Fascinating article here. Turns out, when our brains tell us “you’re sleepy” they are really telling us “it’s time to take a bath!”
During slow wave sleep (deep sleep), the brain literally washes away toxins left over from a full day of thinking and working. In the 20-second-spaced slow waves of deep sleep, we wash our brains clean of the gunk that can lead to Alzheimers and other forms of dementia.
For those 30% of you with a history of sleep struggles, this might sound like “Great! Now I have even more reason to toss and turn all night!”
That’s the bad news.
The good news is there is growing evidence that a handful of simple steps can eventually help you towards a better night's sleep and a healthier long-term aging future.
I’ll list a baker's dozen of the simplest steps you can try, starting tonight if you're up to it. Here we go:
1. Make yourself go to bed 45 minutes early tonight. Give yourself that little gift of time as you begin to reset a healthier sleep clock. It'll take a week or so to get used to this one, but you've got to start somewhere.
2. Darken the room by pulling the shaded AND put in ear plugs and eye blinders. Do all three. Really. Do this. The brain wants to exchange internal stimuli for external stimuli... so get rid of the external. Give that gift to yourself. You’ll find you have more insights into tomorrow the moment you wake up if you get rid of all externals.
3. Cool the room down to somewhere between 60 and 67 degrees. Along with making your sleep cycles more consistent, this will help you burn more calories and dispose of excess blood sugar. Sleep as a weight loss technique? Who woulda thunk it?
4. Exile ALL electronic devices from the room. TV. Alarm clock. iPad. And especially your cell phone. These items emit sleep-disturbing rays AND tempt you to do something other than what you need most. Tomorrow can take care of tomorrow - IF you get a good night’s sleep.
5. Don’t eat or drink anything - except water and tea - for 2 hours before bedtime. (Ok, maybe some blueberries and almonds. And turkey and tart cherry juice. And yeah, popcorn. And two kiwis can increase sleep duration by over an hour in the course of the month for people with insomnia. Really!)
6. Take a walk, stage a pillow fight, or do 20 minutes of exercise 2 hours before bedtime. You’ll get better sleep, more regenerative sleep, better blood flow and… guess what? Less wrinkles. (BTW - Welcomed intimate safe touch releases oxytocin, reduces cortisol - which blocks the sleep drug melatonin. Plus, orgasms release prolactin, which makes you feel relaxed and sleepy.)
7. Don’t let the pet sleep in your room. ("Sorry Fido, I love you but I need this for me...") This may seem the most harsh for some of you, but you’ll be no good for Fido if your mind fades away too soon.
8. Take a hot Lavender-infused bath 90 minutes before bedtime. A bath lowers your body core temperature and helps you fall asleep faster. Lavender reduces heart rate and heart rate variability, and Silexan (from lavender oil preparation) has an effect on anxiety reduction and, thus, can lead to more and better sleep.
9. Drink a couple cups of Camomile Tea (reduces inflammation and anxiety) or Valerian Root Tea (fall asleep faster and wake up less drowsy). And sure, Lavender Tea works, too.
10. Read something comic/funny for a half hour. (Laughter releases the sleep drug melatonin, lowers blood pressure, flushes out toxins, burns calories, and keeps your arteries from hardening.)
11. Start a journal of "highs and lows" of the day. Add three things you need to accomplish tomorrow. Then add three things for which you are most grateful. If others are nearby, share this list with them. Or call a friend, a co-worker, or grandma in the nursing home and ask them to exchange lists. Celebrating highs and being honest about lows helps wash away cortisol. They also add dopamine - the pleasure drug that bolsters your immune system - and serotonin - the drug that helps synthesize melatonin and trigger sleep - into your night. Writing down the list for tomorrow helps your brain think you can tackle tomorrow tomorrow and allows you to relax. Gratitude releases even more dopamine and serotonin, releasing anxiety and weakening grief.
12. Pray a PTA (praise, thank, ask) prayer for your #11 list above. Praise and thank God for the things for which you are most grateful. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you with your lows and help you accomplish what needs to be done tomorrow. Close in Jesus' name, and mark yourself (and those around you) with the sign of the cross.
13. Oh yeah, and ditch the alarm clock. If you go to bed 45 minutes early, you won’t need it after a few days and you’ll quite possibly wake refreshed from here on out. If you need an alarm clock to wake up in the morning, you're simply not getting enough sleep. Add another 15 minutes tomorrow and see what happens.
If you’re serious about getting more serious sleep, give yourself this gift. Begin tonight and commit to making it all the way ‘til Christmas (48 nights or so ) to see if they can get you on a road to a healthier sleep, less toxins in your waking brain, and a more refreshed 2020 and beyond.
And yeah, you'll scrub up that dirty mind!