How To Get Better Sleep
Do’s and Don’ts To Address Three Reasons for Poor Sleep
As originally published in In Fitness And In Health on Medium.com.
Image: eddiedean
I have struggled with sleep for most of my life. Throughout the years I have dealt with countless nights of dreams and nightmares, a mind I couldn’t quiet, and physical restlessness. We all know how important sleep is to our overall well-being, so finding ways to rest more peacefully has been a journey of mine for a long time. Whilst nothing has been foolproof for me, I hope that in sharing what has helped me can also help you achieve better sleep — at least some of the time.
Dreams & NightmaresI’ve been a dreamer for as long as I can remember. I’ve also suffered from recurring nightmares for many years of my life.
The biggest problem with dreaming for me is that I lucid dream. For those unfamiliar with it, lucid dreaming is a state of consciousness where a person is aware that they are dreaming while asleep. It’s a type of metacognition, which is the awareness of one’s own awareness.
Whilst interesting to observe my own dreams, it always makes me feel like I’ve run a marathon overnight and am exhausted when it’s time to wake up.
There are many theories about why we dream, including:
Memory consolidation: Dreams may help strengthen memory and recall by replaying things from the day.
Emotional regulation: Dreams may help regulate emotions, such as dealing with fears.
Problem solving: Dreams may help solve real-world problems.
Mental housekeeping: Dreams may be a way for the brain to clear away unnecessary information.
Rehearsal: Dreams may be a way to rehearse for situations and challenges faced during the day.
Brain flexibility: Dreams may be a way for the brain to reconfigure itself and adapt to circumstances.
However, researchers still don’t entirely agree on the purpose of dreams, and it may be impossible to conclusively prove any theory.
With all that said, here are some techniques that have helped me reduce the amount I dream, or at least help the nightmares subside.
Try:
Journaling before bed. This can help you process your thoughts and worries from the day so that your subconscious doesn’t have to during sleep.
Keeping a dream journal as soon as you wake up in the morning. Often patterns will become clear over time and once aware, you can take action to address the issue.
Pay attention to how you feel in the dream. For example, ignore who or what exactly is in the dream/nightmare and instead focus on how you feel about what’s happening in it. The feelings are often a reflection of how you feel in waking life — whether consciously or not.
Avoid:
Bright colours in the bedroom. The colours we surround ourselves with are known to affect our emotions. Pastel colours, in particular blues, greens and creams, are more calming and can therefore support better sleep.
Pictures of wild animals or pictures of anything sad or violent in the bedroom. This stems from feng shui. Our subconscious mind doesn’t know what’s “real” and what’s not, so if you have a tiger painting on your wall, your subconscious will think there is a tiger in the bedroom, thereby making it a very unsafe environment.
Mirrors viewable from your bed. This too is a feng shui recommendation. A common dream/nightmare is of cheating partners. A mirror doubles the number of people in the bedroom, thereby subconsciously encouraging others to join you in the bedroom.
Racing MindMy thoughts sometimes race at 100 miles per hour, and it’s especially annoying if I’m trying to fall asleep. And I know I’m not alone here.
Life is busy, but even when it’s not, it often seems hard to let go of our worries. Learning to be more mindful has helped me, but here are some techniques to try before going to bed.
Try:
Listening to a peaceful meditation or meditation music at bedtime. I sometime let the music run all night.
Keeping a gratitude diary. This can help quiet the mind and ensure you fall asleep focused on all the positives in your life.
Exercising in the evening. Whilst exercising can help wake you up, for some it’s more helpful in the evening. Tiring the body out and showering before bed can help refocus the mind and promote better sleep.
Avoid:
Watching TV within one hour before bedtime. Our subconscious takes in everything we consume as real, so watching a thriller or action show will send your body into fight or flight mode whether the threat is real or not.
Reading a thriller or any story that leaves you on the edge of your seat. The idea is to quiet the mind, not excite it.
Scrolling through social media within one hour before bedtime. Blue light suppresses the production of melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate sleep cycles. As such, the blue light from screens can trick your brain into thinking it’s daytime, which can make it harder to fall asleep.
There are studies that recommend avoiding any screen for two hours before bedtime. This may work better, but for me proved to be an unrealistic goal in practice.
Physical Discomfort & RestlessnessA constant issue for me used to be restless leg syndrome. It still occurs occasionally, but not nearly as frequently as it used to.
I also used to bloat and this often caused discomfort when trying to fall asleep. The best change I made in this regard was learning to eat according to my unique microbiome. But beyond that, here are some techniques that have helped me.
Try:
Eating your main meal at lunch and only a light dinner. This will help to not overwhelm your digestive system in the evening.
Consuming your dinner food in the following order: vegetables, then protein, then carbohydrates. Eating in this order can reduce glucose spikes up to 73%.
Taking a magnesium supplement before bed. This can help relax your muscles and I’ve found it particularly helpful with restless leg syndrome. Check with your doctor about appropriate dosages.
Avoid:
Eating within 3 hours and drinking within 2 hours before bedtime. Eating before bed can slow your metabolism leading to increased heart rate, blood flow, and body temperature. Avoiding this will also help reduce the need to go to the toilet in the middle of the night.
Processed foods and drinks. Fresh is always best!
Alcohol and caffeinated drinks. Whilst alcohol may help you fall asleep, it can lead to snoring, sleep apnea, short awakenings throughout the night, and has a negative effect on REM sleep.
Listen to Your BodyWe are all bio-individuals and what works for one may not work for the next. So always listen to your body.
The idea here is also not to prescribe a routine. Whilst routines can be very helpful, they can also quickly become rigid and end up being counter-productive. When a technique becomes something you have to do, or simply an item on a checklist you’re trying to get through, it’s no longer helpful or effective.
Another consideration when it comes to restful sleep is who you share a bed with. If your partner is a restless sleeper or up several times a night, this will affect your sleep quality too.
Finally, as with everything in life, our reality is a reflection of our beliefs and the stories we tell ourselves.
If you believe you will sleep poorly, you most likely will, regardless of what you do before bed.
Everything is energy and the mind-body connection is real. I believe that to change our outer world we must change our inner world.
Wherever you are on your journey, always remember that YOU ARE ENOUGH.
