The Importance of Sleep

Did you know that not everyone needs the same amount of sleep? Studies have shown that consistently sleeping less than 6.5 hours or more than 9 hours per day has been associated with greater mortality and risk of disease.

In fact, the lack of sleep can increase the production of stress hormones. The natural rhythms of hormone secretion can be altered by the stress response, affecting sleep.

Stress can result in surges or dips in hormone secretion that don't match the regular circadian rhythm or sleep-wake patterns. 

Stress response increases cortisol production and sympathetic nervous system activity, increasing alertness and making falling asleep difficult. Elevated cortisol affects sleep directly, raises blood sugar and lowers melatonin, affecting the ability to fall and stay asleep.

There are things that you can do to establish proper sleep cycles, the first being; address the amount of stress in your life. Stress is one of the 5 major contributors to Metabolic Chaos*.

Most people require 7-8 hours sleep per night. Sticking to a sleep schedule matching our natural circadian rhythm reinforces a sleep-wake cycle.

• Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends and holidays
• A 10pm to 6am sleep-wake cycle promotes better sleep throughout the night
• The HPA Axis and adrenal glands do a majority of their recharging and recovering between the hours of 10pm and 2am

Create a calming bedtime routine - practicing relaxation, meditation, breathing exercises. Each hour of sleep before midnight is worth 2 hours of sleep after midnight, to rebuild and detoxify the body and rest the adrenal glands.

• Winding down with non-stimulating reading or practicing relaxation techniques like meditation or breathing exercises can be helpful.
• Have a warm bath or warm non-caffeinated drink

Reduce light exposure at night

• Dim the lights as much as possible in the hour or two before bed
• Avoid using the computer, tablet, phone or other electronic device for 2 hours before going to bed
• Orange goggles can block out the spectrum of light that interferes with melatonin production

Eating a small snack containing protein, low-glycemic carbohydrates and healthy fat prevents drops in blood sugar levels during the night.

• Eat at regular times to help establish a normal circadian rhythm by regulating digestion and hormone production. 
• Avoid stimulants like caffeine, sugar, and tobacco - or not after midday so the body has time to process them
• Taking a multi-mineral supplement before bedtime helps in many cases to relax the body

Include physical activity early in your day. Lengthy cardio or intense exercise can increase cortisol levels, so don't overdo it too late in the day.

Manage stress by taking steps to slow down, relax, and get perspective. Avoid taking daytime naps of longer than 20 minutes. Listen to your body about the amount of sleep you need.

When your starting out establishing proper sleep cycles you want to avoid sugar and alcohol for the first 90 days because sugar and alcohol can have a significant impact on your sleep.

Making changes to your sleep routine can significantly improve your overall health. The key is to take one of the suggested changes and incorporate one per week over the next month, rather than trying to implement them all at once.

Which one will you incorporate this week?

 *Metabolic Chaos is hidden stressors or malfunction in an area, left unchecked or not corrected in the body, will cascade downstream into other areas. As one dysfunction builds upon another, depending on individual weak links in metabolism, all manner of disease and symptoms may occur.