O Sleep, Sleep - Wherefore Art Thou, Sleep?

I recently read a book by Mathew Walker about sleep and it's impact on our overall health. It is one of many that are about how important it is to get a good night's sleep for our health and longevity.

I for one have never had trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. In fact, when I finished the book I was reading about sleep, I rolled over and went to sleep. But not everyone is so lucky. I am married to someone who has struggled with getting enough sleep her whole life and it's only gotten worse with age. While I drifted off to Never, Never Land, my wife was just beginning her nightly ritual of preparing for sleep that borders on obsessive compulsiveness and superstition and includes some sort of prescription or OTC sleep aid. I'm usually not in bed until well after she's finished her preparation work but this night was an exception and her constant fidgeting delayed my slumber an extra few minutes until she finally settled down and was still. It's a real problem for her, and according to researchers, millions are in the same boat. But I knew better than to share all my new found remedies just then. Better to wait.

The amount of science that has been linked to a good night's rest and it's positive impact on a person's overall health is flooding medical journals linking it to everything from controlling depression and anxiety to diminishing the ravages of diseases that show up later in life like dementia and Alzheimer's. So while you look to start a new year with resolutions to be healthier, why not start with a solid night's sleep?

There's just one catch. Sleep, like anything else that we want to change in our lives, is usually steeped in habit. And in order to change the way things are now, habits surrounding your sleep routine will have to change.

For example, research shows that the body's natural melatonin acts much like a starter's gun in a track race. When the body releases it, if acted upon, it aids in the beginning stages of sleep. But if it's ignored or diminished it fails to do it's job. Too much light can trick the brain into thinking it's too early in the day for sleep so the body won't produce the melatonin needed to kick start the sleep cycle. In our day of mobile devices and televisions in bedrooms, this is one culprit that if changed could have a big impact on your sleep cycle.

If you're not sure how much sleep you need, research shows that for most adults, 7-8 hours a night is recommended. Anything less reduces the chances of NREM (for the body) and REM (for the mind and mood), crucial sleep and deep sleep cycles both needed to restore the brain and body each day to optimum operating levels.

Here are five simple tips that if followed should yield measurable results.

1- Limit screen time before bed and do all you can to eliminate it from your sleeping space completely. Try and make your bed a place for sleep and sleep only. If you must watch that show, do it in another room and then retire to the bed for sleep. Reading a book can help but make sure it's a paper version, not on a device.

2- Don't consume caffeine after 2pm and reduce your intake by small increments. If you can eliminate it completely you'll be better off in the long run for your overall health. Research shows that caffeine consumption inhibits the onset of slumber and can be disruptive once you've fallen to sleep, waking you up in the middle of the night.

3 - Regular Exercise helps immensely in obtaining a good night's sleep. Try to exercise at least an hour a day but be sure to limit strenuous exercise before bed. An elevated heart rate will keep you awake at night. You should be fully recovered from strenuous exercise before attempting to sleep for the night.

4- Try a hot bath before bed. Research shows it's not so much the hot bath that does the trick as it is your body dropping its core temp that does the trick. As your core temp drops, your body and mind naturally will want to drift off to sleep.

5- Get in a routine and stick to it. I don't mean a ritualistic set of events leading up to bed time, although that can help. More specifically, try to go to bed around the same time each night and wake around the same time each morning. Doing so can regulate what's called the circadian rhythm or biological time clock. After resetting the clock, so to speak, your body tells you when it's time to go to sleep and all those natural processes including the release of melatonin will speed you off to slumber.

Try these tips and see if they help. There are many others available including more from Walker's book. If sleep continues to be an unreachable dream for you, talk with your doctor about remedies that might work for you. Medications are available but research shows that many of them serve as a mere mask to the underlying problem of insomnia. It's always best to allow the body to work through it's processes naturally, but sometimes a little help is needed. Best of luck on your sleep journey and Sweet Dreams!