4 Steps To Get Better Sleep

According to Statistics Canada, getting good quality, duration, and consistency of sleep is associated with many positive short- and long-term health benefits.

Good sleep improves memory, focus, and concentration. It strengthens the immune system to help fight off infections, improves mood and gives the body an opportunity to heal, recover, and rejuvenate. High quality sleep also helps reduce systemic inflammation and kick-starts the detoxification process.

What Happens When We Get Poor Sleep?

Insufficient sleep (both too short duration and poor quality) is associated with many health risks: obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, irritability, overall reduced well-being, and even all-cause mortality (risk of death as a result of any disease, complication, accident, or exposure).

The recommended duration of sleep for most people is 7-9 hours, but it is estimated that as many as one third of Canadians get less than the recommended 7 hours of sleep. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver has the function of storing blood. During the day, blood flows from the liver to the muscles, joints, and the rest of the structures of the body. During rest periods and sleep, the blood flows back to the liver, contributing to recovery and regeneration. Interestingly enough, and consistent with this theory, the liver is most active during the night from 11pm-3am, which is the most important time for proper physical regeneration, and thus, sleep.

What Causes Poor Sleep?

In our modern fast paced world, the causes of insufficient and/or poor sleep are many. But the two main culprits are: over stimulation of the mind, and high levels of mental and emotional stress.

In order to improve overall sleep, the following 4 practices can help calm the mind and relax the body.

Step 1 – Avoid overstimulation of the mind 1-2 hours before bed

Avoid screens 1-2 hours before bed. We might think that watching TV, responding to emails, or watching cute dog videos on Instagram is a good way to relax, but in reality, these activities actually do just the opposite. Looking at screens impairs secretion of our sleep hormone melatonin, and turns on our sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system, which stirs up our emotions and increases our core body temperature, which is a big no-no and can have huge negative impacts on our sleep duration and quality! Just making this one change will do wonders for your sleep. Also, turn on your blue light filter on your smart phone and download f.lux (https://justgetflux.com/) on your laptop, which filters blue light in the evening.

Step 2 – Avoid taking a hot shower

Before going to bed, our body needs to be in a cool state. Taking a hot shower before bed will increase your core body temperature and will make falling and staying asleep more difficult. If you absolutely must, rinse off in cool water. Remember, you want to be cool at night and warm during the day!

Step 3 – Decrease exposure to Electromagnetic Frequencies (EMF) before bed

Turn on airplane mode on your phone. Unplug all your cords, even your wifi. Why? Because they generate EMF and impair melatonin production! Get black-out curtains if you’re game. The darker the room, the more melatonin your body produces!

Step 4 – Stretch

Stretching helps improve blood flow and move Qi. It also helps relax and calm the mind and body. Here’s a good stretching video It helps open up the hips, especially if you sit a lot. Move and breathe slowly as you stretch. Remember, the slower you breathe, the more your body relaxes and goes into a parasympathetic dominant state (rest or digest).

If you’ve tried all of the above and are still having difficulty falling and/or staying asleep, book an appointment with one of our Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners or Naturopathic Doctors for further assessment and treatment. If you’re not sure if this is the right option for you, or would like to find out more information, try a complimentary 10 minute phone chat with one of our practitioners.