Hi. It’s
Dr.Blessing and today I want to give you 4 Easy Ways to Get Better Sleep.
We all know
that sleep is important for good health, increased productivity, better mood
and increased energy.
But did you
know that there are 5 stages of sleep? Each stage lasts about 90 minutes and we
cycle through these stages at least 5 times throughout the night if we get
adequate sleep (7.5 – 8 hours).
If you don’t
go through all stages of sleep (takes approximately 8 hours) you will wake up
fatigued and exhausted instead of feeling refreshed when you get up in the
morning. Did you know that deep sleep helps regulate your appetite hormones?
Getting a full night’s sleep suppresses ghrenlin, the appetite hormone and
stimulates the release of leptin, the satiety/fullness hormone.
Did you know
that caffeinated drinks like coffee and medications that contain caffeine can
stimulate parts of the brain and decrease your ability to sleep?
Back to the Basics
REM and Non- REM sleep
The first
four stages of sleep make up Non- REM sleep and the last and most restorative
stage of sleep is REM sleep.
5 Stages of Sleep
Stage 1 Very light sleep (transition into
sleep)
Muscle
activity decreases; muscle twitching
Make up 5% of
sleep
Stage 2 Light sleep
Breathing and
heart rate slow down
Body
temperature decreases
45-55% of our
time asleep in the light stage of sleep.
Stage 3 Deep sleep
Deep sleep
begins
Slow delta
brain waves
Growth
hormone is secreted and body repairs start
12- 15% of
sleep is spent in this stage of sleep
Stage 4 Very deep sleep
Rhythmic
breathing
Limited
muscle activity
Body
temperature and blood pressure decrease
Stage 5 Restorative Sleep, REM sleep
Dreaming
occurs
Brain waves
speed up
Brain is
awake
Arm and leg
muscles temporarily paralyzed
Increase in
heart rate
Breathing is
rapid and shallow
Here are some
tips to help you get better, more refreshing sleep.
1. Avoid
caffeine and caffeinated products before bed
This includes
coffee, energy drinks, and some medications.
Caffeine triggers the release of cortisol; this is our stress
hormone. Our stress hormone prepares our
body for fight or flight and keeps you alert.
2. Avoid
that nightcap
Did you know
that alcohol triggers cortisol release in the body? Even though alcohol may help you feel relaxed;
studies have shown that alcohol interferes with REM sleep.
REM sleep
occurs in the fifth stage of sleep and is the most restorative stage of sleep.
And as we get older, this stage is a little bit shorter.
In order to
get the best sleep and wake up refreshed in the morning; you don't want to do
anything that will interfere with the amount of restorative sleep that you get.
When sleep is
disrupted, you wake up groggy, angry; you’re forgetful and less productive.
3. Don’t
take your electronics to bed with you
Our society
is very technologically advanced, and we have so many gadgets like the Kindle
and our iPhone, and this has allowed us to bring our work literally into our bedroom.
So people are doing work (like sending and checking emails) in their beds
instead of sleeping.
Getting enough
sleep helps prevent weight gain, decreases your risk of chronic diseases like diabetes,
high blood pressure, high cholesterol.
So keep your
electronics in another room. If you're going to do work, do it in a room that’s
not your bedroom, and stop at least hour to two hours before bed.
You will know
how much time you need to wind down so make sure you fit that into your sleep
routine.
4. Keep
your bedroom dark.
Before Thomas
Edison invented the light bulb, people went to bed as soon as it was dark
outside. We know that is not the case now; we have lights 24/7. Our bodies
don’t know the difference between day or night; especially when we are
constantly surrounded by artificial lighting
Anytime a
light is on, the light goes through the eyes and hits the pineal gland telling it to stop secreting
melatonin and to start secreting cortisol.
When we are exposed to light the body thinks it’s daytime, even if it’s
not. When it’s dark, the body stops secreting cortisol and starts secreting melatonin because it thinks its night and it
prepares you for bed. There is a fragile balance between melatonin, the
relaxation hormone and cortisol, the hormone that stimulates alertness.
I hope you
enjoyed 4 Easy Ways to Get Better Sleep.
Working out early in the morning helps me get better sleep. What are
some things you do to get better sleep?