Sleep Awareness

Articles

Mar 1

With less than 40% of adults in the United States receiving less than seven hours of sleep each night, it is safe to assume this is an area almost half of us could improve upon in our lives (Gallup). This number remains stagnant for single parents, active duty members, full-time employees, and factory workers. Our daily responsibilities have a massive impact on our nightly routines and whether we’re able to decompress enough to achieve quality sleep.

Did you know sleep happens in cycles? On average, a person will experience between four and six cycles each night, changing every 90 minutes. In total, we dream for about two hours each night and spend a very brief time in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep during each cycle. Our circadian rhythm is our body’s internal 24-hour clock and helps us execute subconscious functions throughout the day. When our circadian rhythm is disrupted, we can experience insomnia, delayed sleep phase disorder, jet lag, shift work disorder, irregular sleep-wake rhythm, and non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome. These sleep disorders can lead to other neurological disorders, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

What Happens While We Sleep?

During our sleeping hours, our body is repairing cells, releases hormones and proteins, and restores energy. When we sleep, our body enters a slower metabolic state, requiring less caloric needs and allowing us to conserve energy. This evolutionary programming is likely because we spent less time hunting and gathering in the dark when it was inconvenient to find food sources. Sleep also allows for cellular restoration. Our muscles benefit most during our overnight downtime by allowing them time to repair, hormones to release, new tissue to grow, and for cells to make proteins.

Beyond the physical benefits our body receives during our sleeping hours, our brain requires sleep in order to function properly. According to Healthline.com, “When you sleep, your brain’s glymphatic (waste clearance) system clears out waste from the central nervous system. It removes toxic byproducts from your brain, which build up throughout the day. This allows your brain to work well when you wake up.” Further, research shows that a good night's sleep will aid in memory conversion, helping you convert short-term memories into long-term memories. It also helps your brain declutter and “forget” unneeded information. You’ll notice an improvement in your ability to learn, retain information, solve problems, create, make decisions, focus, and concentrate if you are getting routine quality sleep.

How to Establish Sleep Habits

Knowing all the benefits of great sleep and the risks of poor sleep isn’t useful unless you understand ways to engage it to improve your sleep. Bringing your circadian rhythm into balance is the best way to gain control over your sleeping habits. Establishing a bedtime and keeping to it each day will create a routine that will lead to habit over time. Burning excess energy during the day with regular physical activity will help your mind and body enter relaxation states while you’re at rest, easing you into a healthy evening routine. Stretching, yoga or meditation are great activities to include in your evening routine and will help prepare your mind for sleep.

Avoiding stimulants such as nicotine, caffeine, and some medications will help you transition into a sleepy mood more easily. Sometimes, a warm cup of hot green tea is just the thing to help you slip into a peaceful slumber. Adding blackout curtains and limiting the amount of light exposure in your room will promote longer sleep times. Some sound machines, or a fan, can help drown out noises that can sometimes interrupt you during your lighter sleeping cycles during the night.

Attending to our sleep hygiene is an important way we can engage our habits around sleep and improve it over time.

What is Biphasic Sleep?

If you’re someone who always wakes up during the night, it may be worth trying to adapt to biphasic sleeping. Before the industrial era, humans from all walks of life used to sleep in two phases. Today, some are considered to practice biphasic sleeping by taking brief naps in the middle of their day, then sleeping for six to seven hours at night. From as early as the 8th Century BC, the Greeks mention first sleep and second sleep in a matter-of-fact, just going about one’s daily habits. Records found from the 17th Century outline a night of sleep beginning around 9 pm and lasting until about midnight. Around midnight, the person would wake up and eat a meal, enjoy a hot drink, pray, work, and/or socialize for a couple of hours. Afterward, they would return to their beds (or a communal sleeping room depending on their social status) to sleep for another few hours before waking around dawn for the day.

Interestingly, in 1995, a study was conducted by Thomas Wehr, a sleep scientist. He observed 15 men for one week to learn their normal sleeping patterns. Then, he removed natural and artificial light sources to mimic the typical 10 hours of sunlight most people experienced before the development of oil lamps. At night, he confined the men to a bedroom of total darkness, removing all distractions and encouraging them to rest or sleep instead. In the beginning, the men all slept throughout the night in one shift - from evening to morning. After 4-weeks on this schedule of 10-hour days, the men began sleeping in two shifts with a 1-3 hour period in the middle where they were awake. As part of the study, the men’s melatonin levels were measured and it was learned their circadian rhythms had adjusted, too, thereby affecting their sleep habits at a biological level.

Understandably, adopting such strict lights on/lights off patterns is seemingly impossible in this day and age. Reducing blue light exposure can help improve melatonin levels, promoting better sleep. Blue-blocking phone, computer, and tablet screen covers can help limit the amount of blue light we receive. One way to begin your journey to developing good sleep hygiene is to employ the use of a sleep tracker. Use our habit tracker (available in our app) or chart your own course with your chosen method. Another useful tool is our sleep hygiene cards. Simply draw a card each night to get your sleep routine started and encourage more restful sleep.

Occupational therapy-based sleep intervention can help improve your sleeping habits by providing aid with nighttime toileting safety, bedding management, and clothing preferences. The occupational therapists at Tilton’s Therapy are available to assist with their knowledge and experience working with individuals to help you achieve a restful night of sleep.