As a society we’re a little obsessed with sleep – wondering how much we need, worried that we’re not getting enough, and wishing for ways to get more, or better, shut-eye. Although studies don’t always agree on how many hours of sleep is ideal, most experts say that you should aim for at least seven hours of sleep most nights.
Sleep is important for our physical well-being, helping to boost immunity, prevent weight gain, and stave off disease. In fact, a study published in the journal Science suggests that while we are asleep, the brain quite literally cleans itself – flooding with cerebrospinal fluid that flushes out cellular waste and toxins, as well as possibly preventing diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. A growing body of research also indicates that sleep is crucial for mental health, and that getting insufficient sleep can lead to mood disorders and depression.
It’s clear that sleep can play as big a role in your health as your diet, exercise, and medication regimen, so take it just as seriously. To ensure you get enough quality sleep to stay healthy, read up on these eight tips for improving your slumber:
“Whether you’re an “early bird” or a “night owl,” sleep experts say that respecting your hard-wired preference optimizes sleep, waking, and energy levels.”
Understand your wiring. Whether you’re an “early bird” or a “night owl,” sleep experts say that respecting your hard-wired preference optimizes sleep, waking, and energy levels. In other words, don’t try to force yourself to stay up late or get up early, if it’s a struggle. Of course, if you’re a night owl who has to be at work at 9:00 am, you can’t sleep in until 8:30 am. But don’t schedule a gym session for 6:00 am if you know you won’t be able to get to sleep until midnight, and don’t stay up until midnight catching up on work if you’re an early bird who wakes up at the crack of dawn every day.
Stop sleeping in. As tempting as it is to doze until lunch on the weekends, making it a habit can throw off your sleep the rest of the week. Sleep experts say that sticking to a regular bed and wake times makes it much easier to fall asleep. Staying up late during the week and then sleeping in on the weekends creates what some experts have dubbed “sleep jet lag.”
Get moving. Among the many health benefits of exercise, a workout helps you fall asleep more easily and sleep more soundly at night. Just don’t exercise too close to bedtime, as that will boost your body’s cortisol levels and make it harder to doze off.
Lay off devices before bed. The blue light emitted by smartphones, laptops, and tablets suppresses melatonin production in the brain, which means that looking at these screens before bed makes it harder to sleep, and sleep well. Turn off your devices at least an hour before bedtime to read a book or watch TV – television doesn’t emit the same blue light as tech screens. If you can’t kick your laptop out of bed, wear amber-tinted glasses designed to block blue light, like those made by Gunnar (they’re better looking than you might think).
“While one or two alcoholic drinks probably won’t disrupt your sleep, more than that will lead to lower quality sleep — and maybe 3:00 am insomnia — as your body processes the alcohol.”
Stick to water. Caffeine and alcohol can both reduce sleep duration and quality. Avoid caffeine in the late afternoon, and limit boozy beverages too. While one or two alcoholic drinks probably won’t disrupt your sleep, more than that will lead to lower quality sleep — and maybe 3:00 am insomnia — as your body processes the alcohol. Drinking earlier in the evening is also less of a problem than a pre-bed “nightcap.”
Nap if you can. It’s normal to feel a dip in energy between around 2:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon. Despite conventional wisdom, it has nothing to do with whether or not you had a big lunch. If you feel exhausted in the afternoon, the best thing to do is grab a 15-30 minute nap if your work allows. But be sure to set an alarm so that you don’t sleep for longer than 45 minutes or so — a nap that lasts longer than that is likely to leave you feeling groggy and worse off than no nap at all.
Recognize sleep apnea. Sleep apnea, a condition in which your breathing is shallow or irregular during sleep, can have serious health consequences but is under-diagnosed. In addition to snoring, the symptoms include morning headaches, memory problems, irritability and depression, frequent waking, and feeling tired during the day – even though you received adequate hours of sleep. It’s especially hard to recognize sleep apnea of you live by yourself and don’t have anybody to alert you to your snoring. If you chronically snore or experience the symptoms described above, talk to your doctor about sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment.
If you’re still awake, seek help. If it regularly takes you longer than a half hour to fall asleep, if you wake up for long periods in the middle of the night, or if you never feel rested, you should seek help from a doctor with expertise in sleep medicine. There are many therapies available for sleep disorders, including light therapy, supplements like melatonin, behavior modification and prescription medications.

How do you make sure you get a good night’s sleep?
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The posts on this blog are for information only. They are neither intended to substitute for a relationship with your doctor or other healthcare provider, nor do they constitute medical or healthcare advice of any kind. Any information in these posts should not be acted upon without consideration of primary source material and professional input from one’s own health care providers.