Secrets of Sleep QUALITY & Improving Your Sleep Cycle

When it comes to optimizing your health, improving your mood, maximizing results or having more energy throughout the day, SLEEP is a KEY component that is often overlooked. Not only is it how MUCH you sleep that matters, but also how WELL you sleep. Generally speaking, sleep is decreasing at a rapid pace, resulting in substandard health, coupled with poor habits and severe consequences. With this comes the tendency to disregard the QUALITY of our sleep as the central issue, and instead, place BLAME on more measurable factors such as the QUANTITY of sleep. Poor sleep quality leaves us depleted, lowers our productivity and energy, while at the same time increasing our risk of developing diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Many people today suffer from bouts of insomnia or restlessness, and therefore, rely on supplements to get to sleep. Now more than ever, there is an increasing availability of sleep medications, such as melatonin, and their strength and selection is expanding. Not only can this reliance on sleep supplements become a major health concern, but we, as a society, have accepted and normalized it, when it is FAR from normal. Additionally, the National Institutes of Health found that melatonin was one of the most commonly used supplements among adults and CHILDREN, when in fact, the FDA has neither approved NOR evaluated its SAFETY and effects on children.

Melatonin, is a neurohormone that, in normal circumstances, is produced by the pineal gland in the brain and then released into the bloodstream. It is commonly referred to as our “sleep hormone” and it is a central part to our body’s natural wake-sleep cycles. Our body actually begins the process of synthesizing melatonin from the minute we wake up, building as the day goes on and increasing with darkness. Melatonin produced WITHIN the body is known as endogenous melatonin, whereas melatonin created EXTERNALLY is called exogenous melatonin. Exogenous melatonin is typically made synthetically, in a lab, and can be found in the form of a pill, capsule, chewable, or liquid. In the U.S., it is sold as an over-the-counter dietary supplement, while in most European countries and Australia it is a prescription drug, approved for the use of older ADULTS with sleep disorders.

Melatonin CAN be a safe and effective sleep aid in certain situations, helping you fall asleep and stay asleep, however, it is not for everyone. Its use is intended for the SHORT-TERM and should be seen as a TOOL for RESTORING your body’s wake-sleep cycle, NOT as a replacement. There are relatively few side effects of melatonin and it is widely-tolerated by those who use it, but the reported symptoms generally include daytime drowsiness, dizziness, headache, nausea or agitation. Furthermore, melatonin can cause reactions and interact with other medications in an adverse way, therefore, it is best to consult with a doctor before taking it. Long-term use, some medical practitioners suggest, may reduce or impair the body’s NATURAL ability to produce melatonin, which can be a more serious cause for concern.

The body's natural production of melatonin REGULATES our circadian rhythm, the body’s 24-hour internal clock, and SYNCHRONIZES our sleep cycle with night and day. In doing so, endogenous melatonin can successfully facilitate the transition to sleep, promoting CONSISTENT, QUALITY rest. When our circadian rhythm is thrown off, however, our body is unable to carry out essential functions and processes. Multiple different systems within the body follow and adhere to these circadian rhythms, which are linked to a master clock in the brain. This master clock is DIRECTLY influenced by environmental cues, especially sources of LIGHT, which explains why these rhythms are tied so closely to the cycle of day and night. When in alignment, a circadian rhythm can stimulate restorative sleep, but when it becomes skewed, it can create significant sleep problems, long-term sleep disorders, or even lead to diverse physical and mental health issues.

To TRULY repair your sleep hygeine and TUNE IN to your body’s natural signals, you must focus on developing and IMPLEMENTING a sleep routine that addresses your ENVIRONMENTAL cues. By implementing good sleep practices you can begin to foster a RELATIONSHIP with rest that ALSO allows you to learn more about yourself and your intuition as you go. There is so much activity that takes place in our brains, cycling through thoughts, emotions, ideas and the events of our day-to-day life, that it can take HOURS for the body and brain to actually slow down. We often turn to mindless activities to “wind-down” or relax, such as watching TV, using the computer, or scrolling through our phones, however, the light from theses sources actually KEEP the brain awake and the body FAILS to recognize that it is nighttime and, therefore, dark outside.

Furthermore, we as a society have come to glorify PRODUCTIVITY and BUSYNESS to the point that we no longer use weekends as a time to rest, but as a time to schedule social event after social event, leaving us even more EXHAUSTED by the time Monday rolls around. We RUSH through life at a such a fast pace, where we want to squeeze everything we can in, that we end up MISSING OUT on what actually happens. Our DEPTH of experience has been compromised and our social FOMO (fear of missing out) has taken its place. This emphasis on QUANTITY over quality in life is literally TRANSLATED into our sleep patterns, and MIRRORS how we, at large, have become more and more removed from the present and disassociated with ourselves.

By taking time to engage with self-reflection and the analysis of our current sleep hygiene (our unique habits, patterns, diet, lifestyle and activities, as well as environmental cues like bedroom, light and sound) we can begin to redirect our attention back to QUALITY, not quantity, in both our conscious, daily living and our unconscious, sleep state.

Ways you can develop enhanced sleep QUALITY:

1. Create a sleep-inducing BEDROOM (use high-performance mattress and pillows, choose quality bedding, avoid light disruption with curtains or a sleep mask, cultivate peace and quiet by keeping noises to a minimum, find an agreeable temperature, introduce pleasant aromas or diffuse essential oils).

2. Optimize your sleep SCHEDULE (set a fixed wake-up time for weekdays and weekends that you can stick to, budget time for sleep, adjust your schedule gradually if changes are needed, be cautious with timing, frequency, and duration of naps).

3. Craft a PRE-BEDTIME routine (disconnect from your devices, wind-down for at least 30 minutes, lower the lights).

4. Practice pro-sleep HABITS during the day (expose yourself to natural light sources when you wake up, find time to move your body, monitor your caffeine intake and cut yourself off before the afternoon, don’t eat too late at night, be mindful of alcohol and tobacco use, limit what activities take place in the bedroom).

Tactics to try if you have trouble FALLING asleep:

1. Relaxation techniques (controlled breathing, mindfulness meditation, prayer, gratitude journaling, soothing music, guided imagery).

2. Don’t stew in bed (get out of bed and do something relaxing in low light to avoid a making connection in the mind between your bed and frustration from sleeplessness).

3. Experiment with different sleep methods and positions (what works for one person might not work for another, be open and willing to trying different approaches before assuming one doesn’t or won’t work, remember it can take time for some methods to kick in).

4. Keep a sleep diary (keep track of how long and well you are sleeping, note different factors that may be helping or hurting your sleep, and list any changes that you are testing out).

5. Talk to a doctor (if/when sleep problems are worsening, persisting over the long-term, or affecting your health and safety, or if they occur alongside other unexplained health problems).

Start where you are, take your time, and be patient in the process. Satisfactory sleep hygiene doesn't happen overnight -- no pun intended. Focus on the small steps and gradually build from there, focusing on progress, NOT perfection. Sweet dreams!

Xx,

Leah Kutsch

P.S. Keeping IIN Touch