Sleep Soundly Keys 1-4

KEY POINTS:

1. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll outline the 7 keys to sleeping soundly. Here are the first 4 keys.

2. Key 1: Save your caffeine for the morning. Limit your caffeine consumption to 200 mg per day and make sure you don't have caffeine within 8 hours of when you'd like to go to sleep.

3. Key 2: Defend your last hour. Stay away from screens - this includes TV, your computer and your phone one hour before you'd like to go to sleep.  

4. Key 3: Keep your sleep cave dark. Melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy, is released when it's dark. So make sure your bedroom (or sleep cave) is as dark as possible. 

5. Key 4: Be Cool. Increased melatonin levels cause a natural cooling of your body temperature by 0.3-0.4 degrees Celsius, which helps you fall asleep. So keep your room at 19 degrees C (or cooler) to promote drowsiness. 

By sleeping soundly, we can strengthen our bodies and minds, enhance our mental and physical health, and reach our potential. To help you on your way, here are the keys to sleeping soundly.

Key #1: Save your caffeine for the morning

Caffeine promotes blood flow to the brain, which increases memory and concentration. It encourages oxygen delivery to the body, making exercise feel easier, and acts as an antioxidant, which heals damaged tissue. However, it’s not the caffeine, per se, that does that antioxidant work. It’s the phytonutrients from the teas or the coffee beans, dissolved in the water, that can have that powerful effect. The problem is, while there are health benefits from tea and coffee, too much caffeine can promote anxiety and insomnia. So where is the line between improving performance and decreasing performance?

The general rule is that 200 mg of caffeine per day is safe for most people (equates to about 2 10-ounce coffees or 2 cups of black tea). Another rule to follow is if you want to sleep well at night, skip the caffeine 8 hours before you fall asleep. So if you want to go to bed at 10pm, don’t have caffeine after 2pm. And remember to watch out for other sneaky sources of caffeine. Decaf java can have up to 20 milligrams of caffeine in a cup, and tea, pop, chocolate, weight-loss products, pain relievers, energy drinks and even some cold and flu medications are all to be avoided for a good night’s sleep.

Key #2: Defend your last hour

Have you ever had an exhausting day, then in the hour before you’re going to bed, you find your mind racing even though your body is tired? You’re not alone. Calming down in the hours before you want to fall asleep is crucial. A key habit is not to check your electronic devices within one hour of when you plan to go to sleep unless you absolutely have to.

Research by Mari Hysling from Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare in Bergen Norway published a population-based study on 9846 adolescents and showed that there was a dose-response relationship between the amount of time that was spent using electronic devices during the day and sleep duration, time to fall asleep, and sleep efficiency. Basically, the more adolescents used their electronic devices during the day, the less they slept and the worse their sleep was.

Key #3: Keep your sleep cave dark

I want you to have a place in your home that is your place to rest and recover. Think of it as a peaceful place where you go to crash out after rocking the world all day. This will be your sleep cave – formerly known as your bedroom.

Melatonin (a hormone that helps regulate sleep) is produced by your pineal gland, which is located deep inside your brain and is very sensitive to light, including light from screens. Because the pineal gland responds to light via neurons that project from your eyes, you have to ensure that you are in a dark space while you sleep. To do that you have to keep you room dark. Really dark. Even the light from your alarm clock is enough to reduce your melatonin levels. Little things like covering up your alarm clock lights or getting dark curtains for your windows will help!

This also means getting rid of your screens if you have them in the bedroom. Television, tablets, mobile phones all compromise your ability to fall asleep. I realize this can be a huge change for you but having a massive light that flashes at you at 240 frames per second is a sure fire way to make sure you don't fall asleep.

Light Therapy Tip: Install f.lux on your computer to cut blue light emissions later in the day. If you have iOS then activate the night shift feature and if you use Android then try the Twilight app!

Key #4: Be cool

In the evening, increased melatonin levels cause the blood vessels in the skin to dilate, cooling the body by 0.3–0.4 degrees C. This cooling promotes drowsiness and helps us fall asleep. Research has even suggested that sleeping in a cool room might help you prevent diabetes, have healthier sugar metabolism, and stay leaner. If you are having a hard time falling asleep, have a warm bath followed by a cool shower to decrease your body temperature slightly, and then make sure your room is as dark as possible. This procedure mimics the effect of melatonin and will knock you out.

At night keep your room cool. A temperature of 19 degrees C should be cool and comfortable for you. If you find yourself waking up because you’re too cold or too hot just adjust your room temperature and the sheets and blankets until you find the right combination to keep you cool and comfortable all night!

This Week’s Exercise: No screens before bed!

This week's habit is no screens before bed. One hour before your bedtime, stay away from screens. This means no phone, computer, tablet, or TV (the blue light from the screens make it harder for you to fall asleep). You can set a “bedtime alarm" one hour before you’d like to be asleep to remind you to do this. Once the alarm goes off, put away your devices and start winding down for sleep. Use the Defend Your Last Hour Guide to help you. This exercise is also on page 21 of The Ripple Effect Workbook.

Bonus Content

Thank you for your continued participation. Check out this bonus article on my blog - all about how to combat jet lag.

The information and advice provided in this program is intended to assist you with improving your performance, as well as your general health. It is not intended and should not be used in place of advice from your own physician or for treatment or diagnosis of any specific health issue. By participating in this program you acknowledge that undertaking any new health, diet and/or exercise regime involves certain inherent risks, that you assume such risks, and that you release Wells Performance Inc. from any responsibility or claim relating to such participation.