How Can I Get Quality Sleep?

Question: I have been challenged sleeping throughout the night for any longer than five hours. My friend said that it is bad for your health to not get enough sleep. What could happen to me?

This is a great question, and I am certain that many people are in the same position as you are. Life can get very busy and sleep is rarely on the top of our “Most Important Things to Do List.”

Our hectic schedule of running errands, attending doctors’ appointments, visiting family/ friends, or getting lost in screen time on our computer and phone seems to push sleep right down the ladder of importance. Finding time for sleep can be a real struggle. There is so much to do!

When it comes to focusing on healthy living, we tend to focus on eating nutritious food, staying hydrated and exercising regularly. Somehow, we miss one of the most essential components of a healthy lifestyle, which is proper sleep.

Proper sleep can be life changing. If you feel overwhelmed, tired and stressed, better sleep will help you feel more focused, energized and able to cope with the stressors in your life.

If you are walking or exercising regularly, your muscles need time to recover. Sleep is the perfect time for them to go into full recovery mode. This is the period when tissues heal and cells are regenerated.

Without adequate sleep, your muscle repair system is compromised. Your muscles will feel sore and fatigued and the wonderful exercise you did the day before will not give you the full benefits of your efforts.

By making sleep a priority, you will find that you will awaken refreshed and have more energy throughout the day. Your muscles will get the rest that they need to heal and grow stronger.

The most important muscle in your body is your heart. It is the most relied upon muscle and works whether you are awake or asleep. Quality sleep is essential to help support your heart. Proper sleep will minimize your risk of heart disease and stroke while lowering your blood pressure.

According to the National Institutes of Health, inadequate rest causes your cardiovascular system to work harder and will increase the stress on your heart. If you manage your weight and cholesterol levels while maintaining seven to eight hours of sleep, you will lessen the risk of hypertension, heart disease, heart attack or stroke.

Let’s talk about brain health and how that is affected. Proper sleep plays a huge role in improving your attention and memory. The National Institutes of Health report that slow-wave sleep is when your brain detoxification heavily relies on deep, non-rapid eye movement sleep.

During this deep stage, your brain cells physically shrink by about 60%, allowing cerebrospinal fluid to rush through the gaps like a dishwasher, flushing out toxic protein byproducts like beta-amyloid (which is linked to Alzheimer's disease). An average adult needs to accumulate roughly 1.5 to 2 hours of deep sleep per night to fully facilitate this cellular cleanup.

Not every hour you sleep is considered deep sleep. Deep sleep cycles happen more frequently during the first half of the night. When you go to bed late at night, you are basically skipping out on a full night's rest, which cuts short this vital cleaning process.

A good night's sleep is crucial for reinforcing memories and cognitive ability. A well-rested brain will help you to be more attentive and able to solve problems better.

Proper sleep also helps to strengthen your immune system. The immune system is your body’s front line defense against illness and infections.

When you are sleeping, your body produces proteins called cytokines that are essential in the reduction of inflammation and infections. Without these cytokines, your body’s defenses weaken and you are more apt to catch the flu, pneumonia and other infections that will sideline your plans for a while. If you are noticing that you catch every bug that is going around, you can credit that to the lack of proper sleep.

A good night’s sleep also helps you emotionally. Lack of quality sleep leads to irritability, lack of patience, mood swings and feeling emotionally drained. It increases anxiety and creates depression over time. The increase of stress hormones raises which can create mental health issues and ultimately makes it harder for you to sleep well. It is a vicious cycle.

There are many things that you can do to get a better night's sleep, many of which have been practiced for hundreds of years. The Ofuro (Hot Bath Ritual), which is my favorite, is a Japanese sleeping technique that involves taking a warm bath before bedtime.

Best results are to get out of the bath at least an hour before you are ready to sleep. The hot water raises your core temperature and when you get out of the bath and cool down, it mimics your body’s natural circadian dip. This triggers natural drowsiness and gets you ready for deep sleep.

Another technique you can try is to keep your bedroom on the cool side and use black-out curtains on your windows. Limit the amount of screen time that you use on your computer and read a book instead of watching TV. Many of us have our televisions on all night for background noise, but that is prohibiting our brains from getting the deep sleep that is necessary for a good night’s sleep.

Try to keep busy throughout the day and not nap. Keep your sleeping pattern to only nighttime. Keep a strict bedtime routine and you will find that you will be able to sleep longer and more deeply.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol before you go to bed as it will stimulate you and not relax your brain. Erase all the chores and plans that keep looping in your head and let them be a project for tomorrow. Take deep breaths and focus on relaxing muscles from your toes up to your jaw. There are lots of ways to prepare for a good night’s sleep online. You just need to find the one that works for you.

Sufficient and consistent sleep has the ability to extend your life. It benefits your muscles, heart, brain, immune system and your mental health. Making sure to get a good night’s sleep is just as important as exercise, proper nutrition and staying hydrated. It is a part of your health routine that supports your body’s natural healing process and will be beneficial in more ways than one.

Kimberly Jensen has been working with Quail Park as a Senior Resource Advocate for over ten years and has helped hundreds of families find solutions to their senior problems. If you have a question, you can send it to her at KimberlyJ@QPCypress.com or call (559) 737-7443.