Can’t Sleep? No Problem!
(Disclaimer: I am not a licensed medical professional. If you feel like you are dealing with sleep disorders, please consult a medical professional. These are just a few basic, non-medical interventions you can adopt to possibly improve your sleep.)
A couple weeks ago, I made a blog post on a student’s guide to dealing with burnout, and it was amazing how it became my most visited post to date. So, I wanted to start off by saying thank you, dear reader.
In the previous post, I talked about sleep as one way to deal with mental burnout, with the promise that I would write a whole post on it since there is, unsurprisingly, a lot of science involved. So here we are.
We all know that sleep is crucial, yet it's often the first thing we sacrifice when life gets busy. Whether you’re losing sleep by scrolling through Instagram late into the night or just stressed about a big presentation or exam later in the week, we’ve all been there. For the past few months, I’ve been on a mission to improve my sleep because, after years of suffering from poor sleep (mostly due to my own lifestyle choices), I realized it was severely interfering with my productivity and mood—not to mention, my physical performance also began to suffer.
I purchased a Samsung Fit3 health tracker early in June in the hopes of figuring out how I was sleeping and also to roughly monitor my sleep cycles, as well as my physical and mental recovery. After a bunch of research and hours of listening to Dr. Andrew Huberman on his podcast The Huberman Lab (do check it out if you haven’t already), I devised a super effective and surprisingly simple strategy for improving sleep. As a biology undergrad and someone who loves learning about the science behind things, I tried my best to extract papers to back up each strategy I use. If you’re interested, I highly recommend checking these papers out. Without further ado, here are five strategies to revamp your sleep schedule:
1) No more scrolling through social media before bed
Before I begin, I just want to preface this by saying that it’s not necessarily just social media but all blue light sources in general, whether it be your laptop, TV, or any other device. Most of us in our 20s have grown up in a time where being constantly glued to our screens has been vastly normalized to the point where using your phone or other devices before bed may seem more relaxing after a heavy day of work than anything else.
The issue with many of these devices is that they tend to emit blue light. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably already heard about blue light and blue light filters. Now, you may be wondering, what could a simple wavelength of light do to destroy my sleep? Well, as scientific literature suggests, quite a bit. Blue light impacts your circadian rhythm by suppressing melatonin production, the hormone responsible for making you feel sleepy. Specifically, blue light stimulates photoreceptors in the retina, which then signal the brain's master clock to delay melatonin release. This not only makes it harder to fall asleep but also shifts your entire sleep-wake cycle.
Moreover, blue light exposure before bed has been shown to reduce REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, a crucial stage of sleep for memory storage and emotional regulation. Reduced REM sleep can leave you feeling less rested and more mentally fatigued the next day. Additionally, it can increase cortisol levels, the stress hormone, which further disrupts your ability to relax and fall asleep. We talked a lot about cortisol in last week’s post, so if you’re interested, you can check it out.
To maintain healthy sleep patterns, it’s best to avoid screen time at least 1.5 hours before bed. Honestly, I’ve found that the earlier you get off the screen before going to bed, the better. However, knowing that everyone tends to have pretty much everything online, including assignments and so on, it is quite difficult to make a drastic change. But if you can make it a habit, I promise you it is going to be worth the effort.
2) Finish dinner 2 to 3 hours before bed
As many studies have shown, eating too close to bedtime can significantly interfere with your sleep quality. When you eat late, your body remains busy with the digestion process, which can disrupt the transition into sleep. This ongoing digestive activity can delay the onset of sleep and reduce the time spent in the deeper, more restorative stages of sleep, particularly REM sleep (again important for mental recovery and emotional regulation).
To add insult to injury, some people with poor digestive health may even find themselves experiencing acid reflux or bloating, causing excessive discomfort and further hampering their ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Research indicates that finishing dinner at least 2 to 2.5 hours before bed allows your body enough time to digest food before sleep. This practice helps ensure that your body is fully prepared for rest, leading to better sleep continuity and improved overall sleep quality (aka a happier and healthier you).
3) Limit Fluid Intake an Hour or Two Before Bed
Consuming large amounts of fluids before bedtime can disrupt your sleep by increasing the likelihood of nocturia, which is the frequent need to urinate during the night (apparently, there’s a term for everything these days). Nocturia is one of the most common causes of sleep disturbances, particularly as we age, but it can affect anyone. When you drink too much before bed, your bladder fills up quickly, causing you to wake up multiple times during the night to use the bathroom. This not only fragments your sleep but also makes it harder to enter the deeper, more restorative stages of sleep.
