Opinion:
In 1964, Paul McCartney woke from a dream and immediately composed the melody to “Yesterday.” The melody was so clear in his mind that he figured he must have heard it from another artist and simply remembered it in his dream. After searching for several weeks, he realized no one else had previously composed it and his mind had created it while asleep. Years later, Rolling Stone magazine ranked “Yesterday” as the greatest song of all time. While I cannot guarantee following this month’s sleep tips will make you a rock legend, they might improve your quality of life and even your health.
1. Think of sleep suggestions as practice rather than things to obsess about. Few people get perfect sleep and most of us (including me) have room for improvement. We all have to live our lives rather than become sleep robots. One of our clients recently said, “I can tell you how to not improve your sleep: get a puppy!” We both laughed, but it occurred to me that just living life tends to interfere with your sleep. Whether kids, work or simply enjoying a Dodgers’ game is the reason, we all have times when our sleep is thrown off schedule. Look for practical and simple steps for improvement rather than becoming obsessed with perfection.
2. Embrace the “dark side.” Melatonin has been called the “hormone of darkness” because our body releases it in response to greater darkness. More natural melatonin usually means better sleep. Lowering household lights after dinner, blocking outside light from coming through your windows and limiting lights from screens before bed can all align your environment with greater natural melatonin release. Check with your doctor before using a melatonin supplement as many dosages can be more than what people need and any supplement can interfere with medications.
3. Develop a bedtime ritual. Reading, light stretching or a warm bath can all be used to relax us as we approach bedtime. Creating a consistent ritual can prepare us for the sleep process. While we might think of sleep as flipping an on-off switch, a plane’s descent to land is a better comparison.
4. Keep it cool. While our instincts may tell us warmer is better, a cooler environment is better for sleep. As we enter into the initial stages of sleep, our blood pressure, breathing and heart rate lower. Our body temperature also drops as part of our natural body clock functions. The ideal temperature for most people tends to be in the 63 to 67-degree range. Temperatures above 70 degrees may cause sleep interruption and reduce sleep quality. Some consider temperature adjustment as the most effective sleep improvement strategy.
5. Be aware of social jet lag. When our sleep schedule differs dramatically between the work week and the weekend, this can confuse our body clock and disrupt sleep. How much is too much is subject to debate, but I recently watched an interview with a Mayo Clinic sleep expert doctor, and he said to try and keep wake and sleep times within two hours of each other during the week and on the weekend. If you get up at 7 a.m. during the week and go to bed at 11 p.m. and get up at 8 a.m. and go to bed at midnight on the weekend, that should not be a big problem. However, if you are on that schedule during the week, but have a 10 a.m. wake up time and a 2 a.m. sleep schedule on the weekend, your body may become confused, which can create sleep challenges.
6. Journaling before bed may improve sleep. Writing down things you may be concerned about before you go to bed can help improve sleep. This process has been dubbed “worry journaling.” Emptying daily concerns on to paper helps us transition from looping, negative thoughts to a calmer perspective.
7. Caffeine and alcohol may impact your sleep. Individual sensitivity to caffeine varies wildly but most sleep experts recommend not ingesting caffeine after noon. While alcohol may help you fall asleep, it can negatively impact sleep quality.
Jeff Blair (M.S., CSCS) is the founder of the SoCalSport Personal Training Studio in Westchester. The studio has won 10 “Best Of” awards in the Hometown News’ annual poll. Jeff is a certified personal trainer and book author. Contact him at jeff@socalsport.com for article comments or suggestions.
By Jeff Blair