Sleep.

Sleep Optimization

Without optimal sleep, it’s nearly impossible to achieve optimal health. Sleep is a vital process during which our bodies heal themselves from the damage (stress, toxins in the air, water and food that we eat) caused by day-to-day living.

• Muscles repair themselves from the day’s exertions
• The liver processes toxins
• The endocrine system recharges our supply of hormones
• The brain recovers from the day’s stresses and anxieties

The body is not able to fully repair itself when we neglect to get the sleep we need. And with the tendency today to neglect other healing activities like eating healthy food, spending time in nature and making time to enjoy loved ones, it’s even more important to log healing hours of sleep.

It’s common for my clients to talk about powerful prescriptions they have used to address their health issues, but few (if any) have tried improving their sleep hygiene. My belief in the impact sleep has on the resolution of bigger health issues–whether related to digestion, obesity, mental health or even cancer–means we will spend considerable time discussing sleep habits during the Initial Intake [INSERT LINK]. In fact, every once in a while, when we fix a client’s sleep hygiene, his other issues resolve too.

Using tools like MyFitnessPal and through daily conversations and journal entries, I can help you determine how much sleep you need and put boundaries in place to make sure you protect that time. My overarching goal is to help my clients listen to what their bodies are telling them regarding the restorative need to sleep.

Sleep: How Much Do I Need?

The natural rhythms of day and night, sunrise and sunset, govern our sleep patterns. Today, however, we often override that natural cycle to the detriment of our health.

Then, as now, the body produces the energizing hormone cortisol when it encounters light, while it cues the production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin when it begins to get dark. It used to be that as the sun would set, mankind would have a wind-down period to finish up the day’s final chores until darkness set in.

Today, we have artificial light coming at us from every direction: overhead lights, computer screens, TVs, cell phones and so much more. This light confuses our bodies so much that they may not know to begin producing melatonin. As a result, it can be easy to ignore our body’s other signals pushing us to head toward bed.

The optimal amount of sleep needed varies from person to person. Contrary to common myths, eight hours is not the magic number. In fact, many people function best with 6.5 hours per night, while others, so-called “long sleepers,” require as much as 10 hours per night.

Our bodies let us know our optimal amount of sleep by the feeling we get when we wake up. Groggy and irritable? That either wasn’t enough or was too much. Rested and clear-thinking? You’ve nailed it.

Specific Elements of Sleep Optimization

Sleep as a priority

Typically, the reason we don’t get enough sleep is that other chosen lifestyle elements get in the way–often entertainment. If you go to bed at 10 p.m., but then spend another hour watching TV before actually falling asleep, you’re not getting the rest you need. It might feel like you’re zoning out and relaxing, but really that TV show is preventing you from getting the sleep you need. What’s more important: That episode of Downton Abbey or your health?

Sleep environment

You spend nearly one-third of your life sleeping, so recognize the importance of splurging and sacrificing to optimize it. Nearly all of my clients need to clean up their sleep environment. Among my standard recommendations:

Splurge:

• Choose high-quality, natural (organic if possible) sheets, pillows and comforters
• Spend extra money to get a mattress made from natural materials free from off-gassing petrochemicals
• Buy blackout curtains to ensure a completely dark environment

Sacrifice:

• Remove all light sources in the bedroom, including digital clocks and nightlights
• Cell phones belong outside of the bedroom at night; don’t use them as your alarm clock
• Turn off the wifi in your house at night
• Make pets sleep somewhere other than your bed
• Room temperature should be about 62 degrees

Winding down

Spend the last 2 hours of the day preparing your body and mind for sleep.

• Put on comfy clothes or pajamas
• Take your shoes off
• Drink some non-stimulating tea like chamomile
• Listen to gentle music
• Dim the lights in your house
• Turn up the thermostat a bit in your house (while leaving the room cooler)
• Avoid:
  • Intense action-adventure movies and shows
  • Caffeine from coffee, chocolate, etc.
  • Stimulating herbs like peppermint and ginger
  • Emotional discussions or arguments with your partner or kids
  • Sugar and carbohydrates, including from alcohol

It might not be possible to do each of these things every night, but aim to do them as often as you can.

The relationship between food and sleep

Food choices, especially those late in the day, will impact the ability to sleep well. At dinner time:

• Try to eat a lighter meal so that the body does less digestion work during sleep
• Avoid excess carbohydrates and sugar in all its forms, which stimulates the brain, leaving it wanting more (and leading you to wake up) roughly three hours after intake
• Aim for a healthy balance of proteins, fats and carbs that fuel the brain optimally for your sleep cycle

Supplements

There are supplements that can promote better sleep, often quickly, while causing no harm. Notably, they should go hand-in-hand with other good sleep hygiene practices.

• Herbal teas like chamomile and passion flower
• Melatonin, the naturally occuring sleep hormone
• PharmaGABA, a stress- and anxiety-reducing amino acid that successfully crosses the blood-brain barrier (unlike its cousin, GABA)

Because the body can become dependent on these supplements, I work with clients to add them in while we’re restoring their diet and then pull them back once the sleep issues have been corrected.