before you want to be asleep, begin your unwinding ritual. Dim the lights. Limit screen time. Set an intent to gear down.A calming pre-sleep routine, void of emotional stress, prepares your mind and body for rest and will improve the quality of your sleep.
Activities such as taking a hot bath, reading, practicing slow, deep, rhythmic breathing, or listening to a mindfulness or meditation app are excellent pre-bedtime activities.
The idea here is to begin training your nervous system with these activities when the end of the day has arrived and it’s time for sleep.
Avoid Late-Day Stimulants
Restrict caffeine after lunch. The lingering half-life of this stimulant can last six hours. So those three cups of regular coffee (totaling about 400 milligrams of caffeine) that you drank before lunchtime can still have an effect as bedtime rolls around. And if you like to get a boost from an afternoon coffee, it could cost you a truly re-energizing sleep.Limit Alcohol Near Bedtime
Alcohol may hasten sleep onset, but it disrupts sleep quality later on as the body metabolizes it, leading to arousal and diminished deep sleep. This can impair memory, weaken concentration, and undermine physical coordination.Balance Your Exercise Routine
Strive for 150 minutes of moderate-paced physical activity every week. Doing so will significantly improve your sleep quality.Refrain From Late-Night Heavy Meals
Large meals or snacks close to bedtime can hinder your sleep and challenge your weight management efforts. When you eat, you tell your body it needs energy to function. Eating less before bedtime tells your body that there’s nothing to do but relax and recharge.Maximize Morning Sun Exposure
Exposure to morning sunlight in the first 30 minutes after waking resets your sleep-wake cycle. Likewise, dimming the lights an hour before bed lets your body know that it’s almost time to get some shut eye.Associate Bed With Sleep
If you’re struggling to fall asleep, avoid activities such as watching TV or surfing the internet in bed. If sleep remains elusive after an hour in bed, get up and do something calming until you feel sleepy. Then return to bed. This strategy associates your bed with sleep, not struggle or other activity.Monitor Your Sleep Patterns
Utilize smart tech to track your sleep trends. These gadgets can record sleep duration, heart rate, breathing patterns, and more, linking the quality of your daytime performance with your nighttime rest.Seek Feedback
If you share a bed, talk about your sleep habits with your partner. Snoring, gasping, or choking during sleep could indicate sleep apnea. Rest assured, there are treatments—from weight loss strategies to breathing devices—that can significantly enhance sleep quality.By adhering to these strategies, you‘ll enhance your sleep quality and upgrade your overall health and performance. With practice, you’ll begin waking up feeling more vibrant and ready to tackle the day.
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