Sweet Dreams: The Importance of Sleep

I've never been good at sleeping. From a baby when I had colic, to a child who would sneak flashlights to bed to keep reading after bedtime, to a teenager with 2 jobs and a zillion clubs and classes, to an adult with law school and now with my career, sleep quite frankly seemed like a waste of time. There was/is always something more to be done, never enough time to do it. Over the years I've tried a ton of different over the counter pills, even prescriptions, in an effort to turn my mind off/be able to fall asleep. Ambien had a very negative effect on me (as my former roommate can attest to--oh the stories) but last summer I asked my doctor for another sample because I was so desperate to sleep through the night. A few nights of that brought back all the negative side effects and I began to look for natural ways to fall asleep. Why? Because sleep is important. Really important. A study by the Harvard Women's Health Watch suggests the following six reasons to get enough sleep.

1. Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
2. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
3. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
4. Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
5. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

I am by no means an expert but I've found that the following things/activities have worked for me and I hope they can help you get a healthy dose of nightly Zzzzs (7-9 hours a night).


1. Make your bedroom a calm, relaxing, stress-free environment.
Your bedroom should be a retreat, free of clutter, anything to do with work, and any unnatural light that may keep you awake (TVs, cell phones, laptops, etc.). Make sure the temperature is cool, but not cold, and that you have dark enough drapes to keep the street lights from keeping you awake.I usually sleep with the ceiling fan on and burn a little votive with some essential oils that help fill the air with a pleasant scent. The votive eventually burns out and provides very little light. 

Keep your bed neat and clean, free of any clothing, projects, etc.. Wash your sheets every weekend to make the sheets clean, soft, and inviting but beware of using overpowering fabric softeners or detergents as the perfumes may keep you awake. Don't ever do work in bed. This is your safe place. The safer and more relaxed you feel in your room, the easier you will be able to fall asleep.

2. Limit your caffeine and alcohol intake after sunset.
One of our judges always says, "Nothing good happens after midnight." When it comes to caffeine and alcohol, neither of these have any health benefits, but we're all human and enjoy them from time to time. If you choose to imbibe either of these, make sure that you do it earlier in the evening rather than later. If you enjoy a cup of hot tea before bed, make sure it is caffeine-free. Both alcohol and caffeine will interfere with your ability to fall and stay soundly asleep.

3. Take a magnesium supplement with dinner.
 I read about magnesium as a sleep aid on the Whole9 forum. I don't remember the exact science behind it, but apparently most of us are magnesium deficient and taking a supplement helps to relax and bring on sleep. I've done this pretty regularly since my first Whole 30 in August. It works! I bought the lowest dose I could find at Target for about $3.50. It is worth it!






4. Eat dark cherries for dessert or sip on cherry juice before bed.

Dark cherries and 100% cherry juice are also sleep inducing. The cherries themselves are very easy to add to your dinner/dessert and can be mixed with other fruits or with nuts. Cherry juice is wonderful to sip on during the evening and is quite tart. I usually just pour some in a small wine glass for both portion control and to serve as a red wine substitute during the Whole 30. Be careful and always read labels. While at Whole Foods, I was tempted to buy the organic version of the juice picture to the left. It was $4 more for the same sized bottle and yet instead of having 100% dark cherry juice, it also contained filtered water.




5. Roll out your muscles with a foam roller.
The foam roller is the best $20 you will ever spend. Mine is pictured to the right. I discovered this during my pilates class about 3 years ago. It is a wonderful way to release stress, tension and knots in your muscles. Every night before bed I roll out all major muscle groups (calves, quads, hamstrings, IT band, glutes, upper back/shoulders, neck). I usually go up and down each muscle 5 reps. The more you use your body weight, the deeper the stretch will be. Here is the link I posted a few days ago that has demonstrations of how to roll certain muscles out. http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/roll?page=1


6. Take a Epsom Salt bath.

I learned this trick from my yoga teacher during one class where I was the only student to show up and got a very individualized session. My shoulders, neck and hips were incredibly tight and we did a lot of exercises to loosen them up. I was in some pretty consistent pain and she suggested that tonight I drink plenty of water and take an Epsom salt bath in warm water to pull the lactic acid out of my muscles. I stopped at Target on the way home and bought Dr. Teal's Epsom salts in Calm, Relax, and Sleep. The Sleep (lavender) was way to overpowering for me but I like bot the Calm (chamomile) and Relax (spearmint). Follow the instructions on the bag, turn off the lights, light one or two candles and just soak in the tub. I usually almost immediately fall asleep afterwards, so I would suggest doing this towards bedtime.

7. Brush, floss, moisturize, and take out your contacts. 
You'd be amazed how these little things will help you sleep. I've found when I forgot to do any of the above, I just don't sleep well, especially if I leave my contacts in. Your eyes need rest and oxygen replenishment at night, which contacts inhibit.

8. Do bedtime yoga.
Don't be intimidated--this isn't a full hour long practice, and it isn't the time to push yourself into a deeper pose. Yoga before bed is a wonderful way to stretch, breathe and relax. This routine from Women's Health gives about a 15-20 min session with examples/explanations of each pose. Try it out--by the time you get to the end you'll be ready to fall sleep in no time.



The more consistent you can make your bedtime routine, along with a regular bedtime itself, the easier you will fall asleep, stay asleep through the night, and the better you will feel during the day....when you are eating good, healthy food and exercising those muscles of yours. It's all interconnected. Don't rue bedtime--rejoice when it arrives! I know I (finally) do. And, with that, I am going to go take a nap! :)