A GUIDE TO DEEP SLEEP
Sleep is absolutely essential to our physical and mental health. It is the only time when our body’s energy can be reassigned from daily activities to other internal key functions such as growth, repair, healing, and optimal brain performance. As we sleep, our brains generate new pathways that help us retain memory and learn new information, our hormones regulate, growth hormone is released, and our immune system is strengthened.
Sleep quality affects everything from blood sugar levels and weight to hormonal balance, mood, and immunity. If you find yourself waking up tired and reaching for stimulants throughout the day to keep you going (such as caffeine, sugar, etc.), there is a good chance you are not getting enough deep, restorative sleep. Here are some tools to help you achieve more restful sleep.
Enhancing Sleep Quality
Morning sunlight
Adequate and early sun exposure helps set the rhythm of the body’s circadian rhythms. Just 15-20 minutes each day of direct sunlight in the morning helps to support and regulate melatonin production. Melatonin is a hormone primarily released by the pineal gland that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.
Enjoy time in nature
Time spent in nature is helpful for regulating the nervous system and resetting circadian rhythms. Time in nature helps to calm the body and mind promoting a good night’s sleep.
Regulate blood sugar
Blood sugar balance and proper sleep have a cyclical effect in the body - sleep can affect your blood glucose levels and your blood glucose management can affect how well you sleep. The less you sleep, the higher your blood sugar levels rise as your body squeezes from whatever it can to provide you with energy for the day. The higher your blood sugar, the more difficulty your body will have utilizing insulin to metabolize the extra glucose, and that stress will impact your ability to achieve restful sleep.
Stick to regular, balanced meals at regular meal times each day and choose options with a low-glycemic load containing lots of produce, protein, healthy fats, and fiber. Eating a balance of protein and fiber at each meal + snack will help to regulate blood sugar imbalances.
Reduce or reschedule your intake of caffeine
Caffeine is metabolized differently depending on your genes, body composition, liver functioning, and the overall state of your health. As a general rule, try to stop consuming after 1 pm to prevent trouble sleeping.
Reach for alternatives like herbal tea (holy basil is a great option!), Dandy Blend, or energizing mushroom elixirs.
Exercise during the day
While exercising in the day has been shown to increase sleep quality, exercising in the evening has the opposite effect due to the energizing hormones released during physical activity. Try to avoid exercise within about 4 hours of your desired bedtime. During the day, aim for more aerobic or resistance-style exercises, which help to balance hormones and the circadian rhythm. At night, enjoy a walk, yin yoga, or deep breathing exercises to promote relaxation.
Regulate stress
Meditation is a great way to relax and unwind. Before going to bed, allow yourself time to de-stress, unwind, and get anything off your mind. Try journaling, free-writing, meditating, deep breathing, listening to binaural beats, or stretching to unwind. Yoga nidra meditations are also incredibly supportive for restoring the nervous system & supporting sleep cycles.
Implement a consistent sleep-wake cycle
The body loves routine. By going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day, our bodies know exactly when to start going into sleep mode. This allows for proper hormones to be secreted to ensure we reach deep sleep. Similarly, when we wake up at the same time every day, we teach our bodies to start the day out with the correct balance of hormones to leave us feeling fatigue-free - lessening the craving for stimulants to help us get through the day.
Create a sleep routine to get your body into the habit of preparing for sleep each night and aim to be in bed around 9-10 pm. Our deepest sleep occurs between 10 pm and 2 am and it is crucial to get in those quality hours. Ayurvedic principles consider the time between 10 pm and 2 am as “Pitta time” - the time when the liver detoxes, regenerates, and rebuilds. After 12 am, our bodies do not enter this necessary stage in time so sleep becomes more “restless,” and our liver does not receive the attention it needs to properly reset and restore.
Try to eat your last meal 3-4 hours before bedtime
Eating at any time of day spikes insulin, and insulin inhibits growth hormone and can also disrupt cortisol patterns. Eating right before bed signals the body to prioritize digesting food instead of sinking into a deep sleep, setting you up for sleep that is likely to be light and disturbed. This also triggers unnatural fluctuations in cortisol from spiking insulin. This then leads to disruptions in your circadian rhythm.
