Reset Your Internal Clock & Sleep!

Despite the research and lived experience showing the importance of good sleep, many of us go years or decades without enough of it.  Part of this comes down to life circumstances sometimes.  Focusing on immediate returns while making long-term tradeoffs is something “we’ll worry about later.” Even if we want to dial in sleep and reset our rhythms, modern day technologies and habits are stacked against us. 

Blue Light, Bad Light

Blue light is the most powerful one and can wreak havoc on sleep.  Other information (like temperature, food availability, and social cues) also plays a part and gives our bodies more variables to work with, but blue light is a non-negotiable. Limiting blue light exposure after dark is an essential step in syncing with nature and getting good sleep.  That might mean reading a book by candlelight or closing down screens and phones a few hours before bed.

The Truth About Late Night Snacking

Eating late at night can blunt melatonin secretion and shift circadian rhythms. If you’re having a tough time sleeping, consider eating your last meal earlier in the day.

You will also want to look at blood sugar balance—a common culprit of 3am wakeups. Specifically, high carbohydrate intake (and resulting blood sugar dysregulation) has been shown to increase the number of times a person wakes at night and reduce the amount of deep sleep. If you’re used to using carbs as fuel and eating every few hours, blood sugar can drop during the night because your body isn’t getting the constant glucose drip it’s receiving all day. Drinking alcohol has a similar effect. 

Caffeine and Alcohol Cut off Times

When it comes to supporting deep sleep and regulating sleep cycles, one of the worst things you can do is drink alcohol or caffeine.  Consider cut-off times: no later than noon for caffeine and several hours before bed for alcohol (or not at all).

The Time You Workout Matters

Exercise delays onset of circadian melatonin rhythms in humans. If you work out at night and have trouble falling asleep, exercising earlier might be helpful. Experiment with times and see what works best for you.

Sleep Hygiene

The environment where you sleep matters. Temperature cycles often correspond with light and dark cycles, lighter represents warmer and darker represents cooler. The same goes for our bodies.  Our body temperature rises at night, so keep your room cool to prevent overheating. Your room should be as dark as possible. If you have trouble getting your room dark, you can use a sleep mask. If you tend to sleep hot, fans can help regulate your temperature, and there are even cooling blankets you can sleep with. 

Conclusion

In today’s modern world, it can be easy to get off track with your sleep. Thankfully, there are many easy things that you can do to help get your sleep back on track. If you tried these things and are still struggling to sleep, there might be something else going on. If you think that’s the case, let’s chat.