People are always looking for new workouts, new exercises or new diets thinking that by adding in some ‘new’ thing they will be on their way to reaching their goal(s). 

What if I told you a common missing link is quality sleep?

Most people know, on some level, that sleep is kind of a big deal. Yet, most people do not get enough quality sleep.

Why is that?

Like most things, knowledge alone does not equate to action or results. You need to actually take steps and implement strategies to improve your sleep.

It will not just happen because you want it to. Let’s first look at some of the reasons why getting better sleep even matters. 

Benefits of sleep

While this is not an all-inclusive list, you can see that there are plenty of reasons why getting sleep is important.

Good sleep helps our bodies and minds recover, keeping us lean, happy, mentally focused, and healthy.

Sleep Benefits

• Sleep activates the release of human growth hormone (HGH), an essential player in cellular regeneration.

• Sleep can enhance your memory function and creative problem-solving skills the next day.

• A good night's rest will help boost your athletic performance, including speed, agility, and overall energy levels.

• Sleep will boost your immune system, leaving you less vulnerable to illness.

• Sleep can leave you more resilient to daily stress, something we can all benefit from.

• Sleep can help you see the positives in your daily interactions, making you a happier person.

• Last but not least, you oxidize the most fat during sleep. If you are looking to shed a little fat, make sleep a priority!

But chronically bad sleep slathers on body fat, screws up our hormones, ages us faster, increases chronic illnesses, and drains our IQ and mojo.

Do you jump right out of bed when your alarm goes off, hit the ground running, and conquer the day? If so, bottle whatever you have and sell it.

Most people do not. It takes time to ramp up and get going.

Why then, would you expect to go from crazy busy (100) to calm (0) in a few minutes. This is why going to bed should start at least 30 minutes before actually going to bed. 

For some of you, this process will start even earlier. The idea is to find out what works for you and go from there. 

The first step to getting more and better sleep is to create a nighttime routine that tells your body that you are preparing to go to sleep. Over time, if you’re consistent, your body will start the process of gearing down automatically.

If you’re consistent, your body will know when to release calming hormones before bed, and stimulating hormones to help you wake up. You’ll feel sleepy when it’s time for bed and wake up more refreshed.

Where do you start?

This idea is probably the most obvious but one that will probably get an immediate eye roll.

No electronics for one hour before bed. While that sounds extreme, I’m sure, try for at least 30 minutes to start.

Our bodies are used to winding down when the sun goes down at night. Digital devices stimulate our brains with their light, noise, and mental demands.

If you must read on your phone or tablet, switch the screen to the black or dimmer background. And if you’re going to be on your computer, download a program like f.lux, which decreases your screen’s color temperature at night.

Our brain produces melatonin as light levels decrease. Melatonin ensures deep sleep, and may also help regulate our metabolism. If we have too much light at night, we don’t get proper melatonin production.

Melatonin is a hormone produced by your brain that signals to your body it is time for sleep. Making your room as dark as possible will maximize your melatonin production.

Meanwhile, light — particularly blue light, which most electronics produce — inhibits melatonin production and makes it harder to fall and stay asleep. Sunsets produce red light.

So how can you limit light exposure?

• Dim lights at night. Install low-wattage bulbs in your bedroom, and keep things as dim as possible in the hour before your planned bedtime.

• Cover your windows well. (Maybe time to upgrade from the cruddy IKEA Venetian blinds you’ve had since undergrad?)

• Use a motion-sensitive or dim night light if you need something to illuminate your midnight path to the bathroom.

• Put your iPhone in another room or flip it face down. I leave mine in the kitchen which is downstairs. 

• Cover or dim the alarm clock, or look for one that illuminates only when touched.

I do a lot of my writing and work for EBM at night after the kids go to bed to the f.lux program I mentioned above has been a huge help.

Now, I know a lot of people say they “need” to look at their phones or watch TV to fall asleep. You have gotten used to using that as a means to sleep but it does not mean that it is a good option. 

Chronically, it will create more problems with your sleep than it will solve.

Brain dump

Instead of staring at the ceiling, long after lights-out, obsessing about all the things you’re supposed to do tomorrow, tossing and turning and getting more and more stressed by the minute, try this instead. 

In the evening, take a few minutes, grab a notebook (not your phone) and write out a list of whatever’s bugging you: Emails you need to send or reply to, calls you have to make, project ideas, creative thoughts, that thing you should have said to so-and-so…

If you don’t get these out of your head, they will be running through your mind all night, keeping you awake. Get it out on paper and forget about it! Paper. Not your phone. 

Remember those relics called a pen and paper? Use them. It’s a glorious experience. 

Moreover, chronic sleep restriction results in elevated sympathetic nerve activity (that’s your fight or flight part of the nervous system) and a slow insulin response. This is the perfect storm of peripheral effects to accentuate obesity:

• Lowered glucose tolerance (GT)

• Increased sympathovagal balance

• Increased evening and nocturnal cortisol levels

• Lowered leptin

• Insufficient thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)

Oh yeah, and those high concentrations of cortisol can negatively affect sleep quality.  

High-volume training and/or a calorie-restricted diet can both elevate your cortisol levels. 

Pragmatically speaking, lack of sleep may lead to more body fat simply because more time spent not sleeping means more time to eat. And those junk food commercials start looking pretty appealing at 1 a.m.

I know for me if I stay up past 10:30 (which is a nightly occurrence), I start to get hungry again. This is when it becomes really easy to grab a bag of chips or a sleeve of cookies.

Here are a bunch of other ideas that you could incorporate during your 30-60 minutes of being unplugged before bed.

Use Your Bed Only For Sleeping

Try not to study, eat or watch TV in your bed. I know that sounds blasphemous but this should be a place that as soon as you lay down, your body knows exactly what it should do. 

Go to Bed and Wake Up at the Same Time Each Day

Like I just said, your body loves routines. If you are someone who gets up at 6:00 am during the week but sleeps in until 11:00 am on the weekend, you are messing with your body's natural clock.

As tough as it may seem, try to wake up early even on the weekends. Of course, there will be that occasional weekend where you are up much later than normal but try to stick to a strict bedtime and wake time as much as possible.  

You'll be surprised by how much more you can get done by sticking to this normal schedule.

Take a Shower Before Bed

Sometimes there is nothing more soothing than a nice hot bath or shower. It will calm you down and relax you right before bedtime. This can also act as a trigger for your body that it is bedtime. 

It can associate an evening shower with going to sleep, helping you get into a deeper sleep.

Soft Tissue Work

Perform some light stretching or soft tissue work, especially after a warm shower. Again this type of activity will relax your body and can be very beneficial to your overall health. 

Another great resource

If you are interested in some additional information on sleep, especially as it pertains to athletes, my friend Katie Harris has a great article on that very topic.

You can check out her article at https://www.sleepadvisor.org/athletes-and-sleep/

The big finish

Improving your sleep, like modifying your exercise or nutrition, takes time. It requires some work. 

Having a plan is key. It gives you a guide to follow and it gives you something to modify.

Being consistent with your plan may be the most important part of the whole process. If you are sporadic with your efforts, you will not be able to tell what is working and what is not working. 

Expect this to be a bit of an uphill climb initially. Do not let they deter you from working on this.

About 12 years ago, I spend months tweaking how I was sleeping due to chronic neck pain and headaches. 

I have continued to add other strategies over the years to ensure I am getting the best quality sleep that I can. 

It is possible if you are willing to try and have a little patience. 

Until next time, 

Dr. Tom