Sleep is one of the most important things for good health
This is a biggie. Get this right and you will be one happy bunny.
Sleep actually defines who you are.
After years of experimenting, with many failures and many more sleepless nights, I truly believe I have cracked it.
I'm not saying I don’t have the occasional night of bad sleep (though I did manage to stop the bedwetting about
3 years ago),
and I’m certainly not saying what works for me will work for you, but if you attempt these methods,
I don’t think you will be far away!
That was a joke about the bedwetting by the way.
How much sleep is enough?
Depending on what website you scrutinise, the ball park figure is roughly the same: its well on the way to 2 out of 3 people
in this country have sleep issues, ranging from the odd night of bad sleep up to the more serious chronic problems.
Again, although I'm not a doctor, I would definitely stay away from medication as a fix for sleep problems. Over the years
I have observed friends and colleagues trotting off to the doctors or pharmacy in search of pills and potions to rectify
the problem, when the answer lies within your own capabilities (mind and body).
Also, as previously mentioned in previous blogs, please stay away from targets. I have also observed friends and
colleagues literally driven mad trying to get their 8 hours in each night. It’s insane. Providing you set up your sleeping
environment correctly, get enough exercise, carry out two very simple relaxation exercise and get your pre-bedtime
nutrition right, you should drift off nicely and get a good nights sleep.
This might initially seem like a lot of effort to get a some decent shuteye, but I assure you, they are all very simple to do,
and once you get into a rhythm with them, they really do become second nature. I will break each category down and
explain in more detail:
1. Sleep Environment
Never, ever underestimate how important this is.
If you got into a car and the seating wasn’t right and the rear mirror was at the wrong angle, you wouldn’t set off until
the adjustments were made.
Your sleeping environment should be no different.
The first step is a dark room, your bedroom should be like a bat cave.
This might seem blatantly obvious, however, the darker the better is the rule.
I have black out blinds on my windows and they are a godsend.
It really does make that much difference.
Now the sleep killer……….BLUE LIGHT!!
Any electrical devices, including tablets, laptops, mobile phones and yes, the TV, will expose you to blue light.
Without being too technical, exposure to blue light will disrupt your circadian rhythm, and actually activate and liven
up your mind.
ELIMINATE BLUE LIGHT FROM YOUR BEDROOM!!
Next is temperature.
Again, I keep it simple, cool room, warm duvet is my motto.
Obviously in summer the duvet goes on holiday and I'm sleeping naked most of the time, even in Cumbria where
I'm lucky enough to live.
Personally, I ignored exact temperatures, and just went with what was comfortable for me, adjusting as per the
season and current ambient temperature.
I'll regularly open the windows fully in summer and utilise a fan if I need to.
Just keep your room cool enough and that’s another important box ticked.
Lastly, we consider noise.
This is a very difficult one to control, in fact, almost impossible during the summer months when we have the
windows open for ventilation.
However, there is a very, very simple solution, and its also very inexpensive.
EAR PLUGS!!
I honestly swear by them and cant recommend their use enough.
2. Exercise
We are constantly told that exercise improves our sleep quality and length. But is this true in all cases?
For this blog post I reviewed several studies on sleep and how exercise can positively and negatively effect both how
you get to sleep and how long you sleep for.
The general consensus, and a theory I agree with, seemed to be consistent when specifically dealing with the over 50s:
- Moderate exercise was best for promoting better sleep time and quality.
- Don’t exercise too late in the day and never 3 hours prior to hitting the sack.
Remember, any exercise raises your body temperature, and doing this too late in the day will almost certainly impact
sleep onset.
If you must exercise in the evening close to bedtime, try yoga (I'm not a fan) or stretching exercises.
3. Relaxation Exercises
Personally, this is crucial, and has become a vital part of my pre-sleep routine.
It’s not difficult, takes literally just over 5 mins and makes a huge difference to my sleep onset, quality and length.
These exercises lower one’s heart rate and blood pressure, slow and deepen breathing, and create an increased sense
of well-being.
Research has shown that these changes help us fall asleep, demonstrating that relaxation techniques can help reduce
the symptoms of poor sleep onset.
Stage 1: THE BODY SCAN
I like the phrase “Body Scan”. It literally really is that.
