How to sleep better
Sleep problems plague many of us, and a linked to a range of physical and psychological health conditions. For example, the criteria for depression includes sleeping too much (hypersomnia) or not getting enough sleep (insomnia). So, how do we work with this common issue? Let’s start by looking at what sleep is, and why we need it.
Why do we sleep?
Sleep is a behavioural and physiological state that almost all animals on the planet do. Interesting that this happens, since it doesn’t seem very adaptive for a fish to sleep in the ocean where it is more vulnerable to sharks and other predators! This must mean it is quite important. While we do know sleep is one of the basic needs like food, water, and oxygen, scientists are yet to agree upon it’s actual function and purpose. Some of the reasons we understand sleep may be necessary are:
Restoration and repairing of cells and tissues
Maintaining our body temperature
Maintaining human metabolism
Memory storage and consolidation of learning
Once again, we don’t really know why we need to sleep, but our bodies certainly let us know when we aren’t getting enough!
How much sleep do we really need?
You have probably heard people say “we need 8 hours sleep”. Many of us worry and fret when we are not getting 8 hours of sleep. How will we get through the day on any less?
In reality, sleep needs vary from person to person, and across the lifespan. Children and babies need much more sleep (12 or even more hours), while healthy older adults can function well on 6 hours sleep. This is a huge range! Additionally, some health conditions have been associated with either too much, or too little, sleep. For example, people getting less than 6 hours sleep per night, had a statistically significant increase in mortality (read: too little sleep can kill you!!). It is important to note that this research is correlational and not causational. It could be that there is some other factor that leads to both reduced sleep duration and mortality risk. So we just don’t know how much we need to sleep, and there is no strict amount that we can prescribe to every human.
Sleep patterns have also varied in different cultures and throughout history. Prior to the industrial revolution, there is evidence to suggest that humans preferred to have a little “siesta” or short sleep in the late afternoon, then a period of wakefulness, followed by a longer sleep in the night. Other evidence points to a bi-phasic sleep pattern, where people would sleep in 2 separate “shifts” of around 4 hours. In other words, before we were required to be awake all day for working in industry, it was perfectly common and acceptable to either have a period of sleep during the day or to have a period of wakefulness in the middle of the night. I wonder if the 8 hour sleep myth has actually created insomnia in people who experience the normal patterns of our body’s internal clock.
Knowing this – you can “rest easy” if you aren’t getting 8 solid hours.
How do I know if I have a sleep problem?
Common sleep disturbances include:
Sleep initiation – finding it really hard to fall asleep, tossing and turning, mind racing and unable to switch off
Sleep maintenance– frequent night wakings
Disturbing dreams or nightmares
Sleepwalking
Nocturnal enuresis (bed wetting)
sleep apnoea
Non-restorative sleep – it seems like you’ve slept all night but still wake feeling very tired and experience fatigue through the day
Hypersomnia – having the urge to sleep all the time or too much
Top tips for better sleep
Sleep hygiene is the term we use to describe a set of behaviours and strategies used around our sleep to give our body the best chance.
Waking up at the same time each day. When we wake up and light enters our eyes, it affects the level of hormones cortisol and melatonin in our nervous system. This impacts our body’s energy level throughout the day and natural sleep urges, and can even shift our sleep-wake cycles to earlier in the day, making it easier to fall asleep at night.
The right environment. If you’re having sleep difficulties, make sure you’re not having too much bright light entering your system before bed. This might include using lamps or dull lighting in the evening instead of bright fluorescent bulbs, limiting use of phone screens, and making your room nice and dark. A cooler temperature also promotes sleep, so put that air conditioning on. Some people prefer some ambient sound while sleeping. Making your home safe with locking doors, security systems etc can also promote sleep as your body feels safe to relax.
A buffer zone. Have some wind-down time prior to heading to bed. Take a nice warm bath or shower, try a guided relaxation, or gentle stretches. Minimise stress at this time, try not to do work or watch disturbing news.
Use the bed only for sleep, sex, and meditation. Our bodies associate “cues” in our environment with certain behaviours, including sleep. If we always work on the laptop in bed, our body may associate the bed with working, instead of sleep. Set up the right cues to give your body the best chance.
Get out of bed instead of tossing and turning. If you are unable to fall asleep for a period of time, try getting out of bed, go somewhere else in the house, and do something calming or unstimulating. Avoid bright lights or eating at this time, and go back to bed when you feel tired. One type of therapy for sleep encourages actually reducing the amount of time spent in bed, so that our bodies learn to associate being in bed with actual sleep.
If you try these strategies and are continuing to have difficulties with your sleep, a psychologist can help you with a more tailored approach that addresses your specific barriers to sleep and optimises your routine to your body’s natural rhythm.
References
Itani, Jike, Watanabe, & Kaneita (2017). Short sleep duration and health outcomes: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression. Sleep Medicine, 32.
Chokroverty, S. (2010). Overview of Sleep & Sleep Disorders. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 131(2).
Jenna Kenwright Psychologist - jennakenwright@gmail.com - jennakenwright.com - 0491 300 827
