Lack of sleep makes a person more likely to get infections. Here is a repost from January 3, 2020, about how to prolong your stay in slumberland.
Sleeping is essential for overall health and chronic disease prevention. How well we sleep the night before can determine the outcome at work and personal relationships the next day.
Elements of Good Sleep
I. Melatonin
To get sleep started, the sleep hormone melatonin should be present in sufficient amounts. The pineal gland in the brain produces melatonin in response to darkness or the passive phase of the circadian rhythm that corresponds to nighttime.
Two things decrease melatonin production: Advancing age and light, particularly the blue light of the visible spectrum, cuts down the melatonin production. As we age, the melatonin secretion decreases. We can’t do much about age, but we can limit the exposure to blue light.
Melatonin tablets are available over the counter, but it is hard to know each individual’s right dose because we are all different in body composition, weight, and how we metabolize drugs. The amount of melatonin in tablet preparations can be too much. It can result in daytime sleepiness the next day, requiring more coffee and leading to insomnia later that night, causing a vicious cycle.
That is why the best melatonin is the one that you make. Melatonin can be increased by different strategies to block the blue light.
Sources of Blue Light
Blue light is all over. The sun and artificial light coming from white light bulbs, computer monitors, TVs, and cell phone screens. Melatonin should start to increase 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. Here are the ways to pump up your melatonin:
- Use warmer color light bulbs with 2700 Kelvin around the nightstand or where you hang out before sleeping to start to relax the body.
- If you use a computer before sleeping, put an anti-blue light filter on the screen.
- For cell phone users, there are Blue Light filter apps that are free for downloading. You can program the app to turn on and off at specific times of your choice.
- Untinted Blue-light-blocking glasses or wraparound glasses like Uvex Skyper Blue Light Blocking Computer Glasses can be worn around the house an hour before going to bed to start melatonin secretion. They are also useful for night shift workers.
- Even a small amount of blue-light can stop melatonin production. If there is a need for a night light, a blue-blocking night-light is a better alternative to turning on brighter lights. They can be placed in the bathroom, bedroom, and hallways.
Blue-blocking glasses and screens also protect the eyes against cataract formation and macular degeneration.
II. Using the Parasympathetic Nervous System for Sleep
The Autonomic Nervous System, ANS, is the “automatic” part of the nervous system. The ANS works without conscious thought control but is sensitive to minor stimuli. The ANS is divided into the sympathetic nervous system, SNS, or “fight or flight,” and the Parasympathetic Nervous sytem, PNS, or “rest and digest” system. To get a night of good sleep, the SNS must decrease, and PNS must increase.
A. How to Decrease the SNS
You don’t need a tiger chasing you to activate the SNS while trying to sleep. Any potential irritation or discomfort can trigger the SNS. The stimuli may be minor, and the SNS response may be minimal, but that is enough to disturb sleep. Here are the tools needed:
- A comfortable mattress pad should keep the spine straight, avoid pressure points on the shoulders, hips, and knees, and not trap body heat.
- A pillow that supports the head and neck. Proper head and neck support relieves unnecessary tension in the neck muscles.
- Make sure the bed sheets and pillowcases are clean and comfortable for the season. Flannel or sateen sheets and down duvets for the winter. Linen and cotton sheets with a quilt for spring. Moisture during the summertime increases the perceived temperature and makes the bed warmer. Egyptian cotton, linen, and bamboo are moisture-absorbing materials.
- To relieve sneezing caused by allergies, use a HEPA filter in the bedroom.
- Limit the amount of fluid intake 2 -3 hours before sleeping. A full bladder in the middle of the night will activate the SNS to prevent urinary incontinence and wake you up. If this happens, it is better to relieve yourself than stay in bed half-asleep for the rest of the night. This is one instance when the blue-light blocking night light in the bathroom will come in handy.
- Avoid external noise or even a dim light with earplugs and comfortable silk eye covers. These are very helpful for night-shift workers who need daytime sleep.