9 Easy steps to “Body Scan”
- A cool, dark room – NO BLUE LIGHT.
- Lay on your back, legs slightly apart, arms by your side parallel to your body.
- Sink into the mattress and chillax, let go and empty your mind.
- Now, focus on your body, your about to start the scan.
- Start with your feet, relaxing the muscles completely.
- When fully relaxed, slowly, work your way up the body, calves, knees, thighs, hips – you get the picture by now.
- Don’t go too fast, only moving on to the next body part when the current part your scanning is completely relaxed.
- You obviously finish with your head, (your mind), by this time, you will be in a deep state of relaxation.
- Visualise any stress and negativity leaving you through the top of your head, then bring your focus back to your body.
Your now completely chilled and totally relaxed. Time to move on to Stage 2.
This transition from Stage 1 to Stage 2 needs to be instant. As soon as the body scan is complete, immediately focus
on your breathing.
Stage 2: DEEP BREATHING
It’s a fact that we, as humans, don’t breath correctly. Research clearly shows, even when at maximum exercise output,
we still only utilise around 70% of our lung capacity.
Just imagine how low the percentage is when we are at rest? Deep breathing, done correctly, has many benefits:
- Increases calm
- Lowers blood pressure
- Massages internal organs
- Stimulates the lymphatic system (detoxifies your body)
- Relieves pain
Over the years I have tried and tested many breathing techniques i.e. 4-7-8, 3 part, Buteyko and the Papworth method
to name a few.
I hope you realise by now, I like to keep things simple, and personally, the last thing I needed following my deep
relaxation through Stage 1 was to start counting and keeping track of how many breaths and how long I was holding them.
So, keep it simple stupid. This is the method I use:
5 Easy Steps to DEEP BREATHING
- Your relaxed, stay laying flat on the bed, however, move one hand to rest on your abdomen (I will explain shortly), while the
- other hand rests on your chest.
- Take a deep breath in, through your nose, making sure it is a full, deep breath, attempting to utilise as much of your lung
- capacity as possible. Don’t rush or force anything, just relax and try to take a
FULL DEEP BREATH!
- While breathing deeply in, you must utilise both your chest AND abdomen, hence one hand on your stomach, the other on
- your chest.
- First you fill the chest, then the abdomen: a FULL DEEP BREATH!
- Try and visualise the WHOLE of your lungs being filled with oxygen: don’t force anything, but still attempt, calmly and smoothly,
- to fill your lungs completely.
- Then exhale, but through your mouth. This allows a more controlled exhalation and it should take you slightly longer to breath
- out than it takes to breath in. Nice and easy, and don’t force anything.
I personally don’t count, or have a time limit for the deep breathing stage.
However, I think this is due to me being quite experienced with this now and just feel comfortable that I know when I have
done enough.
My tip, as a beginner, if you want to count, aim for around 30 breaths.
That will certainly be enough.
There is also a very good reason for breathing in through the nose.
During nasal breathing, your nose releases nitric oxide (NO). NO is a vasodilator, which means it helps to widen blood vessels.
This can help improve oxygen circulation in your body.
RELAXTION EXERCISES COMPLETE.
It really is as simple as that.
Personally I find these exercises deeply relaxing and very powerful.
Being honest, the first few times I practised this, it felt weird and very strange, almost like a sort of out of body
experience………..but very nice!
I have passed this information onto friends and colleagues, with some very significant results.
People have fed back to me that they have never felt so relaxed and it takes them to a place they had never been before.
I really did find it that powerful too and I cant see a day when I stop using it to relax before sleep.
I also utilise it if I waken too early. It helps me get back to sleep in no time.
To summarise then:
- Breath in through your nose
- Take a FULL DEEP BREATH
- Don’t force anything
- Breath out through your mouth, but slightly slower and longer than your breath in
I guarantee, on completion, these exercises will have you feeling incredibly relaxed and chilled out.
Once complete, just stay relaxed and enjoy how your body and mind feels, take it all in and drift away.
Sweet Dreams!
4. Pre-bedtime Nutrition
This is another subject which should not be underrated. What you consume prior to going to bed will affect your
sleep onset, quality and length. Now for a little chemistry/biology (sorry).
