How Well Do You Sleep?

Sleep is my favorite activity. I love to snuggle in my king-size bed with my dogs and drift into darkness almost as soon as my head hits the pillow. I never get into bed before I am tired, which is usually the same time every night. 

Adequate sleep always has been a priority. I’m cranky, groggy, hungry, and slow-moving if I don’t get my seven to eight hours. I’m not alone. 

I envied those friends and work colleagues who say they only need five hours of sleep a night but, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), they are fooling themselves. Very few adults can function optimally on just five hours. NSF says adults need at least seven hours per night.

While sleep patterns may change as we age, the amount of sleep the body needs usually does not. Older people may wake up more frequently throughout the night and end up getting less sleep during the overnight hours. However, their need for sleep is not drastically less than that of younger adults. 

I was often teased for being the party pooper who HAD to get a good night’s sleep. But it turns out my stubbornness has contributed to my excellent health. According to NSF, sleep allows the brain and body to slow down and recover, promoting better physical and mental performance the next day and over the long term. 

What happens when you don’t sleep is that these processes are short circuited, affecting thinking, concentration, energy levels, and mood. Yet more than one-third of US adults sleep less than seven hours per night on average. This may be why almost half say they are tired during the day. 

Sleep science has developed significantly in the past 20 years, providing more insights into the importance of sleep. Chronic insufficient sleep and untreated sleep disorders are linked to increased health and safety risks such as cardiovascular disease, compromised immune function, diabetes, obesity, workplace accidents, and motor vehicle crashes. 

Sleep duration is important, but sleep quality is also important. Fragmented sleep marked by numerous awakenings can interfere with the ability to properly move through the sleep cycle, decreasing time spent in the most restorative stages of sleep—a time when cells and organs are rejuvenated. 

Some friends turn to naps to make up for a bad night. While naps may increase performance and better your mood, if you struggle with frequent insomnia, they may worsen the problem. The Mayo Clinic suggests taking 10- to 20-minute naps before 3:00 p.m. if you must. Having a routine time to nap seems to help.

The past few years I began waking up and was not able to go back to sleep. I’d just toss and turn and stay in bed (sometimes for hours) hoping and praying my eyelids would become heavy and I’d drift off. Sometimes I’d put on the TV. I was dealing with my middle-of-the-night insomnia all wrong.

Research has shown it’s better to get up, keep the lights low, and do something relaxing and quiet such as reading a book, until you get drowsy. Do not use any electronic devices, including a TV. It’s that blue light stimulation you want to avoid. It messes with your circadian rhythm and melatonin production. Abrupt changes in sound and loud noises also can disrupt sleep.

I surmised that part of the reason I woke up during the night was because I had cut down on my exercise. I was onto something: research has demonstrated that exercise can reduce the amount of time it takes for adults to fall asleep and decrease the amount of time spent lying awake in bed. Today’s workout will improve tonight’s sleep.

You may initially feel sleepy from having a few nightcaps, but consuming alcohol will disturb restorative sleep later in the night. Alcohol blocks REM sleep and turns on alpha brain waves which inhibit quality sleep. Avoid alcohol within three hours and caffeine within 10 hours of bedtime.

The pandemic shutdown upended routines, created more screen time, increased alcohol consumption, and dissolved boundaries between work and private life—all of which contribute to sleep problems. Even before the shutdown, between 50 and 70 million Americans suffered from a sleep disorder, usually insomnia, according to the NSF. 

The good news is solutions are abundant. It takes a bit of experimentation, determination, and consistency to easily fall asleep and enjoy a great night of uninterrupted sleep. But it’s oh, so worth it!

For more information: nationalsleepfoundation.org. ▼

Pattie Cinelli is a journalist who focuses on non-traditional ways to stay healthy, get fit, and be well. Please email her with questions or column suggestions at: fitmiss44@aol.com. 

Photo: Oriel Mizrah on unsplash.