Sleep time

Sleep is priceless. And while this statement may seem silly, we often give up some of our sleep time to use it for other activities. Sleep time is not just for rest, it is linked to many processes that are crucial to our daily functioning. When we sleep we learn new skills, combine data – lack of sleep makes learning and remembering impossible. Sleep is also the time when nerve cells transfer data between each other and get reorganized. From a physiological perspective, it’s a time when cells regenerate and different glands produce hormones that regulate the way our body functions. To say it shorter – our body will not function properly without sleep.

We can learn proper habits related to sleep time by tracking its course, looking at the rituals that follow the pre-sleep routine, and taking care of proper preparation of the environment in which we sleep.

Sleep is one of the key factors affecting our well-being. It affects every aspect of our lives – people whose sleep is disturbed experience negative consequences in many areas of life: apart from tiredness, they are more exposed to health consequences (such as diabetes, depression, cardiovascular diseases) and cognitive processes disorders (impaired concentration, focus, planning, decision making). People who take care of regularity and adequate amount of sleep enjoy better mood, better relationships with others, and are more satisfied with their lives.

Here are some simple tips that can help you get more sleep and as a result be more well-rested and healthier.

 

CYCLES, NOT HOURS

Authors of lifestyle articles on sleep can’t agree on how many hours of sleep an adult really needs – 6, 7 or maybe 8 hours of sleep per night? What if the answer is not so simple?

Our sleep consists of 4-6 cycles, and each cycle consists of 4-5 phases: the NREM phase and its 3 or 4 stages (falling asleep, shallow sleep, and deep sleep) and the REM phase. Each successive cycle that we experience during the night is different from the previous cycle, with the REM phase shortening and the NREM phase lengthening. During the first few cycles, the deep sleep phase is the longest, while in the morning the REM phase is the longest.

The length of sleep cycles and their number vary from person to person. Some people need four 120-minute sleep cycles (8 hours) to get enough sleep, while others may need five 80-minute cycles (just over 6.5 hours of sleep), so the answer to the question “How much sleep does an adult need” is not so simple.

The last phase of sleep, REM, is the phase where dreams occur – both pleasant, and unpleasant ones. If you are awakened by a nightmare, you can go back to sleep and start another sleep cycle. This allows you to sleep through the rest of the night and be rested in the morning. If the awakening was not related to a nightmare, occurred during a different phase of sleep and falling asleep right away seems impossible, the best practice is to do some other activities that we usually practice before bed – it’s also a good idea to think about what woke us up so you can prevent it the next night.

For our sleep to be most effective, we need to maintain a balance between all the phases of sleep. To accurately calculate how much sleep our body needs, we should measure our sleep cycles for example, using sleep trackers. However, it is important to remember that the length of sleep depends on the period of our life – teenagers, adults and seniors need a different length of sleep because sleep cycles change during life.

 

THE POWER OF NAP

Research shows that daytime naps have many benefits when we didn’t get enough sleep the night before: they reduce sleepiness, benefit executive function, promote memory consolidation, and increase emotional stability.

But how long should a nap be to be most effective? As mentioned in the first tip – our sleep consists of cycles. Researchers have shown that we benefit most from naps that last 10-20 minutes. A nap that is too short, 5 minutes, does not provide significant benefits, and a nap that is too long, 30 minutes (and longer), impairs our alertness and productivity when we break our sleep cycle. If you need a long nap, dedicate about 90 minutes to it.

A power nap is a nap that lasts about 20 minutes. Because it’s fairly short, we don’t enter a deep sleep phase – it’s easier to wake up from a light sleep and we don’t feel “groggy”. Power napping is a way to improve mood, increase productivity, relax, and increase alertness. Additionally, such napping has been shown to benefit our immune system and reduce stress.

A 20-minute nap during the day has more benefits than an extra 20 minutes of sleep in the morning. Keep in mind, however, that an afternoon nap can affect your ability to fall asleep in the evening.
NIGHTMARES? WHAT TO DO?

Nightmares are dreams with unpleasant, life-threatening content. They occur during REM sleep, and can affect your sleep patterns and mood the next day. Nightmares are especially common among people who sleep irregularly, those with anxiety disorders, and those who use any form of drugs. The consequence of experiencing nightmares is daytime fatigue, problems with concentration, and focus. So how do you cope with disturbing nightmares? There is no one-size-fits-all prescription, but there are a few universal tips that can be useful:

• Don’t avoid sleep

Sometimes people who experience nightmares report feeling anxious about going to bed. It’s natural to try to delay the unpleasantness. However, when we deprive ourselves of sleep, we deprive ourselves of the REM sleep phase, which can ultimately lead to nightmares. How? When the deepest sleep phase is shorter one night, it will lengthen the next night. This sleep phase will be longer and more intense, resulting in more vivid dreams. You should make sure you have regular bedtimes and a regular length of sleep.

