Issue #34: Getting Proper Sleep
Learn how to ensure you get a good night's rest with information about sleeping habits
Dear mental health advocate,
Here’s another free edition of The Present Psychologist Paper! In today’s edition I will look at what it means to get a good night’s sleep. I know many of you struggle with insomnia and other problems impacting how much rest you get on average. So, I thought I would share again some habits that will help with getting proper sleep!
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Proper Sleep: How Good Habits Can Help
The weird thing about sleep is that everyone does it, everyone needs it, but I feel that people don’t really talk about the importance enough when it comes to keeping a sane mind. Proper sleep is essential to protect your physical and mental health. But, statistics by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that around 1 in 3 US adults sleep less than the recommended 7-9 hours a night. There are also between 50-70 million people in the US dealing with a sleep disorder.
If you consequently do not get the right amount of sleep each 24-hour cycle, you are at risk for developing certain diseases faster like type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and mental health disorders such as depression. So, hopefully this stresses the importance of ensuring enough sleep. Not every sleep disorders is fixed easily, but there are definitely some tips and habits you can incorporate in your daily sleep routine to improve.
Which habits impact sleep negatively?
Although everyone has their own circadian rhythm due to individual differences and genetic predisposition, there are some habits that in general impact sleep negatively. Below is a list of these habits that can hinder a proper sleep:
Checking your phone in bed before you go to sleep. The lights from the screen tell your brain that they should be awake while instead sleep-inducing hormones should be triggered when you are in bed.
An irregular sleeping schedule. Not keeping the same sleeping schedule and going to bed at different times influences our circadian rhythm negatively, as it makes it harder for our body to realize when it should be tired or not.
Alcohol/caffeine/food right before bed. Alcohol prevents you to go into a deep sleep, caffeine makes it more difficult to fall asleep and food is harder to digest when lying down. Then your body needs to work harder, ultimately preventing a good sleep.
Exercising intensely right before bed. If you do an intense workout, your body releases endorphins, raises body temperature and potentially increases cortisol. This will not improve your chances of sleeping easily, as your body and brain are ‘too awake’ because of exercising.
Which habits impact sleep positively then?
There are plenty of things you can do to try and make it easier to sleep the right amount of hours and also to sleep deeply enough. Find below some more general tips and habits on how to feel fresh and stay healthier because of a good night’s rest:
Ensuring enough exercise during the day or not later than 2 hours before going to bed.
Reading a book in bed, it reduces stress and avoids overthinking your troubles.
Keeping a consistent sleeping schedule by trying to go to bed and wake up at set times.
Drinking chamomile or tea with valerian regularly helps to fall asleep more easily.
Having a quiet, dark bedroom with the right room temperature. Research shows between 60 and 67° F (15.5 and 19 °C) is the best option.
A nap is fine, but try to keep naps during daytime below 30 minutes, otherwise it could interfere with your rhythm.
A healthy diet not involving too much refined sugars, alcohol or caffeine (especially right before bed).
Try a few of these out to see if your sleep improves! If it doesn’t, a sleep specialist or clinic can help with sleep disorders or provide other relevant advice. I noticed myself that my productivity and emotional health really improved after focusing on some proper sleeping habits.
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My name is Alf Lokkertsen and I am a psychologist and writer, creating mental health content for you. My passion is to raise awareness about topics related to psychology, as it has helped me greatly in my personal life. I strongly believe that many problems could be avoided or dealt with better if everyone had some in-depth psychology knowledge.
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Sleep is the magic elixir of life. It helps absolutely everything go better! And nice to find fellow psychologists here on Substack 😊