Another thing to note is supplementation. I tend to take a bunch of different supplements since I’m involved in various sports and have a decent amount of physical activity each day. One such supplement, which I’m sure most gym rats will be familiar with, is creatine monohydrate. It’s a fascinating molecule, and its effects on physical performance, along with recent studies suggesting its nootropic efficacy (good for mental performance), make it an excellent addition to your diet. I’ll talk about this more in a later post on the dos and don’ts of supplementation, where I’ll discuss various supplements and my own personal experiences with them.
Anyway, creatine monohydrate tends to affect water retention in the body, and many users experience more frequent urination, making them more prone to nocturia. So, in the simplest sense, by limiting your fluid intake at least an hour before bed, you can minimize the chances of nocturia, thereby improving the quality and continuity of your sleep.
4) Practice Deep Breathing Exercises Before Sleep
I personally never really enjoyed meditation and mindfulness—not because I thought they didn’t work, but more so because I could never really “zen out,” especially with my mind always preoccupied with ongoing tasks or simply daydreaming. However, at least 10 to 15 minutes of guided or unguided deep breathing exercises have really helped me fall asleep faster. According to the literature, deep breathing techniques work by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, often referred to as the "rest and digest" system, which counteracts the stress-driven "fight or flight" response. When you engage in deep breathing, your heart rate slows, blood pressure decreases, and your body enters a state of relaxation. This physiological shift helps to lower cortisol levels, the stress hormone, which is often elevated due to the day’s activities and can hinder your ability to fall asleep.
Research has demonstrated that practicing deep breathing exercises before bed can reduce anxiety, which is a common barrier to falling asleep and staying asleep. For instance, a study on the effects of deep breathing on patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery showed that those who practiced deep breathing exercises had significantly better sleep quality post-surgery compared to those who did not. Another study found that deep breathing exercises led to improved sleep quality and heart rate variability, indicating better autonomic function, particularly in individuals with high stress levels.
Additionally, based on personal anecdotal experience, I can vouch for the fact that consistently practicing deep breathing before bed can improve your overall sleep quality, leading to an overall better mood and mental clarity.
5) Optimize Your Sleep Environment
I actually got this tip directly from the Huberman Lab podcast by Dr. Andrew Huberman. He talks a lot about the importance of having a cool room and, if possible, even a cool mattress to sleep on. I decided to do my own digging into the topic. For starters, maintaining an optimal room temperature is particularly important because it aligns with the body's natural thermoregulatory process, which lowers your core body temperature to initiate sleep. Research indicates that a cooler room temperature, generally between 16-20°C (60-68°F), is most conducive to high-quality sleep. This temperature range helps the body maintain a stable and comfortable thermal state throughout the night, which is essential for achieving deeper stages of sleep such as REM and slow-wave sleep.
Moreover, wearing light clothing and using appropriate bedding can further enhance your ability to regulate body temperature. Clothing that is too heavy or bedding that is too warm can trap heat, leading to discomfort and disrupting the natural decline in core body temperature needed for sleep onset.
Additionally, controlling other environmental factors, such as reducing noise and light exposure, is crucial. Noise levels above 35 dB have been associated with increased awakenings and a decrease in overall sleep quality. Ensuring your sleep environment is quiet and dark can significantly improve your chances of uninterrupted sleep.
Finally, ventilation and air quality are often overlooked aspects of the sleep environment that can have a significant impact. Poor air quality, indicated by high levels of CO2, has been linked to increased wakefulness and reduced deep sleep stages. Keeping windows slightly open or using an air purifier can improve ventilation, ensuring a supply of fresh air, which is vital for maintaining good sleep quality. Research has shown that better ventilation not only helps in maintaining a cooler environment but also reduces the likelihood of respiratory disturbances during sleep, leading to a more restful night.
As you can see, none of these changes are particularly complex; they just require a bit of mindfulness and discipline to make them a consistent part of your day-to-day life. As much as I hate it, I know work, circumstances, and anxiety tend to always get in the way, but if you can push past them and prioritize sleep, I assure you that you will be better prepared to deal with them. As always, keep up the good work, keep moving despite the challenges, and keep leveling up. I’ll see you guys very soon in the next post.
P.S. Thank you guys once again for blowing up the last post. I know I launched this website only two weeks ago, so seeing any kind of reception is genuinely exciting!
