7 strategies for a good night sleep

How to reset your natural circadian rhythm? 7 strategies for a good sleep hygiene.

Struggle to fall and stay asleep… Waking up in the middle of the night… Regular insomnia… Not feeling refreshed in the morning... Strong need of coffee when getting up… Sleep issues are frequent and common with MS and more generally with any neurological conditions, in which we consider depression and anxiety as well. A lot of factors can affect sleep: pain and spasticity, lingering thoughts and worries, hormones imbalances, digestion… though we can not magically sort these problems overnight, a whole life balance approach can help resolved and dampened them. This is why, I always talk about the 4 pillars of health: Eat, Move, Sleep, Engage. This means that the right nutrition and an active life (physical, mental, emotional…) are needed to improve sleep. But quality sleep is also needed to support everything else.

Sleep is the solution but also the problem. How to break the vicious cycle?

For too long, sleep was considered worthless. How often I heard “sleep is for the weak” or “I will have plenty of time to sleep when I will be dead” … this last one is dead right, hopefully as late as possible. We used to think that nothing was happening while sleeping. After all we are (almost) not moving and nothing gets done… The truth is that the brain is extremely active during the night (even much more active while sleeping than while watching TV…). And not only the brain but a lot of our body functions are also at work while we are sleeping, hence why we need to shut down some systems to focus on others. Sleep is when the big housekeeping job of the brain starts. It clears out toxins through the glymphatic system, it sorts and files data of the day to create memories and make space for the next day’s information, it regulates blood sugar, it rebuilds energy… and so much more…

All different phases of sleep have their own purpose and importance. To dive into this, I highly recommend the book “Why we sleep” from Matthew Walker or watch his Ted Talk (video link below). Sleep is not an option. Quantity and quality matters. Modern life and modern expectations have disrupted our natural circadian rhythm, making us miss on some crucial phases of sleep, if not all.

As said, a whole life approach is needed to “fix” a disrupted sleep. But, some actions and strategies can be taken now, to set the right conditions and put us back in phase with our natural sleep/wake cycle.

7 STRATEGIES FOR A GOOD SLEEP HYGIENE

1) Aim for between 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Really few people can get on with less than 5h (3% of the population). Thinking we don’t need that much sleep is a myth. 7-8h is the average time needed to be sure that we are going through all the different phases of sleep. If you consider, the time needed to fall asleep for some, I believe aiming for a 9h window in bed is the safest.

2) Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Regularity is the key and is a way to train your brain to know when it is time to sleep and when it is time to be awake. This will overtime help you reset your natural circadian rhythm (night owl, lark…) as you will figure out by yourself when you naturally fall asleep and naturally wake up.

3) Exposure to light during the day and avoiding blue lights in the evening (devices and screen time). The light (daylight) is the direct communication pathway between the outside world and your brain. The brain in turn, when receiving this light produces the chemicals needed to get or keep you awake: Cortisol, the stress hormones. On the other side, darkness or dimmed light, is the signal for your brain to produce Melatonin, the sleep hormone.

4) A bedroom dark, cool and silent. Your bedroom is your sanctuary. Protect it from any outside disruptions: noises, lights... pets... The body temperature naturally drops during the night. For a good night sleep, we need to get warm before bed, and cooler when sleeping.

5) Have your last meal 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. You do not want to be hungry while sleeping but digestion is also taking a lot of energy from the body, keeping it awake. Avoiding going to bed right after your meal, will put your body and brain in a more relax mode.

6) Be active during the day to be tired at night. Physically active but also mentally. Be careful though not to exercise, especially vigorously, just before bed as this will have an exciting effect and not a relaxing one.

7) Have your wind down routine. The brain can be trained. It needs some signals. By repeating the same (or similar) routine every evening, your body will end up to naturally understand that bedtime is coming closer and that it is time to get ready for sleep. It can be a relaxing activity, an evening gratitude practice, a pampering ritual... be creative.

Which one(s) of these will you implement?