Sleep

‘Sleep hygiene’ is the term for the effect that our lifestyle has on our ability to sleep. Our daily habits, environmental cues and nervous system patterns have an effect on our body’s transition into ‘rest mode’. It’s understood, in both modern science and in Chinese Medicine that our body has an internal 24-hour biological clock.

This biological clock has its own genes and hormones, and is influenced by light exposure (both the sun and artificial light), movement and exercise, food timing, stress and our daily routine. The body sleeps best when it feels safe, well fed, emotionally calm, unhurried and in sync with the natural cycle, our Circadian Rhythm.

Chinese Medicine has beautiful analogies that describe normal body functioning. Night is Yin and Day is Yang. In the dark of the evening, Sleep, the ultimate Yin activity, occurs when the Shen (Spirit/Consciousness/Mind) settles and returns to the heart to allow for rest, detox, rejuvenation and restoration.

The sleep-wake cycle relies on the hormones Melatonin and Cortisol. Melatonin, the sleep hormone, is produced by the Pineal Gland in the brain. The Pineal Gland is strongly influenced by light entering our eyes. When light becomes lower in the evenings, more Melatonin is produced, bringing with it the desire to sleep. Cortisol, sometimes referred to as a ‘stress hormone’, is produced in the Adrenals. The natural peak of Cortisol is in the early hours of the morning, waking us up and helping us to feel refreshed. Stress and unstable blood sugar may cause disruption to this rhythm, causing us to have difficulty falling asleep or wake early.

The following are some tips to stabilise your natural Circadian Rhythm:

• Sleep and wake at a similar time each day (yes, even the weekends)

  This helps to make the most of the natural sleep-wake hormonal cycle. Cycles rely on rhythm and consistency.

  In Chinese Medicine we would go one step further - be in bed before 10, asleep before 10:30 to allow for 8 hours of sleep. The hours before midnight are believed to be the most restful and restorative in Chinese Medicine. This aligns with scientific findings that deep sleep is most likely to occur in the first half of the night.

  If insomnia is preventing you from falling asleep, try waking at the same time each day, and avoiding sleep ins, even if you are feeling tired. Sticking to this for a couple of weeks should help to reset your rhythm.

• Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet

  Your core body temperature naturally lowers to initiate sleep, so keeping the room cool may help. Having a shower or bath before bed will bring body heat to the extremities allowing the core to cool.

  If your bedroom isn’t completely dark or completely quiet, a sleep mask and ear plugs may help.

• Keep the light levels low in the evening

  Dim the lights or opt for lamps, with warm light (yellow toned) bulbs.

  Set mobile phones to night mode, and have a break from prolonged phone use before bed.

  If you wake in the night, avoid picking up your phone as the light may prevent you from going back to sleep.

• Eat your evening meal early

  A full stomach, or Indigestion (bloating, reflux, nausea, heartburn, feeling full, stomach pain) can cause insomnia. Eating at least 3 hours before bed ensures that your stomach has emptied before you lie down.

• Stabilise blood sugar in the evening

  Spikes in blood sugar in the late evening can lead to a sugar crash in the early hours of the morning. To increase blood sugar, the Adrenals produce Cortisol and Adrenaline to bring the blood sugar up. The side effect of Cortisol and Adrenaline peaking at this time may be waking early.

  Referred to as ‘Liver time’ in Chinese Medicine, the time between 1am and 3am can be a danger period for insomnia. If you’re waking at this time, habits that support your liver, like eating plenty of dark green leafy vegetables, avoiding high sugar and alcohol will help.

  Eating protein, wholegrains and vegetables at the evening meal and avoiding high sugar foods and alcohol in the evenings might help prevent this early morning waking.

• Support the nervous system during the day

  Nervous system balance is crucial to support the hormones for sleep. Have a look at the post on regulating the Nervous System here

• Reduce stimulants

  Commonly used stimulants include caffeine (coffee, tea, green tea, Yerba mate, energy drinks), nicotine (smoking, vaping), ADHD medications and other medications.

  Alcohol acts as a stimulant initially, making us feel good, but preventing restful sleep. (Later on Alcohol acts more as a nervous system depressant)

• Get morning light into your eyes to wake your pineal gland

  Morning light helps by down-regulating production of Melatonin and stimulating Seratonin and Cortisol production. This wakes us up and helps to stabilise our mood.

  Some take this one step further, by exposing their eyes to afternoon light, which is a warmer colour, and may trigger the beginning of melatonin production.

• Move your body, at the right time

  Exercise is really important for overall health, but timing of that exercise can impact our sleep. Vigorous exercise should be avoided in the evenings, as it may prevent sleep.

  Doing some Tai Chi, Qi Gong, gentle stretching or Yoga can be a great way of winding down before sleep.

• If your mind races at night, try this

  Wakefulness can be very stressful, and it’s hard to not catastophise if you're awake when you need rest for important things the next day.

  As you might already be aware, I’m a big advocate for including Mindfulness and/or Meditation into the day. Learning how to recognise stress in our body, and foster positive changes in our Nervous System function can be a game changer for overall health and wellness.

  When you climb into bed, or you are awake during the night, try one of the following:

  • Try Journalling or writing a to-do list to get the thoughts down on paper before you settle down to sleep.

  • Slowly scan the body from head to toe. Noticing areas of tension and areas of ease, without judgement.

  • Begin to focus on your breath - how it feels entering your body, and leaving your body. Is the breath short or long, shallow or deep? If it feels comfortable to you, breathe really gently and begin to lengthen the exhale eg inhale to the count of 4, exhale to the count of 6.

  • Thoughts will come and go. When they come, observe them and label them ‘Thought’ and let them pass without problem solving. If the thought is something important, quickly jot it down.

  • If you feel yourself getting tense or frustrated, briefly get out of bed, avoiding bright lights to break the cycle. When you come back to bed, try one of the above.

  Creating a consistent but simple pre-bed routine might help your body to be settled and ready for deep, restful, restorative sleep.

  Ceda