Proper sleep is one of the most important factors for long term
brain health and function. Small adjustments to your sleeping area and daily
routine can go a long way toward ensuring you uninterrupted, restful sleep and
thereby better brain health. If you're even slightly sleep deprived, I
encourage you to implement some of these Better Brain tips tonight.
1) Maintain optimal
light exposure
Your pineal gland produces a hormone called melatonin in response
to the brightness of sun exposure in the day and complete darkness at night. If
you're in darkness all day long, your body can't appreciate the difference and
will not optimize melatonin production. I recommend getting at least 30 to 60
minutes of outdoor light exposure during the daytime in order to set your
master clock rhythm, in the morning if possible. More sunlight exposure is
required as you age.
2) Preparing for Rest
Once the sun sets, avoid bright light as much as possible to
assist your body in secreting melatonin, which helps you feel sleepy. Avoid
bright lights from computers, televisions, video games or e-books at least 1
hour before bed time. It can be helpful to sleep in complete darkness, or as
close to it as possible. If you need a bit of light to navigate down the hall
in the wee hours of the night, install a low-wattage yellow, orange, or red
light bulb. Light in these bandwidths does not shut down melatonin production
in the way that white and blue light does.
3) Prepare your Mind
for Sleep
A disturbance in sleep is always caused by something, be it
physical, mental or emotional, or all of the above. Anxiety and anger are two
mental states that are incompatible with sleep. Feeling overwhelmed with
responsibilities is another common sleep blocker. To identify the cause of your
wakefulness, analyze the thoughts that circle in your mind during the time you
lie awake, and look for themes. Regular meditation is one of the best ways to
regulate proper brain wave patterns that promote deep sleep.
4) Temperature affects
Brain Activity
Keep the temperature in your bedroom below 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Many people keep their homes too warm (particularly their bedrooms). Studies
show that the optimal room temperature for sleep is between 60 and 68 degrees
Fahrenheit.
Take a hot bath 90 to 120 minutes before bedtime. This raises
your core body temperature, and when you get out of the bath it abruptly drops,
signaling your body that you're ready for sleep.
5) Follow Natural Rhythms
There are natural rhythms in nature just as there are rhythms in
the body. Normally, your brain starts secreting melatonin between 9 pm and 10
pm. Staying up later than 10 pm can affect your ability to not only fall asleep
but stay in the important deep delta wave sleep pattern.
Going to bed and getting up at the same time each day helps keep
your sleep on track, but having a consistent pre-sleep routine or "sleep
ritual" is also important. For instance, if you read before heading to
bed, your body knows that reading at night signals it's time for sleep. I often
suggest listening to calming music, stretching, or doing relaxation exercises.
6 ) Be mindful of
electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in your bedroom
EMFs can disrupt your pineal gland and its melatonin production,
and may have other detrimental biological effects . Ideally, you should turn
off any wireless router while you are sleeping—after
all, you don't need the Internet when you sleep.
7) Avoid Alcohol, Caffeine, and other drugs,
including Nicotine
Two of the biggest sleep saboteurs are caffeine and alcohol, both
of which also increase anxiety. Caffeine's effects can last four to seven
hours. Tea and chocolate also contain caffeine. Alcohol can help you fall
asleep faster, but it makes sleep more fragmented and less restorative.
Nicotine in all its forms (cigarettes, e-cigs, chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco,
and smoking cessation patches) is also a stimulant, so lighting up too close to
bedtime can worsen insomnia. Many other drugs can also interfere with sleep.
8 ) Monitor your Sleep
Habits
I Use a Fitbit fitness tracker to help to get to bed on time, and
track which activities boost or hinder deep sleep. Many fitness trackers can
now track both daytime body movement and sleep, allowing you to get a better
picture of how much sleep you're actually getting. Newer fitness trackers can
even tell you which activities led to your best sleep and what factors resulted
in poor sleep.
Take action NOW to set up your
daily rituals and sleep will be a more natural process with very healthy
results.
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