We all want optimal performance at work, at sports, and at life. It sounds cliché that a good night’s sleep would help with this. That’s because it’s not all about good sleep. Optimal performance is also about exercise, nutrition, socialization, and good healthy habits. If one area of life is lacking, the others can be affected too. In this article, we will focus on the importance of good quality sleep but please remember that balance across all aspects of total wellness is also important.
If you regularly have difficulty falling asleep, maintaining sleep, or staying awake during the day, this might be an indicator of a sleep disorder that needs to be investigated by a specialist. Barring any material sleep disorders, let’s look at the well-researched methods that improve sleep hygiene. There are many solutions to address poor sleep, but for the most part, one’s focus should be on the key tried and true methods.
Many variables contribute to getting a good night’s sleep. My goal is to present a few ideas that tend to work best and to encourage you to give them a try. Some of these approaches may or may not work for you. That’s ok. Often, you may just need to give a new practice more time to settle in and make a positive difference. Don’t quit too soon! Try to avoid skepticism as you test and explore these new approaches as this often blocks success. Give it some time and have fun finding which routines work best for you!
Importance of Enough Sleep
The last thing you need is a long lecture on why enough sleep is important. You may be thinking, “Dr. John, just get to the techniques that will help me learn how to sleep better.” But before I give you the techniques, there are a few key things I want you to know. Are you aware that good quality sleep can improve one’s reaction time, vigor, mood, alertness, typing speed, short- and long-term memory retention, basketball shooting accuracy, tennis serve accuracy, sprint speed, and generally improve your overall quality of life?
You may have heard that you should strive to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Most of us don’t hit that mark. Even if we do lie in bed for eight hours, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good quality and a deep, restful eight hours. If you don’t regularly get enough rejuvenating sleep, I urge you to prioritize making some changes to your nighttime practices. Prioritizing your health over other things that may be keeping you from getting enough quality sleep will yield amazing results. You will have more energy, more mental clarity, higher productivity, less sickness and a more positive outlook on life. Give it a try!
Phases of Sleep
Each night you take a rollercoaster ride through the different phases of sleep. Though you’re unaware of what goes on while you’re snoozing, your brain and body are in an active state. Each stage of sleep plays a different role in how you feel the next day. Sleep has been traditionally divided into four categories: awake, light, deep, and REM sleep. Each one plays an essential role in maintaining your mental and physical health.
AWAKE TIME is spent in bed just before and after falling asleep. It includes brief awakenings during sleep as well. During LIGHT SLEEP your muscles will relax and may even jerk. Your heart rate and respiration slow down. Your temperature drops and you begin to transition into and out of deeper sleep cycles. Waking up is easier during this phase.
During DEEP SLEEP your blood pressure drops, and your body promotes muscle growth and repair. The brain flushes your waste and shows long and slow brain waves. Waking up is more difficult during this phase. You’re more disoriented or groggy if awakened. Finally, during REM SLEEP your respiration and heart rate increases, temperature regulation is switched off, and vivid dreams may occur. This phase has benefits for memory, learning, and problem solving. You will typically fluctuate through the four phases of sleep in 3 to 5 cycles during the night. Generally, optimal sleep shows the following pattern: 2-5% Awake, 45-55% Light Sleep, 13-33% Deep Sleep, and 20-25% REM Sleep.
Techniques for Better Quality Sleep
Here we go…we’ve gotten to the techniques! There are many techniques which lead to better quality sleep. Here are my top ten approaches to improving sleep quality. For the most part, these are the core principles that help promote good sleep hygiene. Try to instill some of these new sleep habits and you will reap significant rewards.
- Regular intervals of physical activity – Causes your body to crave and require more sleep.
- Increase parasympathetic nervous system activity – Mindfulness, deep breathing, and meditation increase relaxation.
- Consistent wake and sleep times – Helps improve the natural circadian rhythm of our bodies.
- Exposure to bright light during daytime hours – Sunlight causes your pineal gland to naturally secrete melatonin.
- Limited exposure to blue light – Blue light (phones, monitors, TVs) is known to interfere with quality sleep.
- Stop eating three or more hours before sleep – Eating before bed stimulates your metabolism.
- Limit caffeine intake – Caffeine is a stimulant which can negatively affect sleep.
- Temperature – Lower sleep temperatures help your body better process nutrients and reach the REM phase.
- Mattress type – Generally a medium firm density mattress is best but your requirements may vary.
- Sleep position – The human body craves movement, and needs regular changes in position.
In the end, a good night’s sleep actually has more to do with what we do when we’re awake than when we’re asleep!
Contact Dr. John Jowers at Launch Physical Therapy & Fitness Coaching if you have questions about improving your sleep hygiene. I encourage you to also consider the benefits of physical therapy and fitness coaching, both of which will help improve your sleep quality. Call (240) 406-1265 TODAY to schedule a free consultation. We’d be honored to serve you!
