Dr. Matthew Walker, a sleep specialist, came on Diary of a CEO; that episode literally changed my perspective on self-care. I didn’t know that sleep is probably the best self-loving way one could offer to oneself.
The fun fact is that at first, I was unable to sleep because of the anxiety of not being able to fall asleep. I used to get tensed at night thinking about how I was going to fill 8 hours of sleep if I couldn’t fall asleep right away. That phase is gone, though, but that time taught me that trying to get perfection can be the obstruction to perfection itself.
As I have said, this part is the problem phases and how you can improve your sleep schedule. The first part was sleep and science.
Read the first part here [The World of Science and Sleep]
Sleep problems we commonly face
There are numerous studies on sleep and mental, physical health. A 2017 study proved that Beta-amyloid elevation occurs even after one day of sleep deprivation, which is a major risk factor for alzheimer. But 21st century’s one of the biggest problems is sleep deprivation.
Insomnia
Inability to sleep is insomnia, as we all know. But it is more than one sleepless night, more of a regular sleepless night for a long period. Sleepio launched the Great British Sleep Survey in 2012 on the UK population. Sleep scores were taken, where women had a lower score than men on average. Women suffer from insomnia in larger numbers than men overall.
Some medical conditions, like schizophrenia, migraine, and alzheimer’s, can cause insomnia. Also, anxiety, depression, and mental health are linked with insomnia in a circle. Because of anxiety, one can’t fall asleep. Also, because of insufficient sleep, people have a higher risk of depression.
Apart from the medical conditions, insomnia depends on sleep schedule and lifestyle as well. Rapid changes in sleeping time, alcohol consumption, and caffeine disrupt circadian rhythm.
Cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and alzheimer are the consequences of long-term insufficient sleep. A report says that sleep-deprived workers tend to fall in accidents 70% more often in workplaces. Deteriorating performance in maintaining friends, family, and relationships, constant low mood, overthinking, cycle of negative thoughts are proven problems.
Doctors say that cognitive behavioural therapy works better than sleep medications in treating insomnia. Also, consistency of sleep schedule, digital detox, moderate exercises, and limited consumption of caffeine and alcohol can help with treatment.
Oversleeping
Oversleeping and insomnia are two types of symptoms in depression and other mental health problems. But the rate of oversleeping is relatively lower, approximately 15-40% of depressed people. Also, a common scenario is that we just brush off oversleeping as laziness, just like procrastination.
Oversleeping is sometimes an escapism for people with depression. It is the symptom of many causes; finding the underlying cause is the first step to treating the oversleeping problem.
Breaking the cycle of irregular sleep schedule, moderate exercise, and meditation can break the napping chain.
Hypersomnia and Narcolepsy
Both are misdiagnosed as a result of insomnia in most cases. Hypersomnia is a condition where one doesn’t feel refreshed even after enough sleep. Daytime sleepiness, more like sleep drunkenness, irritation, lack of concentration, and brain fog are the most common symptoms in this case.
However, Narcolepsy is more chronic in the sense that in this disorder brain can’t properly figure out the sleep-wake cycle. Chronic symptoms like cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations can be seen in this condition.
Both are different than insomnia and can’t be properly treated without expert diagnosis.
Problems we face while sleeping
Failing to fall asleep and sleeping all day long are one types, but one can face problems while sleeping as well. Some of them are easily explained for you-
Snoring
Most common among all other sleep problems. More problematic for the person living beside than the snoring one. Body size and shape can be factors for snoring, mostly common among men. There are treatments to clear the breathing passage and relax muscle tone.
Sleep Apnea
Irregular breathing during sleep in a serious amount is called sleep apnea. Loud snoring, choking, and oxygen deprivation can happen in this disorder. As a result, one wakes up with a headache, brain fog, concentration difficulties, and high blood pressure.
Obesity, age, gender, alcohol consumption, smoking, history, etc, are trigger factors in sleep apnea. Men suffer from sleep apnea more than women. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to health risks like heart disease, stroke, dementia, depression, and being overweight.
