How does sleep quality affect your mental health?
Last year, my husband and I along with two of our close friends went on the “lifetime” trip to Europe. It took weeks of planning (many thanks Christie) but when the time came, we were ready to go! We spent approximately 3 weeks in 4 different countries and explored 12 beautiful and memorable cities. Looking back at our trip, everything was just amazing, except one thing, we forgot to plan time to SLEEP!
Sleep sleep sleep! We all know it’s a requirement for survival. We hear it everywhere, at least I do! Sleep is crucial in a fitness journey, it helps your body recover, repair and builds the muscle tissues. Sleep is fundamental in a child’s and adolescence physical and mental development years as it produces growth hormones and restores energy.
We also know that insufficient sleep can lead to innumerable side effects.
The Canadian Sleep Society states that even on a rare night, the lack of sleep “has a number of immediate consequences including lower alertness, negative mood, reduced motor and visual acuity, longer response times, and impaired attention and memory. Chronic sleep restriction over days and weeks leads to cumulative deficits in alertness, mood and cognitive performance. As well, insufficient sleep can have long-term consequences for health including weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease.”
- Kimberly Cote, PhD, Department of Psychology, Brock University
“Insufficient sleep, has been associated with a higher risk of depression, diabetes, heart attack, hypertension and stroke.”
- WELL Building Standards
Yet when it was time to travel to these amazing European countries, we didn’t plan our sleep times in our itinerary. We quickly realized that theses stats were real! Sleep is truly a requirement.
Now, what if you know the facts and the stats, and you still can’t fall asleep! What’s the solution? I’m here to help set the mood for your bedroom in order to stimulate a goodnight sleep.
So, here are 5 top wellness insights on how to improve your sleep environment, improve your mental and physical health and enhance your wellbeing!
1) Understand the circadian rhythms.
Mental Health Canada states “the Circadian rhythms are regular changes in mental and physical characteristics that occur in the course of a day (circadian is Latin for "around a day"). Most circadian rhythms are controlled by the body’s biological "clock."”
What does this mean? Think about your circadian rhythms as your body clock. It somewhat reflects the day and night cycle. A wise educator gave this explanation which I love: “Think about the sunlight cycle. The sunrise gives a nice, soft warm light. As the day goes past, the sun reaches it’s peak at noon and we receive the coolest brightest light possible. When the sun sets, the light changes again and we receive a soft warm light.” That’s the circadian rhythm.
Robert Soler, Vice President of Human Biological Technologies and Research at Biological Innovation and Optimization Systems (BIOS) wrote in a recent WELL article that:
Circadian rhythm is a 24-hour pattern that is found in all life, generally mediated by a central clock. Plants use their clocks to coevolve with their predators [1] and their pollinators [2]. Rodents use their clocks to determine food availability, safety and mating time [3]. All forms of life utilize their clocks for maximizing resource efficiency and survival [5].
So why is it important to follow a biological system? How does our indoor light affects our physical and mental health?
This constant twilight has led to circadian desynchrony, which according to a recent study affects 87% of the day-working population to some degree. The downstream consequences of circadian desynchrony are quite severe, as they have been shown to lead to increased risk of obesity, metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease, addiction, Alzheimer’s disease and certain types of cancer.
All this to say that following the circadian rhythm is fundamental for our wellbeing and overall health.
2) Update your lighting - Install (LEDs) and dimmable lights within your room.
Since we understand the circadian rhythm, it’s time to apply what we learned and make changes to our interior environment. I found the perfect light fixture video that can illustrate this the biological clock and how we should be in sync to it.
3) Use blackout shades or curtains
Why use blackout shades?
Well, first it’s used as a light block for better sleep.
Have the capacity to absorb sound and can help reduce exterior noise.
Thermal insulation properties, therefore it helps keeps your room warm in the winter and cool during the hot summer months. It also allows you to save on the energy bills.
You can find blackout window treatment anywhere, even on amazon. All you have to do it type “blackout” in front of shade or curtains in the search bar and there you have it!