Additionally, if you are prone to acid reflux, you are more likely to suffer attacks at bedtime or during the night if you eat before bed. This is because your stomach is reclined, which is not the optimal position to prevent the “up-splash” of food and hydrochloric acid from entering the esophagus. Enjoy your last meal of the day at least 3 hours before bed to provide your digestive tract enough time to do its job.
Avoid fatty, heavy, and spicy foods before bed
Fatty foods, spicy foods, and heavy foods may be activating to the mind and take a lot of work for your stomach to break down. These foods may also cause heartburn and digestive upsets, which worsen when you are lying down and greatly disturb sleep quality. Instead, for your last meal of the day, choose light foods that are easier to digest, and consider foods that are not processed or packaged. Simple, balanced meals with plenty of fiber and protein are wonderful options - think, fish and vegetables, lentils or legumes + vegetables and rice or chicken vegetable soup.
Optimize your sleeping environment
Ensuring your room is as dark as possible is helpful in allowing your body to produce melatonin - a critical hormone for restful sleep. Use an eye mask, blackout blinds on your windows, and remove any electronics from your room at night that give off ambient or neon lights. Also, consider using a white noise machine - a floor fan works as well - to filter out ambient sounds.
Ditch the electronics - limit screen time before bed
As we get more involved in technology, it is harder to just shut it off. But the screens on our devices emanate blue light, which our body has a hard time processing, especially at night. Exposure to this light has been found to suppress the body’s ability to create melatonin, while also causing eye strain. If you are a late-night scroller, consider giving yourself 1-2 hours of no-screen time, at minimum, before going to bed.
Try: Turning on night mode on your electronics once the sun goes down and try to avoid using electronics altogether 1-2 hours before bed. Free apps like f.lux and Night Shift can filter the blue light from your smartphone or computer/tablet screens. However, aside from the blue light interfering with sleep, simply being on your mobile or electronic device before bed over-stimulates the activity centers in the brain which, in itself, is disruptive to your ability to settle for sleep. If you find that your mind is racing at bedtime, this may be one of the culprits keeping you in that restless state of mind.
Helpful Herbs
Lemon Balm - A mild nervine relaxant that helps with acute anxiety & tension. It is also ideal for mild insomnia or relaxing in the evening. Try sipping a cup of lemon balm tea throughout the day or in the evening in tincture form before bed.
Passionflower - Has analgesic and subtle tranquilizing properties that allow the body to relax and fall into a deep sleep. Passionflower is also an amazing herb to consider for overthinking, especially at night, as the medicinal properties of this herb allow the mind to be calm and tranquil when thoughts are overwhelming.
Best consumed in tincture form before bed for occasional sleeplessness. Passionflower can also be made into a tea or infusion. Its gentle sedative effects are best felt when taken on an empty stomach.
Valerian - A more powerful sedative that is useful for acute anxiety. It has powerful relaxant and sedative actions which help induce sleep.
Best taken in tincture form before bed.
Skullcap - A nervine tonic for long-term strengthening of the nervous system with relaxation properties. It is very useful in nerve irritability, hyper-brain activity (i.e. “tired-but-wired”) and has sedative qualities as well. It can be taken as a tea (either alone or in a combination) or in tincture form.
Supportive Supplements
Magnesium is an important mineral for countless functions in the body, from smooth muscle regulation, detoxification, body health, and even relaxation.
Taking 200-400 mg of magnesium can help calm the body for sleep. Magnesium citrate is often the most helpful for those with sleep issues & constipation Magnesium Glycinate is best for those with sensitive stomachs & pregnant women.
L-Theanine increases alpha-wave activity in the brain, mimicking the brain wave state achieved during deep sleep phases. Because of this, L-theanine increases the production of dopamine, serotonin, and GABA, which all promote sleep and elevate mood. Try in capsule form - up to 600mg per day - 200 at bedtime combined with magnesium works wonderfully. L-theanine in lower doses is also helpful for daytime anxiety, try 1-200 mg.
GABA (gamma butyric acid) is a naturally occurring chemical compound produced in the brain that helps to calm the excitability of neurons. People who have chronic sleep problems typically have GABA levels that are 30% below normal, as do people with mood disorders, like depression, which is tied to insomnia as well. Try in chewable form, 200 mg twice daily.