• Wake up

Sometimes we have a hard time defining the line between sleep and being awake. When you wake up a little, it’s a good idea to wake your body up fully so that you don’t return to the dream you just interrupted, which can become even more intense. It’s a good idea to get up, drink some water – to get in touch with reality, to get away from the horror you were in just a moment ago.

• Make up your own ending to the nightmare

Have you ever heard of IRT (imagery rehearsal therapy)? It is a cognitive-behavioral therapy designed to reduce the number and intensity of nightmares. Its main premise is that nightmares are a learned behavior of our brain. And since it is learned, we can change it or unlearn it.

To do this, you must learn to use imagery. IRT therapy helps you reimagine your dream with less frightening content. The process begins with modifying pleasant events in your imagination so that you learn the power that these imaginings have. The next step is to describe your recurring nightmare in detail, and then change any of its elements (in your imagination, of course) – for example, if you are fighting a scary monster, you might equip yourself with superpowers. You are only limited by your imagination!

 

PREPARE YOUR BEDROOM

The bedroom is a space that you should air out on a daily basis. Now, in spring, airing out will be much easier and more pleasant – and your body will thank you for it.

If you have trouble falling asleep, make sure your bedroom is properly darkened – closing the curtains, roller blinds or wearing a blindfold can be beneficial. Light affects the production of melatonin, a hormone linked to the circadian rhythm. Even dim light disrupts its secretion.

The ideal sleep temperature is between approx. 16 and 20°C. – However, as research shows, too high and too low bedroom temperatures have different consequences. Too high a temperature disturbs the sleep cycle (affects the REM and NREM sleep phases), while too low a temperature may affect autonomic responses of the cardiovascular system. Therefore, taking care to properly prepare the bedroom for sleep is crucial for our health.

OFFLINE SLEEP

Do you happen to use your phone in bed? Do you scroll through social media, play games, or maybe watch a show before bed? This is a common habit that we should get rid of. Exposure to light, including blue light emitted by screens, blocks the production of melatonin – a hormone linked to the night and day cycles and sleep-wake cycles.
That is why it is worth limiting computer use or watching TV at dusk. The best practice is to “move” light emitting devices – phone, laptop, TV etc. – out of the bedroom. Instead of setting an alarm clock on your smartphone, invest in a traditional alarm clock.

BEDTIME DIET

Eating before bedtime is not helpful for a good quality of sleep, so you should make sure that the last meal is eaten 2-3 hours before going to bed.

However, not only food affects the quality of our sleep. Other important factor are the drinks we consume. Coffee and drinks containing caffeine should not be consumed in the second half of the day – caffeine disrupts the secretion of melatonin, and has a negative impact on the length and quality of sleep. Stimulants are not only found in coffee and energy drinks – stimulating effects can also be given by chocolate, mainly dark chocolate, which in addition to caffeine also contains theobromine, which has a similar effect. The theine found in tea is another substance which has a stimulating effect on us and we should avoid it before going to bed. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol does not help us fall asleep, as it has a suppressing effect on the deep sleep phase and can increase nightmares.

So what should we drink before going to bed?
Herbal teas are a good alternative to tein-containing teas. Numerous studies show the beneficial effects of melissa on sleep disorders. Studies show that valerian is a herb that relieves stress, which has a beneficial effect on the quality of sleep. Another herb showing properties that affect sleep is hops – however, we do not recommend considering beer as a cure for insomnia.

EVENING RITUALS

Stress and racing thoughts – are definitely not allies of a good night’s sleep. For this reason, especially in the evening, you should try to calm down and create your own rituals, thanks to which you will associate sleep with pleasure. Look for a method that allows you to calm your thoughts. To find the right ritual for you, you can use the tips we outlined in Time In. Another activity to try is journaling – writing down your thoughts, reflections, insights, and emotions for the day.
Other ways to calm down include the meditation and breathing practices found in Down Time. Some people practice various forms of yoga, such as restorative yoga.

One interesting option is yoga nidra – called “yogic sleep” – which is a form of calming meditation. During the practice, which somewhat resembles the state and conscious sleep, the body rests, but the brain remains conscious. This allows the body, mind, and nervous system to fully relax.
The practice is usually guided by an instructor, but there is no shortage of special recordings on the Internet that allow you to practice at home.

Poniżej znajdziesz artykuły napisane przez…

• “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power and Dreams” (2017), Matthew Walker
• “The Circadian Code: Lose Weight, Supercharge Your Energy, and Transform Your Health from Morning to Midnight (2018), Panda Satchin
• “Sleep: The Myth of 8 Hours, the Power of Naps, and the New Plan to Recharge Your Body and Mind” (2018), Nick Littlehales
• “When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep” (2021), Robert Stickgold, Antonio Zadra