Ep. 6 The Foundation to Fixing Sleep

The Sleep & Health Podcast

This weeks episode focuses on the foundation of sleep -the Physical Components. These are all controllable and very powerful. Please do not underestimate the impact these can have on sleep.
This week we will

1. Look at the poerful physical levers (the foundations ) that influence sleep.

2. From that, creating a Road map and framework of the controllables.

When it comes to sleep there are so many things that can go wrong or can negatively influence sleep: Kids, stress, anxiety, scrolling WL balance, sleep environment, poor cognitive habits -its often a combination of these things. The nature of the problem will inform the solution.
1. Light

Controlling light inputs at the right time. We know about avoiding white/blue light at night -the reason being, it shuts down melatonin secretion in the brain. It is equally important to that is that we need that white blue light during the day.

2. Caffeine

Coffee, tea, energy drinks and other caffeine containing products.

The cut off for caffeine is about lunchtime -caffeine has a half-life of 8 hours.

Actionable- Sleepy herbal teas, no caffeine after 1pm

3. Food

When we eat, it tends to signal to the brain to push us into “rest & digest” and we often get a release of the feel-good hormone serotonin as well.

4. Rituals & Routines - cueing control

Your ritual for sleep should start hours before bed -don’t worry, its not about creating a huge complex set of actions, it starts by reminding yourself that when the evening comes, that’s the time we need to start to wind down -physically, emotionally and cognitively.
Actionable Steps:

· Have a cut off point for work related messages and emails.

· Have a cut off point for other friend groups and social media.

· Maybe change into your chill out clothes and set the bedroom up

· Have a warm shower.

· Get a cup of sleepy tea.

· Get your eye mask ready.

· Head to bed when you feel tired & do your mental wind down exercise.
5. Technology

The scrolling is what’s detrimental. Listening to a podcast -this one! Music, relaxing sounds is fine. As long as there is visual stimuli feeding the brain our brain wave pattern simply cannot transition in stage 1 sleep!

How long before bedtime? Up to you, how fast can you unwind from the stimuli -it’s the alerting, stimulating effect it has on the brain -reverse snooze button.

Actionable

· set a reverse snooze button.

· Listen don’t look for mental wind down
6. Temperature

From 5pm the core temperature must lower by 1-2 degrees in order to achieve sleep. That drop in temperature is a prompt to our brain t produce more melatonin and sleep.

Actionable:

· Have a hot shower 1-2 hours before sleep & keep the room cool.
7. Environment

We want a bedroom which is conducive to sleep, a sensory haven, a sacred space for sleep, rest & relaxation. Make sure you have a good pillow, clean sheets, nice smells in the room.

8. Exercise
Get lots of movement through the day. High intensity exercise earlier in the day and lower intensity exercise later in the day. Both lower nocternal cortisol secretion.
Next week -Dreams!