4) White noise
I honestly just discover this whole phenomenon this year. I don’t have an idea how I spent my entire life not being aware of the benefits of white noise. However, thanks to a dear friend/beautiful mother who shared with me the secret of getting her sweet baby to fall asleep. I recently started using our air purifier in our bedroom during the night to produce white noise and let me tell you that it has changed the game.
According to the NCBI journal there was a study done where white noise was used in the presence of 20 newborns between two and seven days old. The study states that:
Sixteen (80%) fell asleep within five minutes in response to white noise compared with only five (25%) who fell asleep spontaneously in the control group.
Even when we are sleeping, our brains are still aware of our surroundings, therefore it registers and processes sounds caused by our environment. This can be sound emitted from the exterior, from your pet, family, HVAC, etc. Using white noise can mask these basic sounds and avoids you from waking up from any stage of sleep.
5) Investing in proper mattress & pillow
Lastly, I partnered with a an expert to be able to provide you with the best recommendations. Dr. Nardine Bekhit, Associate Chiropractor at CURAVITA in Ottawa, ON shares her insights on the importance of proper alignment during your sleep and why and how to invest in the proper mattress and pillow.
Given that most people will spend a third of their life sleeping, investing in a good mattress and pillows is important. Sleep is a crucial component to our overall health and well-being, no matter our age! Brain fog, low mood, low energy and weight gain can all be signs of sleep deprivation. Poor sleep can negatively affect your brain health, physical health, and performance/productivity.
The main role of a mattress and pillow is to support your spine in a neutral position comfortably. This will both maintain your spinal health and contribute to the quality of your sleep.
You will know if your mattress and/or pillow need to be replaced if you wake up feeling sore, achy, or find yourself preferring other beds when you travel. Be aware of other signs, such as sagging or impressions in the mattress or worsening allergies.
Your choice of pillow will first and foremost depend on your preferred sleep position. It is important to maintain a neutral spine while you sleep, meaning that you do not want your neck bent in one way or the other.
- If you are a side sleeper, you want the pillow to be wide enough that it fills the space between your head and the bed, but not so wide that your head is bending to one side.
- If you are a back sleeper, you want the pillow to keep your head in the same plane as the rest of your body.
- For stomach sleepers, you need a very thin pillow. However, it is important to note that stomach sleeping can be a contributing factor to neck and low back pain as this is not an ideal position for your body. Talk to your chiropractor for tips on how to stop stomach sleeping.
Mattresses need to be replaced every 8-10 years, or when they start to feel uncomfortable. The size of the mattress should be at least 6 inches longer than the tallest person sleeping in the bed. If you share a bed, it should be wide enough to allow both people to put their hands behind their head without touching the elbows of the other person. For restless sleepers, it is recommended that the bed be wider to accommodate for some tossing and turning. The mattress should not be too firm or too soft. This is very important for side sleepers as a mattress that is too firm will create uncomfortable pressure points at the hip.
For both mattresses and pillows, the best thing you can do is purchase one with a great return policy. Because it is largely a personal choice, sometimes you don’t know if it agrees with your body until you try it. There are many examples of companies that provide a risk-free trial period. Some popular ones are Casper and Endy. Costco also is very flexible with returns. Another option: if you liked the pillow/mattress at a hotel where you stayed, ask the Concierge for the name of the products. It’s important to select good quality products that will serve you as long as possible!
- Dr. Nardine Bekhit, Associate Chiropractor at CURAVITA in Ottawa, ON
There you have it! 5 insights on how to improve your sleep environment, improve your mental and physical health and enhance your wellbeing!
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Sources:
https://www.sleep.org/articles/circadian-rhythm-body-clock/
https://css-scs.ca/resources/links
https://css-scs.ca/resources/brochures/patient-guide
https://css-scs.ca/resources/brochures/human-circadian-rhythms
https://css-scs.ca/resources/brochures/normal-sleep
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bedroom-environment/hear/how-noise-affects-your-sleep
Soler, R. (2019, May 20). Circadian rhythms: A call to arms to create spaces with brighter days and darker nights. Retrieved from https://resources.wellcertified.com/articles/circadian-rhythms/
Spencer JA, et al. (1990). White noise and sleep induction [Abstract].ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1792397/