How To Hack Your Sleep
As we now know, sleep is a huge component of a healthy lifestyle, longevity, and overall well-being. Without proper sleep, many of our bodily systems can’t operate optimally, and we end up filling those voids with more detrimental habits like the overconsumption of caffeine, alcohol, stimulants and more. Here’s how to hack your sleep and get your sleep hygiene back on track:
Practicing the same routine each night is a way to signal the body to enter a restful state. For example; try eating dinner at roughly the same time each night, cutting off technology at least two hours before bed, getting into bed at roughly the same time, and making sure your sleeping environment is free of distractions. Of course, not everyone can follow this ideal routine due to work or life demands, so aim for consistency where it’s realistic and give yourself grace where it’s not.
It’s not necessarily about how many hours of sleep you get per night, but how many of those hours were restorative. Restorative sleep is defined as our deepest period of sleep in the sleep cycle. It’s when the body and mind are able to heal best. Sometimes we can get 8 hours of rest, but if we’re not getting any restorative sleep, then those 8 hours can feel more like 4.
Removing any blue light emitting technology is very important. The blue lights from phones, ipads and computers will affect your sleep cycle negatively by suppressing the body’s release of melatonin and even throwing off the body’s circadian rhythm.
*According to a study done by Harvard Medical School, there is even a possible connection between sleep and the development of diabetes and obesity. In particular, the study showed that gradually shifting the timing of a subject’s circadian rhythm caused increases in blood sugar levels, prediabetic states, and lowered leptin levels, the hormone that leaves you feeling full after a meal.
Lastly, find time to get outside during the day and to move. Exposure to sunlight in the morning helps to set the circadian rhythm. Even a quick walk in the morning works wonders for sleep, believe it or not!
*Blue light has a dark side, Harvard Health Journal
