What gets in the way of sleep and what you can do about it
Sleep is the fuel of function and is a need we cannot live without. It is physically and emotionally restorative, and it positively impacts our energy, our mood and our immune system - so it’s definitely something we need to pay attention to!
Humans have a 24-hour body clock, or circadian rhythm, beginning with wakefulness in the morning and ending with a pressure to sleep about 16 hours later. We sleep naturally from the day we were born, so, surely we don’t need anyone to tell us how important it is, or how to do it well? Unfortunately, we do; times have changed, and we have less time to give to, or prepare for sleep. There is artificial light everywhere, and screens that as well as delivering bad news and bringing work to us in the evening, emit a blue light that suppresses the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. We remain stimulated at the end of our day, making it harder for us to switch off and wind down ready for sleep.
Sleep and your thinking
Initially, stress, worry or low mood resulting from many different life experiences can disrupt sleep through increased adrenaline production and emotional arousal at night, a time we should otherwise be calm and safe. This happens because our brains can’t tell the difference between ‘what is real’ and ‘what is imagined’ when responding to threats, so our thoughts trigger the stress response.
When a sleep problem persists, we worry about the added negative impact of the reduced sleep. Thoughts can arise such as, “Not this again, It’s going to be a bad night, I won’t be able to cope tomorrow”. This gives rise to more frustration, rumination and worry, further increasing adrenaline. So we can see that these negative thoughts maintain sleep problems, often causing insomnia. When we find ways to pause or change our thoughts we can find a route out of this vicious cycle.
Tip: Try to spot if you have negative thoughts about sleep and see if you can generate more balanced ways of thinking about it. For example, “I won’t feel great tomorrow but I’ll get through the day and I’ll follow some sleep hygiene advice over the next week”.
Sleep and your behaviour
When you have trouble sleeping, you may do things like take in more coffee to keep awake the next day, drink alcohol before bed to relax or rely on sleeping pills to drift off; all of which have a negative bounce back effect. Being tired you might stop exercising, or sleep at other times of day. Add to this unhelpful bedtime routines like picking up your phone or watching TV in the night. These are some of the unhelpful behaviours that you may do in an effort to cope, but unfortunately sleep just becomes even more elusive and the vicious cycle of sleeplessness is perpetuated.
Changing your behaviour by following sleep hygiene advice and a new routine is a great first step in getting back on track.
Top tip: Write a list of what it is you do to counteract tiredness and whether you think this is helping or hurting the vicious cycle. Check out these Top 15 Sleep Hygiene Tips to make sure your sleep environment is the best it can be.
Sleep and blue light
Did you know that the blue light that fills our evenings actually changes your circadian sleep/wake pattern? Many of us have our eyeballs glued to blue light emitters (like smart phones, ipads, computers and LED Smart TVs). It’s great to get blue light during the day as it increases attention, reaction times and mood, but at night we don’t want this. Most importantly, it suppresses the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, delaying sleep onset and shifting the body’s biological clock backwards!
Top tip: To counteract blue light in the evening, try some blue light blocking glasses, and install an app on your phone that filters blue/green wavelength at night. Or, just switch off screens 2 hours before bedtime!
Top tip: The longer you are awake, the more a chemical called adenosine builds in your brain, sending signals that increase your desire for sleep. After 16 hours awake, your body will feel a natural pressure to sleep and this is the best time to go to bed.