How to Get Better Sleep (Part 1)
By Lydia Wallie, Nutrition Director
With sleep being such an important factor in immune function, what can we do to get better sleep? What does better sleep mean? Ideally, 7-9 hours of deep sleep. Since sleep cycles are around 90 minutes in length, 8 hours in bed with 7.5 hours of deep sleep + 30 minutes to fall asleep or wind down is a commonly recommended amount and equals 5 sleep cycles. For some people, this may not be realistic. Depending on one’s occupation (healthcare, firefighter, or parenthood for example), this may not be quite as feasible, but maybe there are a few ideas here that can help improve sleep quality or duration in some way.
Here are 5 strategies:
Make a plan. Decide what your sleep schedule is. What time is bedtime and what time is wake time?
Get accountability. Can you work out at 6:00am with your WOD partners and let that motivate you to go to bed on time the night before? Start a group text with them for even more accountability. Maybe they need more structure for their sleep schedule too!
Install a screen filter on all your electronic devices so you have less blue light in the evening. Check out the Twilight app for Androids and F.lux for your computers.
If you want to take an extra step in blocking blue light from electronics, find a good pair of blue light blocking glasses.
Eat 2-3 teaspoons of raw honey (preferably local) before bed to support your liver and brain with fuel through the night (1).
Stay tuned for part 2 with even more strategies for better sleep!
Source List:
(1) The New Honey Revolution: Restoring the Health of Future Generations by Ron Fessenden MD MPH