- The movement of partners, children, or pets in the bed can also disturb sleep. A proper mattress can minimize that. I will leave the sleeping arrangements to the reader’s discretion.
- According to the National Sleep Foundation, the ideal temperature is 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit or 15-19 degrees Celsius. If thermal discomfort wakes you up in the middle of the night, anticipate the temperature change and add or remove blankets or comforters appropriately.
- Food digestion generates heat. The higher the food intake near bedtime, especially protein can, the more heat is made. This excess body heat generated while asleep can wake you up.
- Coughing while trying to sleep can be from gastric reflux. Avoid carbohydrates, alcohol, and coffee 3 hours before bedtime.
- Caffeine stimulates the SNS and adrenaline secretion and has a half-life of 5 to 6 hours. Too much caffeine intake, even in the morning hours, can exert its effect even at night. Caffeine is also hidden in other foods like decaffeinated coffee, yogurt, chocolates, ice cream, breakfast cereals, pudding, headache remedies, and premenstrual symptom products.
- Intense exercises like high-intensity interval training and heavy weight lifting use up excess adrenaline. Strenuous activities should be done 1-2 hours before bedtime.
- Muscle soreness after a work-out can prevent sleep onset. Shea Moisture lotion with Frankincense and Myrrh relieves muscle aches right away and is much better than anything I have tried.
B. Ways to Activate the PNS, The “Rest and Digest” System
The Parasympathetic Nervous system (PNS) slows down the whole body and gets it ready for sleep. Even though the PNS works autonomously, you can control it with the following moves:
- A good night kiss, a hug
- Relaxing with the kids or pets before bedtime
- Stroking the lips
- Slow and deep breathing while trying to sleep
- A warm shower before bed
- A hot water bottle placed under the sheets during winter can warm up the bed and prevent chills. A cap and socks can also retain the heat in the beginning. Those are easily removed later when it gets too warm.
- An electric blanket in winter prevents the shock of the cold as you get into bed.
III. There may be Sleep Apnea Behind that Loud Snoring
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is serious and deserves its own category. OSA causes chronic sympathetic stimulation and prevents deep, restful rapid eye movement or REM sleep. OSA can cause obesity, hypertension, strokes, and heart attacks. That is because the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline are being secreted all the time. During the night to make the person breathe, and during the daytime, the person struggles to stay awake. The clues are snoring, a feeling of lack of restful sleep, and daytime sleepiness. Those stickers advertised that you place in the nose for snorers don’t work for sleep apnea. Consult your doctor and talk about a sleep study if loud snoring and daytime sleepiness are present.
IV. Understanding the Sleep Cycles
Sleep is divided into Non-Rapid Eye movement, NREM sleep, and Rapid Eye Movement REM sleep. NREM is further subdivided into N1, N2, and N3. The sleep cycle goes from the shallow sleep of NREM to the deep sleep of REM. The pattern is N1 → N2 → N3 → REM. The whole period takes about 90 minutes. Over the entire night, 5 to 6 cycles can happen. After the REM of each cycle, as it goes back to the shallow sleep of N2 or N3, the body may wake up. If this happens, don’t be disheartened. It is normal, and you can go back to sleep if you notice any discomfort like an urge to go to the bathroom, thirst, temperature discomfort (too warm or too cold) during that time. This will be the perfect time to address those issues and make adjustments. Remove or add blankets, adjusts the thermostat on the air conditioner or heater, or drink water. During this time, make sure you are using night-blocking glasses or night lights to maintain the melatonin levels. Checking the internet or cell phone for any messages, social media, or news is a bad idea at this time because it will stimulate the mind and make further sleep harder as you get back to sleep. The succeeding sleep cycles will produce a more extended REM period that will manifest as vivid dreams that you will not remember.
V. Other Techniques to Get to Sleep While in Bed
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- Get to bed early at the first sign of sleepiness.
- Imagine falling down a deep dark ravine.
- Try to remember what you learned or recall what you did that day
- Pray. Slowly.
Sleep tight, and Don’t Get Sick!
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Image Credits
Brain and Melatonin By Srruhh – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79485980
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