There are 4 key hormones at play, each one affecting how good or badly you sleep. Lets deal with them first, then go
to nutrition.
Cortisol:
Cortisol is a stress hormone the adrenal glands release.
Short term, it can be helpful when your in danger (you’ve heard of the fight or flight response).
However, if cortisol is high, and remains high, it can have serious adverse effects to your health and wellbeing.
The two biggest factors being chronic ill health and difficulty sleeping.
High cortisol levels can be caused by many different things, but, you can control this through various methods, one of
them being, get enough good sleep.
Other factors affecting your cortisol levels:
- Diet
- Your personal relationships
- How happy you are
- How stressed you are
- Breathing correctly
- Exercise
As you can see, there isn’t one thing on the list above which you cannot control and improve, so there is honestly no excuse.
Foods which are awesome at lowering cortisol include: Dark chocolate, Green Tea, Omega 3.
Tryptophan:
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that serves several important purposes, and vitally, it produces niacin, which is
essential in creating the neurotransmitter serotonin (we will deal with that next).
Foods high in tryptophan include: chicken, eggs, turkey, pumpkin seeds, fish, milk. NOTE: you don’t need to guzzle all
these foods prior to going to bed.
The key is to maintain a healthy diet with enough foods containing tryptophan and your body will store and utilise it as
necessary.
Serotonin:
The happy hormone.
Serotonin plays several roles in your body, including influencing learning, memory, happiness as well as regulating body
temperature, sleep, sexual behaviour and hunger.
Lack of enough serotonin is thought to play a role in depression and anxiety.
Serotonin is the precursor to melatonin (we will deal with that next)—it gets converted to melatonin in darkness.
Guess what? The same foods for tryptophan will also increase serotonin.
Other things you can do to help is getting enough exercise and lowering your stress levels.
Melatonin:
The sleep hormone.
It facilitates a transition to sleep and promotes consistent, quality rest.
Darkness prompts the pineal gland to start producing melatonin while light causes that production to stop.
Your brain starts releasing this chemical a few hours before you go to bed, signalling to your body that it’s time to
wind down.
The blue light emanating from your electronic devices inhibits the production of melatonin, confusing your body as to
when it should be asleep or awake.
Good food groups for promoting melatonin include: fatty fish, nuts, eggs, milk.
Nutrition:
So, without further delay, here is my pre-bedtime nutritional regime, and why:
- I try not to eat any closer than 3 hours before bedtime
- Within this 3 hour time slot, between eating my last meal of the day and actually going to bed, I will have the following
warm drink:
- Warm water (in a large mug)
- Green Tea Bag
- Finely grated ginger (slices will also do fine)
- Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
- Juice from half a lemon
- Teaspoon of good quality honey.
I found this drink via trial and error, but it works for me a treat. Here’s why:
- Green tea - Contains L-Theanine, which apparently reduces stress
- Ginger - Reduces oxidative stress and boosts the immune system
- ACV - Lowers blood sugar levels and maintains your PH levels
- Lemon J - Aids in digestion and regulates blood sugar levels
- Honey - Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial agent
Then, almost immediately before bed, I take these supplements:
- Omega 3 Fish Oil
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin C
- Zinc
- Turmeric
I wash these down with a glass of tomato juice as it is high in potassium which also aids sleep onset and quality.
The above supplement concoction is an attempt to cover all the bases i.e. blood sugar levels, digestion, brain
health and reducing oxidative stress and the release regulation of melatonin.
Oh, I nearly forgot, my favourite night time treat is Dark Chocolate (minimum 75% cocoa). Its absolutely packed
with magnesium, copper, flavonoids and antioxidants: all aid a good nights sleep.
SWEET DREAMS!!
I nearly forgot. There is an added free bonus with this blog post. A book.
I wrote this book as an e-book for sale on Amazon, but I thought what the hell, I would give it away free
with this post.
I have also compiled an online sleeping masterclass course available on Udemy and Thinkific, and as im in a
very good mood today, if you drop me an e mail, ill throw in a 50% off voucher on the price.
For either the book or the voucher, or both, please e mail me at:
george44448888@gmail.com
Also, please check out my free Sleeping Masterclass Course. You will find this as a playlist on my
you tube channel. Link provided below.
