A Guide for a Better Night’s Sleep

Sipping on coffee into the late night hours with deadlines due. “I can run on 4 hours of sleep with no problem” you think to yourself until you wake up groggy and full of regret the next day. You do it all again the next day, but what are the consequences? In addition to the noticeable drowsiness, reduced cognition, and irritability, sleep deprivation can put you in the position of drowsy driving, or driving while being sleepy or fatigued. After 17 hours without sleep, one’s alertness is similar to someone that has a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%, and driving in this condition puts you and others at risk.  

Most importantly, insufficient sleep or poor sleep quality is linked to higher risk for developing chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, obesity, and depression. 

The science behind sleep

Our body has an internal clock that determines the sleep-wake cycle that repeats every 24 hours, called the circadian rhythm. After waking up, wakefulness increases until a few hours before bedtime, in which wakefulness decreases in preparation for sleep. This cycle is regulated by the sun’s light/dark cycle. As night comes, the brain produces melatonin that promotes sleep. Light sources suppress melatonin which makes it difficult to fall asleep.  

With this in mind, there are some strategies to improve sleep.

1. Reduce exposure to bright evening light 2 hours before bedtime. If you cannot fall asleep, do not reach for your phone as the blue light from your phone may make you more alert. If you must use your phone at night, set it to night shift mode, shifting from blue to a warmer color.
2.  Take a melatonin supplement 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime. Studies have shown that melatonin supplements are effective as a short-term sleep aid. Because melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the body, it is considered generally safe and has fewer side effects than sleeping pills. 

Other strategies to improve nighttime sleep include:

• Stick to a sleep schedule with waking up and going to bed at the same time every day. 
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine for a couple of hours before bedtime, as the effects of these substances take hours to wear off.
• Limit daytime naps to 30 minutes.
• Exercise regularly.

Sources:

1. https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/drowsy_driving.html
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/sleep/art-20048379
3. https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/index.html
4. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/longhourstraining/light.html