This is a bold statement, but I believe sleep to be the most important health habit.
I often joke that if we could bottle up the benefits of sleep and put them in a pill it would be the top-selling pill of all time. By committing ourselves to having quality sleep we are literally better versions of ourselves – we have better energy, better focus, better memory and better relationships; we decrease our chances of almost all chronic diseases; we learn and retain information and skills better; we have stronger organ function leading to a better immune system, better detoxification, better digestion, stronger adrenal resilience, better hormone regulation, and so much more.
Let’s start with the basics before we get to those of you who struggle with sleep. The basics of sleep hygiene are simple:
- Set a regular schedule: go to bed and get up around the same time every day
- Hours: Aim for at least 8 hours in bed to hopefully achieve at least 7 hours of sleep
- Darkness: clean up your sleeping environment – get rid of an alarm clock, any cordless phones, TVs, anything that emits light or EMFs; without question install blackout blinds, even if you live in the country
- Electronics: avoid them for at least 30 minutes before bed
- Wind down the light: dim the lights in the evenings, opt for lamps or candles instead of overhead lights (think of mimicking the sun’s position)
- Phones: leave your phone outside the bedroom if you can; if you need it as an alarm, set it on airplane mode while you sleep
- Earplugs: so long as you don’t need to be available to dependents, consider earplugs, especially if you sleep with another person. They can take some getting used to, but are game changers in terms of sleep quality.
- Comfort: this seems obvious, but ensure your bedroom setup is comfortable – mattress, pillows, size of the bed, get the pets out, etc. You spend a third of your life in bed. Invest in it.
- Waking up: in the morning get light in your eyes – turn on the overhead lights or get outside and get some sun in your eyes if you can
- Exercise: exercising during the day helps you sleep better at night. Even a walk counts.
- Caffeine: avoid caffeine after noon. Even if you “can sleep right after it” the quality is compromised
- Alcohol: when possible, if you drink, finish 4-6hrs before bed (I know, this is tough)
- Sleeping pills and marijuana: you don’t get the quality and depth of sleep you need with these; avoid marijuana before bed and address sleeping pill use
- Stress: avoid stressful conversations/emails/decisions an hour before bed; if you have things circling in your head write them down to be dealt with tomorrow
If you’ve attended to all this and still cannot sleep, we need to talk. So often, I meet patients who think they have attended to the sleep hygiene by going to bed at 9 four nights in a row and not being on their phone before bed. As you can see, there are many aspects to optimizing sleep and skipping steps or expecting quick results will set you up for frustration. Comparing yourself to others can also be frustrating; we all know “those people” who can fall asleep anytime anywhere and are the envy of every person who struggles with sleep. We should all attend to proper sleep hygiene ever if sleep is not difficult. The discipline required to achieve this will pay exponential dividends in all areas of your life.
Once you have committed to sleep hygiene, give it a month. Be gentle with yourself. If you lie wide awake or wake up in the night, learn to relax your mind (hint: this is where knowing how to meditate comes in handy). If it’s been a month and good sleep still eludes you, we can take additional steps, like addressing stress, using targeted nutrients, treating anxiety, assessing for EMFs, checking hormones, and so much more.
I challenge you this month to:
- Address the parts of sleep hygiene that you’ve been slack on
- Commit to exceptional sleep hygiene by attending to all the steps above for one month
👉If you enjoyed this article please check out the other articles in this Self Care Practices for Mental Wellness series.
