Get Better Sleep

So we've touched on this topic already - but getting better sleep involves exposing a lot of misconceptions people have about their resting hours. If you can wrap your brain around these sleep myths, re-educate yourself about human sleep, and work on reducing the influence of your bad sleep habits, you'll be on the road to better quality sleep in no time!

Why Quality Is More Important Than Quantity

Every single biological process in the human body is connected to something scientists call "The Circadian Rhythm". This rhythm's main function is to tell your body when to feel sleepy at night and when to feel awake and refreshed in the morning. But it also controls many other tasks, such as when your liver should start burning fat and detoxifying your blood or when your digestive system should speed up or slow down. In turn, all of your major organs have their own unique circadian rhythms which are connected to your main internal clock - so, as you can see, messing up your rhythm with poor quality sleep causes chaos throughout your entire body.

Poor sleep can also mess with your brain. When you slip into the deeper stages of a normal, healthy sleep cycle, your brain cells temporarily shrink in volume. This creates more room for your cerebral spinal fluid to flow between brain cells, washing away the toxic byproducts of normal cellular function. If you can't get your body to naturally flow into these deeper, restorative cycles, then your brain and your body will have a difficult time "cleaning house", so to speak.

Sleep Hygiene 101: the Basics of Improving Sleep Quality

When our ancestors were roaming the wilds of our world, their sleep cycles adapted to the rise and fall of the sun. When the sun came up in the morning, it sent a signal to their bodies to wake up and start searching for food, leisure, and social company. When the sun went down and the world grew dark, their brains released hormones that made them feel sleepy and desire rest.

The release of this sleep hormone, melatonin, gets disrupted in the presence of any light - especially the blueish light emitted by modern electronics. Whether it's a television, a cell phone screen, or even the beautiful blue "power on" indicator light that you see on virtually every electronic appliance these days, it's preventing your brain from releasing melatonin. And without melatonin, not only are you likely to feel wide awake at bedtime, but you're less likely to clock any deep, quality sleep time as well.

You should take the following steps in order to improve your sleep quality:

Eliminate as many electronics from your bedroom as possible. Your bedroom should be used exclusively for sleep and sex. If falling asleep in a silent room is difficult for you, consider investing in a white noise machine to replace your TV.
Make it as dark as possible. Melatonin release is triggered by darkness. Consider investing in thick, dark curtains and/or a sleep mask to block out as much light as possible.
Cool it! Temperature-wise, we mean. Your body also releases sleep hormones when you feel chilly. Try setting your thermostat down to 68 degrees F (20 degrees C) If you can afford to. You can also sleep with your arms and legs sticking out from under your blankets to "trick" your brain into thinking it's colder.

If you can follow these three basic tenets of sleep hygiene, then you're well on your way to a better night's rest!

Tracking Your Progress

Once you start practicing better sleep hygiene, you're going to want to track your progress in order to make sure your efforts are paying off. Getting a sleep journal and keeping it by your bed is a great (and affordable) way to do this. Any type of notebook will do, and pens are fairly cheap these days. The hardest part is making sure you log your progress.

What sort of progress should you be looking for? Well, for starters, pay attention to whether or not you have dreams while you sleep. Dreaming is a strong sign that your body and brain are getting REM sleep, which is when your body does most of its "spring cleaning". You don't have to write the specific details of the dreams down (unless you're into that). Just noting that the dream happened is enough.

You should also make notes about how you feel when you wake up in the morning. Are you less groggy? Hitting the snooze button less often? Feeling ready to start your day in the morning? If so, then you've successfully improved the quality of your sleep. Congratulations, and enjoy the benefits of your hard work!

We hope you enjoyed this article. Please return to ForVita periodically for more tips on a healthier, happier life.