Nightmares, Night terrors
Bad experiences can often haunt us in sleep through dreams that we label as nightmares. In REM sleep, vivid dreams can make one feel like a real haunting experience. Post-traumatic stress Disorder is one of the main reasons behind such sleep disorders. In extreme cases, sleep paralysis can happen, meaning one wakes up suddenly and is unable to differentiate between the dream and reality, making the muscles completely freeze for a moment.
Night terrors are disturbing because the sufferers feel intense fear in non-REM sleep stages but can’t remember the reason the next day. But this is common among children.
Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking is a sleep disorder that mostly happens during the non-REM stage. Movement, talking, and even performing tasks are symptoms of sleepwalking. Maintaining sleep hygiene and obviously reassured about the safety measures can help.
Sleep hygiene
Sleep hygiene is a set of steps that we can take to boost the quality of sleep, apart from medical help. Let me remind you that it’s not enough to treat sleep disorders; you must seek help from experts. But as a part of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, sleep hygiene has proven effectiveness.
Prepare before bedtime
Let your melatonin the chance to do its work. Blue light restrictions before 1-2 hours of going to bed can help melatonin release.
Meditations, deep breathing, and journaling are relaxation techniques to prepare you for a good night’s sleep.
Before bedtime means the way you are maintaining your day routine affects your sleep. Let’s talk about those first:
The better eating habits, the better sleep
The rule of thumb is not too much, not too little food before going to bed. You can’t fall asleep with an empty stomach, but you can’t sleep with an overfilled stomach as well. Have some light snacks before sleeping.
Let your body move
To get rest, your body would need the feel of getting rest, right? Move your body daily through activities. Walking, jumping, and climbing stairs are moderate; add any exercise form to your daily routine.
When the body keeps working, the necessity to rest becomes higher, and the result is better sleep.
Timing is always the key
Sleep schedule matters the most in sleep hygiene. Except in cases like sleep apnea, insomnia, or delayed sleep phase disorder, you should be able to create your sleep window successfully after a maximum of 2 weeks of consistency.
You have to sleep at this time or that time, that’s not quite the ideal picture. Find your sleep time with a target of 7-9 hours of sleep. Maintain a bedtime regularly, don’t go to sleep at a different time every day. That disrupts the circadian rhythm.
A perfect environment is cool, dark, and calm
Temperature cool, dark room and a calm environment are ideal for falling asleep faster. After sundown, reduce the blue lights. Use earplugs or white noise machines if necessary to block noises. Use blackout curtains and sleep masks to make sure your eyes are in the dark.
Set limits on consumption
Consumption of food, alcohol, caffeine, digital content, etc., affects sleep quality heavily. Caffeine’s effect lasts up to 5-6 hours. Consume according to that timing. Alcohol and heavy food disrupt sleep, which are common, but digital consumption is a greater concern now. Mindless scrolling, consuming countless content all at once, and the blue lights from the devices ruin a better quality of sleep.
Psychological approaches for better sleep
As I have first mentioned, the problems I faced while fixing my sleep schedule, psychological approaches work better than medications in some cases.
Let me give you the same example,
Target: Falling asleep at 12:30 am and completing 8 hours of sleep
Thought: I have to fall asleep right now. It’s already past 12:30. How will I complete the 8 hours
Emotions: Today is a waste. Tomorrow I’ll just feel drained again.
Result: Longer time to fall asleep than usual
Here, the tension built up due to the pressure of falling asleep has successfully disrupted the process, which I have faced a lot.
A more correct psychological approach would be,
The target is still the same.
Thoughts: I will fall asleep after a while. Let me go wash my face and come to bed again.
Result: Falling asleep without stress.
Related blog,
Declutter your mind, not only your space. – Mental minimalism
Trataka: A candle gazing technique to calm your mind.
Charlotte Brontë wrote, “A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.” A simple approach can improve your quality of sleep several times better. Negative emotions often spiral in the mind. It’s necessary to flush it out of your system to get better sleep. That’s when meditations and other psychological approaches come into play.
Sleep and rest are a form of self-love. Shower yourself with love and have a healthier life than before.
“The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life.”
— Matthew Walker
As life is already short, let’s not make it shorter.
