Resetting Your Internal Clock - Through Sleep
It is the time of year that the
days have begun to get shorter already. You may have noticed that it is staying
dark longer in the morning, and the sun is going down sooner in the evening. This
could give you a good opportunity to reset your sleep schedule.
One important aspect of good
health remains in getting adequate sleep. This is something that for many
reasons a majority struggle with. You may have trouble shutting down your mind
at night to go to sleep. You may wake frequently during the night, or even
having trouble going back to sleep. Then in the morning you will wake feeling
even more tired than when you went to bed. There are many other more subtle
symptoms of poor sleep quality.
Symptoms of inadequate sleep:
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Daytime sleepiness
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Forgetfulness
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Inability to concentrate
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Waking feeling fatigued and unrested, even after
prolonged sleep time like on the weekend when you have slept for 8-9 hours
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Moodiness, depression, or increased anxiety
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Increased weight gain, or inability to lose
weight
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Dull dry skin, puffy eyes
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Intolerance to stressors that you would have previously
handled better
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Gastric/stomach upset like diarrhea or abdominal
pain
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Increased errors, accidents (dropping things,
tripping, bumping into objects)
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Frequently sick (colds, flu, asthma) with slow
recovery
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Decreased tolerance for other people
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms
it may be important to evaluate your sleep routine.
Adequate high-quality sleep is something most
people have a difficult time getting these days. Getting proper sleep is
important to your body and mind. This time allows for regeneration and rest
physiologically as well as mentally.
While sleeping your brain rests your
conscious mind, and your subconscious will process things into long-term
memory, as well as process situations or worries to help yourself mentally
prepare for other possible ways to solve problems.
Meanwhile your body cycles through processing
minerals, breaking down external and internal nutrients and toxins in your
body. This is a time for your organs to take energy it has received throughout
your awake hours and break it down into different hormones and chemicals to
allow your organ systems to function at their best.
When we deprive our bodies of proper sleep,
it cannot bounce back as easily, as it was not allowed to process out toxins
adequately. Over time this builds up, and compounds other stress in our lives
and creates a great imbalance setting us up for illness and disease.
Effects Poor Sleep Hygiene Can Have
on The Body:
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Hypertension (high blood pressure)
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Diabetes type II, Metabolic disorder,
weight gain and obesity
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Increased risk for Kidney Disease and
Cardiovascular Disease-including heart attacks
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Increased levels of stress hormones
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Stroke
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Increased risk for inflammatory and
autoimmune conditions:
o Arthritis
o Fibromyalgia
o Lupus
o Asthma
o Rheumatoid Arthritis
o Thyroiditis (Hashimotos)
o Alzheimerβs Disease
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Increased pain secondary to the
inflammatory conditions
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Increased frequency of exacerbations
of CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease)
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Overall decreased quality of life
As you can see good sleep is essential to our
health and welfare. There are many things though, that are within your own
control to improve your sleep quality. Creating a sleep hygiene plan will help
support your bodyβs ability to sleep more soundly. Keeping a routine is
important to maintain this good quality sleep.
For improved quality of sleep the recommended
amount is somewhere between 7-9 hours (for adults). Most try to get that, but
somehow end up short.
Some ways in which you can improve
your sleep:
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Location: Make sure where you sleep, sleeping is the primary thing
you do. Also, minimize other sleep
disruptions, like decreasing external noises around your room (consider using
βwhite noiseβ or other light sounds or music), make sure your pets are not
interrupting your sleep.
Β·
Quantity: 7-9 hours each night. Try to begin to go to bed a half
hour to an hour earlier, and transition to a time that allows for this amount
of sleep. You can journal how this change makes you feel. You can read more
about how much sleep is recommended for each age group here.
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Quality: sleep that is as uninterrupted as possible. You should
avoid television and other electronics in the bedroom, as well as doing any
work that could be stressful, especially within 2 hours of when you are going
to sleep. The electricity and light emitted from electronics can impair your
ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Decrease light coming through windows.
Decrease what you drink within 2 hours of going to sleep, so you are not waking
to use the bathroom frequently.
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Temperature: keeping your bedroom cooler at night allows for deeper
more restful sleep. Ideally the temperature should be between 63-68 degrees
Fahrenheit.
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Alignment: having the right support of your neck and spine during
sleep is also especially important to consider. There are body pillows and
different head pillows with options of support based on if you are a side
sleeper, or back sleeper for instance. There may be things your chiropractor can
recommend if you see one.
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Routine/Schedule: keeping yourself on a regular sleep schedule can also
make a great difference. For those on swing shifts where they switch from
working different shifts ever 1-2 weeks there is a huge impact on their quality
of sleep. So, it is best to aim for going to bed and starting your day at the
same times.
Over time you may be able to incorporate many
or all these suggestions. There are other things that can improve sleep quality
that I have not mentioned. If you are told you snore very loudly, or you feel
more tired after sleeping, have a BMI greater than 35, have any sinus problems,
or have had a deviated septum, you may want to discuss with your doctor getting
a sleep study. These could be signs of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) which
would require other interventions. OSA can lead to increased risk of serious
health conditions, and majorly impact your ability to ever get quality sleep. During
a sleep study they can measure your oxygenation level as well as EEG
(electroencephalogram, also known as the rhythm waves your brain makes) and EKG
(electrocardiogram, also known as your heart rhythm) rhythms while sleeping to
make sure it is adequate. This can measure how deep your sleep is, how well you
are oxygenating, and how well your heart is beating while you sleep.
I hope this will help give you some ideas in
which ways you can begin to improve how well you are sleeping. It can really
make a difference on your ability to enjoy and function during your awake
hours. Sleeping well can also improve your dream state. Many people with sleep
disorders will state they donβt recall dreaming at all.
Please
share any ideas you have or use to get a good nights sleep! I would love to
hear what you find helpful.
Tina
References:
5
Signs That Your Sleep Quality Is Poor (and How to Fix It): Sleep Foundation.org
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