9 Tips to Sleep Better During Stressful Times
Are you stressed out about the COVID-19 outbreak right now? You’re not alone.
Right now, 45% of people say they have stress and anxiety due to the Coronavirus pandemic (1) and more than one in five say their sleep quality is down. (2)
Sleep has always been a pain point for adults with kids, jobs and hectic schedules. But now, worry, anxiety and stress are keeping us awake at night more than ever. This kind of sleep deprivation can disrupt your hormone regulation, affect your ability to focus and prevent you from losing weight. It can even drain your immune system, making you more susceptible to infections or disease. But there is good news. So what can we do about it?
We sat down with Sachin Patel of The Living Proof Institute to discuss natural ways we can sleep during this stressful time. Patel’s mission is to keep people out of the medical system and empower them to live healthier lives through functional and lifestyle medicine. It dramatically changed his own life and is now leading hundreds of community workshops and producing videos and social posts that have reached millions of people across the globe. These are two major takeaways to think about as you seek improved sleep.
OUR NERVOUS SYSTEM IS BINARY
First understand the governing system in your body, the central nervous system. This is an important area to dive into because when we focus on ourselves, we are usually thinking about how we feel physically. But we need to go a few layers deeper to the system that controls response. Your body can’t be in a state of healing and repair AND fight or flight at the same time. It’s one or the other. The nervous system is always scanning your body and making judgements on what it needs. Sounds, smells, things that move, etc. Whatever signal comes in, our amygdala makes judgements based on beliefs and past experiences. Whatever we THINK will happen next will inform our body’s decisions. That’s important because if we’re always worried, our bodies turn off the rest process and turn on fight or flight in our whole body (not just parts of it).
BLOOD FLOW CHANGES WHEN YOU ARE IN FIGHT OR FLIGHT
During normal periods, roughly 50% of blood flow goes to your liver and kidneys. During fight or flight, that number drops to about 5%. Taking 90% of blood flow away to supply your arms or legs will have an impact no matter how many supplements you take.
SACHIN PATEL’S TIPS FOR GETTING BETTER SLEEP NATURALLY
1. Deep breathing – Instead of worrying about what’s out of control focus on something you can: your breathing. Deep breaths, humming, chanting, gargling, etc. actually stimulate the Vagus nerve (known as the wanderer). This nerve goes from your brain all the way through your trunk, creating a super-highway system in your trunk. One of the ways we can stimulate this nerve is by deep breathing. When we breathe a certain way, we can put our body into a state of repair. Because of the Vagus nerve, we’re not just repairing one organ, but ALL organs.
Box breathing is a great technique. You breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, release for four seconds and then hold for another four seconds. Patel also recommends a Heartmath device that clips to your ear and measures your heart rhythm so you can get real feedback.
2. Sleep and wake up at the same time – We’ve discussed the importance of creating a routine right now and sleep is no different. There are different “chronotypes”, or people who operate under a certain schedule. Some are early risers, some are night owls and some are just naturally hard to go to sleep. Biologically, it’s best to align your circadian rhythm with the sun. It’s a natural way for your body to know when to go to sleep and wake up.
3. Cover all overhead lighting – Before the invention of the lightbulb, the average person slept about 10 hours, according to Patel. Now? About seven. Those three hours are usually filled with stressors like work, family, emails, news and social media. We’re all being sent to our rooms for a minute, and this is a rare moment where we can use this time to rest and repair our bodies. When night falls, our homes are saturated by light more than ever, but it’s not just our eyes picking up on it. Our skin is also a photoreceptor and receives the light. Since daytime is the only time light would be coming from overhead, our brain gets confused at an unconscious level. The part of your body that regulates hormones doesn’t know what time it is and mismatches dosage. It’s ideal to keep lighting eye level or below.
4. Sleep consistently – Think about it. Trees don’t take the weekend. Chipmunks don’t take time off. Time has been created by humans, but biologically, our bodies crave a daily routine. If you pattern your sleep habits around the sun, your brain’s subconscious will reset and create more natural sleep signals.
5. Sleep more in the winter – We’re not there yet. The COVID-19 outbreak is in full force during the spring, but it’s important to remember the choices we make at the end of the year will impact those at the beginning. Humans have evolved to the idea winter is for hibernating, but our bodies still crave that sleep and rest cycle like many other animals do.
6. Exercise during the day – Waking up early to go to the gym is not optimal. Gyms have full spectrum lighting and can throw off your whole sleep rhythm. It’s better to go midday. Obviously, our lives are disrupted and many of us are working from home, so if your family schedule doesn’t allow a full workout routine midday, supplement your body by going for a walk or just going outside.
Another benefit to exercising midday? When you dread something (like waking up at the crack of dawn for a run), the psychology can discourage you from continuing it. If you look forward to it, you’re more likely to continue. So if you can arrange your schedule to exercising in the middle of the day, you’ll get more optimal results. Your body also absorbs more sunlight this way.
7. Use a salt lamp in your bedroom – This helps create a more natural lighting environment that isn’t full of artificial rays. You can also use candles, but Patel recommends using this kind of lighting after the sun goes down. Fire light does not decrease our melatonin like full-spectrum, artificial like does. It creates a really soft light in the evening.
8. Get midday sunlight – What you take in during the day will pay dividends at night. If you get enough sunlight, you’ll increase levels of the happy hormone serotonin. Higher levels of serotonin will translate into melatonin at night, which helps you rest better.
9. Eliminate exposure to screens 2 hours before bedtime – This is a continuation of what we’ve already been saying. The less harsh artificial lighting, the better. This includes TV, smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc. If you are unable to fully kick the habit, blue light filters on your phone or blue light eliminating glasses help minimize the damage.
A FEW MORE TIPS TO THINK ABOUT
Sleep in a completely dark room.
Avoid excessive fluid intake after 8pm.
Avoid opening the mail or watching the news in the evening.
Avoid checking or responding to email in the evening.
Settle any conflicts before going to bed.
Use lavender essential oils to promote a calm environment.
Rest and recovery are so important to the FASTer Way to Fat Loss lifestyle that we wanted to share hope to you guys. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and we’ll get there by supporting each other! Remember, we’re here to help you fulfill your purpose with ENERGY, and it’s impossible to do that if your body doesn’t go into a state of relaxation and repair. If you know someone struggling with sleep, share this article so they can break the cycle and become a leader in their community!
The FASTer Way to Fat Loss program has a ton of information and coaching to help you eat better, exercise and live a better, healthier life.
2https://www.sleephelp.org/covid-19-impact-on-sleep/?mod=article_inline