Are you getting enough sleep? In recognition of International Self Care Month, this blog will explore sleep and its importance to health. You’ll learn how you can tap into the latest scientific knowledge to optimise your sleep.

It’s no news that having a good night’s sleep is important. However, many people don’t realise how important it is. In an increasingly busy world, you might feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day, and sleep is often the first casualty. Somehow, sleep seems to have become a luxury or even an indulgence, with statistics showing at least a third of adults don’t get enough sleep.

Why is Sleep so Important?

When you sleep, your body has a chance to repair any damage to its cells. You need enough sleep to consolidate memories and nurture your immune system for fighting infections.

Insufficient sleep contributes to a whole raft of chronic health issues. These include low mood, problems concentrating, immune issues, hormone imbalances, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and weight gain.

Insomnia, in other words, difficulty in falling asleep, waking in the night or waking too early, is familiar to most people.

However, another significant disruptor of sleep is a condition called sleep apnoea. Believed to affect up to ten million people in the UK (1), it’s caused by a temporary blockage to the upper airway during sleep, interrupting breathing. You might not realise you have it, but it causes you to wake up feeling unrefreshed, or with a morning headache or dry mouth. Your partner may have noticed you snore, jerk or snort in the night.

What is Circadian Rhythm?

Your body has a circadian rhythm, often called a sleep/wake cycle. It’s a daily cycle of biological processes which reset themselves every 24 hours.

Your sleep/wake cycle is regulated by darkness and light. As it begins to get dark, your pineal gland releases a hormone called melatonin. This tells your body it’s time to sleep and you’ll start to feel drowsy. When your eyes sense light in the morning, messages tell your pineal gland to put the brakes on melatonin production.

Meanwhile, your stress hormones have a pattern of their own. The major stress hormone, cortisol, should be at its highest first thing in the morning. It should then gradually decline throughout the day and remain low during the evening. However, if you are experiencing ongoing stress, cortisol will be higher than it should be come evening. This will increase your energy and suppress melatonin production.

How Much is Enough Sleep?

The optimum amount of sleep varies from person to person, but between seven and nine hours of sleep per night is considered optimal. However, arguably more important than the amount of sleep is sleep quality. This means dropping off to sleep easily, not waking up during the night tossing and turning, and feeling refreshed in the morning. If you aren’t getting quality sleep, you won’t feel the benefits regardless of how long you stay in bed.

When you sleep, your body transitions through cycles comprised of non-REM and REM sleep. Non-REM sleep is made up of stages of progressively deeper sleep, while REM sleep is when you dream.

Non-REM sleep typically occurs earlier in the night. It’s particularly important because your body’s tissues are repaired during this phase of sleep. Therefore, sleep earlier in the night is more restorative. However, many people don’t go to bed until after midnight, missing out on non-REM sleep.

Does Sleep Affect Blood Sugar Balance?

If you’ve ever noticed you’re hungrier after a poor night’s sleep, there’s a good reason for this. Sleep disrupts blood sugar control, leading to cravings for sugar and refined carbs.

Researchers found going to bed later and having less quality sleep was associated with poorer blood sugar control in the morning, even if the study participants had plenty of sleep during the night. They also found a change from a person’s normal bedtime routine, even for as little as one day, led to poorer glucose control (2). This might be familiar to you if you have a late night at the weekend.

As if this wasn’t enough, lack of sleep increases hunger hormones, too (3). So, if you’re craving sugary foods, listen to your body and try going to bed a little earlier.

Your Gut and Your Sleep

You might not think your gut health could impact your sleep, but science has found your gut bacteria or microbiome affect how well you sleep. In a vicious cycle, they’re themselves adversely impacted by poor sleep.

Bacteria have a circadian rhythm, influenced by your sleeping patterns. People with a consistent sleep/wake cycle were found in research to have a more balanced and diverse population of gut bacteria, which is linked to better health. Poor sleep has a rapid effect on the gut microbiome, with effects seen within 48 hours (4).

How to Optimise Your Sleep

• Aim for a consistent bedtime (even at weekends). Ideally, turn in earlier rather than later. If you’re a night owl, try moving your bedtime forward in incremental small steps.
• If you can’t avoid late nights, for example if you’re a shift worker, support your blood sugar control by opting for a protein-rich breakfast, even if you’re craving sugar.
• Keeping your bedroom on the cool side can help you sleep.
• Wear earplugs if noise is an issue.
• Keep your room dark. Consider blackout blinds if light pollution is coming in from outside. Don’t use nightlights in your bedroom.
• Exercise can significantly improve sleep quality, but don’t exercise within three hours of going to bed,
• Screens like laptops, phones and even TVs emit light at the blue end of the spectrum. This interferes with melatonin production. Avoid using screens for a couple of hours before bed - don’t watch TV in bed or doomscroll under the covers.
• Caffeine is a stimulant. People vary widely in the time taken for them to clear caffeine from their system. If you are a slow metaboliser of caffeine, it could easily still be in your bloodstream at bedtime if you drink it late morning or after midday. Chamomile, passionflower, or valerian teas are calming substitutes.
• Alcohol, although it might appear to help you sleep, adversely affects sleep quality. If you consistently wake up at around 3am, this could be your liver crying out for support.
• Natural light exposure, ideally, before noon, helps reset your circadian rhythm.
• If you find it hard to unwind, a toolkit of relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing before bed can be helpful.
• A warm bath with Epsom salts or magnesium flakes can help relax tense nerves and muscles. A drop or two of lavender or chamomile oil on your pillow can help, too.
• Don’t snack before bed. Your gut and its bacteria need their sleep.
• Investing in a wearable sleep tracker can help inform you about your sleep duration and quality.

Help and Support for Better Sleep

With sleep being one of the pillars of good health, integrative medicine recognises sleep’s crucial role in a well-functioning body. Even small changes to your sleep routine and quality can bring about lasting health benefits.

We aim to discover why you’re having sleep issues and address those root causes to restore healthy sleep. So, we’ll consider lifestyle, sleep hygiene, nutritional status, stress levels, hormone or brain messenger imbalances, and weight management.

Meanwhile, functional testing can reveal nutrient deficiencies or hormone imbalances that may be impacting your sleep.

Take the first step on your journey to better sleep today by booking a Discovery Call here.

References

1. Research in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA)
2. Impact of insufficient sleep on dysregulated blood glucose control under standardised meal conditions | Diabetologia
3. Sleep Deprivation and Central Appetite Regulation - PMC
4. Gut microbiota and glucometabolic alterations in response to recurrent partial sleep deprivation in normal-weight young individuals - PMC