The Integra Blog

So it’s 01:17 on a Friday morning and I can’t sleep, hence an article on sleep…

About a month ago I read ‘Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar & Survival’, the Amazon description reads:

“Americans really are sick from being tired. Diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and depression are rising in our population. We’re literally dying for a good night’s sleep. Our lifestyle wasn’t always this way. It began with the invention of the lightbulb. When we don’t get enough sleep in sync with seasonal light exposure, we fundamentally alter a balance of nature that has been programmed into our physiology since Day One.

This delicate biological rhythm rules the hormones and neurotransmitters that determine appetite, fertility, and mental and physical health. When we rely on artificial light to extend our day until 11 PM, midnight, and beyond, we fool our bodies into living in a perpetual state of summer. Anticipating the scarce food supply and forced inactivity of winter, our bodies begin storing fat and slowing metabolism to sustain us through the months of hibernation and hunger that never arrive. Our own survival instinct, honed over millennia, is now killing us.”

Pretty morbid hey? And we are not even looking at how lack of sleep would slow down your fat-burning prospects, or impede your performance. So what should you and I be practicing to give ourselves the best chance of a good nights sleep, (since sleeping outside in the bush, to the natural rhythms of sunlight is probably out of the question)?

Tip #1: Sleep in a bat cave

Many people believe we are meant to sleep in caves, I’m not sure that’s entirely true, but I see the attraction; get yourself tucked away for the night, safe from all the beasts roaming around outside. Here’s a better reason; we require complete darkness to best stimulate the release of melatonin. Studies showed that it only took an LED light to be shone on the back of a sleeping subjects’ knee to interrupt melatonin release.

Why are we interested in this hormone? Because it plays a big role in our sleep-wake cycle (circadian rhythm) by chemically inducing drowsiness and lowering the body temperature. Black out blinds are the best option for achieving total darkness, bearing in mind that it’s your skin that is sensitive to light, an eye mask will only partially help.

Tip #2: Remove visible alarm clocks from view

As we saw above, the LED lighting alone could be enough to interrupt your sleep, but there’s also the added worry and constant clock-watching when you can’t sleep. If need be, keep a wrist watch beside your bed with a built in light, or mask the display of your clock during the night. All electrical equipment should also be switched off, keeping surrounding electrical magnetic fields to a minimum.

Tip #3: Get in to a routine

I’m guilty of not sticking to this. It really is as simple as going to bed and rising at the same times every day. This will most probably be dictated by what time you have to rise, then you just count back as many hours as you feel you need (tracking your sleep and daytime energy levels should determine this). Try keeping the lights off one evening, as the sun goes down and the house naturally gets darker, your body should already begin to produce melatonin and you should start to feel tired.

Tip #4: Avoid sugary foods and drinks before bed

This should be a no-brainer, I trained a client this morning who said he’d had a terrible nights sleep, turned out he’d drank a Lucozade light before bed, obviously not light enough… If you find that you awake after only an hour or two of sleep, this could be down to your food choices in the hours before bed or it could be an indicator that you’re not eating enough during the day (there’s one thing I can rule out).

Tip #5: Slow down your mind

One thing that Charles Poliquin recommends is keeping a grateful log. The idea is that the last thing you do before bed is write in this log, simply recording 3 things you’re thankful for or alternatively, write down; what did you do that was nice to someone today, what did someone do nice for you, what did you learn today. I know this sounds a little hippy-ish, but having tried it a few times, I can attest to the fact that it puts you in a content mood before bed, leaving your mind to focus on positive rather than negative thoughts.

01:56, having achieved something and reminded myself of the above, I’m off to try and get some Zzz’s…

- George Grose