The average American gets about 6.8 hours of sleep each night. The recommended amount is between 7-9 hours to function at your best. About 35% don’t get seven hours of sleep per night. Ninety-seven percent of teens get less than their recommended amount of sleep(9 hours/night). About 70% of college students don’t get adequate sleep and 82% of them relate their academic performance to lack of sleep. The link between lack of sleep and depression and/or anxiety is real as well. Without regular sleep a person is 10 times more likely to have clinical depression and 17 times more likely to have clinical anxiety. Lost productivity related to insomnia costs the US about $63 billion a year.
Many of us who sleep fairly well may take for granted how well we sleep and the importance of our good night’s sleep. Sleep is just as important as food and water for our survival. Sleep allows for many brain functions including communication between our nerve cells(neurons) and brain detoxification of what builds up in our brains while we’re awake. Sleep allows the brain and body to heal, repair, detoxify, metabolize, and fight free radicals, keeping your immune system functioning. Sleep allows our bodies to recalibrate so that we can function fully during our waking hours of the day. Sleep consumes about one third of hours in a day; we look forward to it at night, when we’re tired. We all need sleep to reach to our fullest potential.
Our body’s circadian rhythm or sleep cycle is directly driven by the light and darkness. So, what is happening in our bodies as the day turns to nighttime? Our bodies are naturally more tired. As nighttime arrives, the pineal gland, a small gland in our brains, converts serotonin into melatonin which is released in your brain, then slowing down your brain waves from beta(daytime active wave state), to an alpha(more relaxed and inward state). This makes us tired and sleepy and begins the process of sleep, which eventually leads to deeper states of relaxation, restoration and dreaming(theta and delta wave states).
In the morning, the opposite happens. As the sun begins to rise, our eyes perceive the light which triggers our pineal gland to release the daytime neurotransmitter, serotonin. These chemical messengers communicate between our nerve cells, and let our bodies know that it’s time to wake up and start our day. The more light we absorb, the more positive, energized and relaxed we feel.
During the winter months, there is a similar rhythm to our evening sleepy time, particularly in more northern latitudes with shorter, darker days. We can be more naturally tired, less positive and sleep more. We may feel down in the dumps a little more, lower energy levels overall, and be more likely to have SAD(Seasonal Affective Disorder). When we have sunny wintry days, everyone seems to be in a better mood, because the sunlight causes the natural increase of serotonin, which some call “the feel-good hormone”.
So, what could be happening in our body and brain if we don’t get a good night’s sleep, and how can we promote good sleep on a regular basis for our own health and wellbeing and to encourage us to reach our fullest potential? There could be a variety of reasons you are not able to sleep but a common likelihood is either physical, mental and/or emotional stress to your nervous system.
If we are under a lot of stress in life, work, home, this affects our brain’s ability to produce the right balance of cortisol in our adrenal glands, which affect the melatonin we need for sleep. Our fight or flight response is more prominent under stress to keep us alive and surviving. In our brain and body, sleep becomes a lower priority. If cortisol levels are reduced, melatonin levels increase, giving your body more opportunity for sleep. This can equate to decreasing the stress in life, especially chronic stress or to figure out how to manage this stress so your body and brain isn’t so affected by the overload.
How is your sleep? How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? Do you naturally awaken when daylight breaks or do you have to use an alarm clock to wake up and begin your day? Do you sleep in the dark or do you have light in your room? Do you fall asleep easily or does it take you more than half hour to fall asleep? Do you have trouble falling back asleep if you awaken during the night?
Here are a few Tips for all of us Sleep Lovers:
- Down-regulate yourself earlier in the evening – give yourself 2-3 hours of down time in the evening so your body/mind can begin to settle down
- Dim your evening lights down to give your brain/body signals to increase the natural melatonin release
- Decrease evening time blue-light – don’t use computers, cell phone, tablets 2-3 hours before going to bed
- Read a book, or write in your journal/letter to someone, rather than use the computer
- Take a warm bath with Epsom salts and/or calming essential oils(like lavender, chamomile, rose, geranium, sweet orange, sandalwood, or make your own blend)
- Go to bed close to the same time each night so your body and brain become comfortable with the routine
- Don’t drink caffeine in the afternoon/evening
- Try a relaxation exercise, meditation or yoga in the evenings to help you relax
- Create full darkness in your bedroom to maximize your body’s natural melatonin
- Decrease the room temperature and add an extra blanket to your bed
- If these exercises aren’t helpful to promote sleep, you may want to add another member to your healthcare team to help you figure out what is interfering with your sleep.
Dreamy sleep to you!
A Few of My Resources:
https://www.thegoodbody.com/insomnia-statistics/
https://www.thegoodbody.com/sleep-statistics/
Becoming Supernatural: How Common people Are Doing the Uncommon, Joe Dispenza, DC
~Any information shared on this website is for educational purposes only and has not been approved by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease. Please consult a physician if you have a medical condition. ~