Dr Nerina Ramlakhan shares her knowledge
With increasing pressure at home and work, the drive for sustained performance and technological demands, the need for efficient strategies for recovering energy is critical. For most of us, the time when we are most likely to attempt to recover energy is when we sleep. Often, by this time the body’s energy deficits are such that a night of sleep may not be sufficient to ‘repair’ the damage done by the day’s stresses and strains; over time this debit effect can become cumulative and eventually the symptoms of exhaustion and burnout become evident. This may particularly be the case for those working shiftwork patterns.
We spend approximately one third of our lives asleep, but surprisingly no one really knows why we engage in this mysterious activity. Theories suggest that that we sleep in order to process and file information that was taken in during the day as well as to repair and rebalance the body physically and mentally. So what impact does work and lifestyle have on our sleep quality? In simple terms, handling more information daily, working longer hours and fewer breaks can change the dynamics of our sleep resulting in a greater demand for ‘information filing’ sleep and less time available for rejuvenating deep sleep. How does this feel? Many of my clients report the following types of disrupted sleep:
“I fall asleep in front of the TV but can’t sleep when I get to bed.”
“I have so many work-related dreams, as if I’ve been in the office all night.”
“I’ve been waking around 2 or 3am and finding it difficult to get back to sleep.”
“No matter how much sleep I get, I still wake up feeling tired.”
We can make better use of our sleeping time by managing ourselves better during the day and preparing our minds just before going to sleep.
The following are some basic strategies for optimising sleep quality and managing fatigue. They are tried and tested methods that I have been recommending to my clients for a number of years and are also based on indepth knowledge of the architecture of sleep patterns and human circadian rhythms.
TAKE REGULAR BREAKS DURING THE DAY
Regularly seeking rest and recovery throughout the day is one of the most effective ways of improving sleep quality. Even a break of 3-5min duration can be sufficient to enable the body to renew energy physically and mentally. Use the time to go for a walk, stretch, change channels mentally, drink a glass of water or eat a piece of fruit. Try to take a lunch break of at least 20-30min duration every day. Use the time to recharge mentally and physically and avoid checking emails or surfing the Internet during this time.
FOLLOW A REGULAR WIND DOWN ROUTINE
Human beings, like most animals, respond well to familiar rituals. Try to get into the habit of allowing you some time to wind down before going to sleep. Read a book, listen to relaxing music, have a bath and use some relaxing essential oils such as lavender to help promote sleepiness. Delay going to bed if necessary - you are more likely to be able to access efficient deep sleep if you have allowed the mind and body to relax than if you rush to bed feeling anxious about trying to get good sleep. You are more likely to feel rejuvenated if you have had five or six hours of efficient sleep than seven or eight hours of shallow, restless sleep.
MANAGE THE WORK/HOME BOUNDARIES
Talking about your work when you get home can be a good thing and a positive way of gaining support from family and friends. However, try not to let the work talk spill over into your whole evening and bedtime. If necessary, set some rules about when you stop talking about work and allow your mind to wind down and switch off.
TIME MANAGEMENT
Write your to-do list before leaving work instead of at the beginning of the day. This stops you worrying about work in the evening and you are less likely to wake up during the night thinking about tasks that have to be done the next day. If you are planning to take work home, make a commitment about whether you are really going to do it or whether it is just going to sit in your briefcase all evening creating guilt and anxiety. Weekend working is often best done first thing on Saturday morning so that the rest of the weekend is available for rest and relaxation.
EXERCISE
Regular exercise is one of the most effective ways of reducing stress hormone levels (mainly adrenaline) thus enabling you to sleep more deeply. The American College of Sports Medicine guidelines recommend three or four sessions of aerobic exercise (swimming, cycling, jogging, fast walking) for 20-30min per week. Competitive exercise can cause the production of stimulating hormones (eg endorphins) making it more difficult to get to sleep so it might be worth delaying sleep by 45mins or so to wind down properly before getting in to bed.
MINIMISE STIMULANTS
Caffeine has a direct impact on reducing sleep quality. The half-life of caffeine is approximately 5hours. This means that it can take up to 10 hours to completely remove all of the caffeine from your body if you drink a cup of tea or coffee. If you are having problems sleeping or are waking up feeling tired no matter how much sleep you get, minimise caffeine and increase your fluid intake by drinking more water, herbal teas and dilute fruit juices. Remember, alcohol can also impair deep sleep quality so you are likely to wake up feeling tired and fuzzy-headed if you have overindulged the night before.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU WAKE UP DURING THE NIGHT
If you wake up during the night, try to avoid looking at your clock and registering the time. If you do this, you are more likely to start worrying about how little sleep you will get if you don’t fall asleep again. This then reduces your chances of getting back to sleep even further! Instead, lie on your back and try to consciously relax each part of your body starting from your toes and working up to your head and face. Breathe deeply from your diaphragm and tell yourself that it doesn’t matter if you don’t fall asleep and that you will just use the time to rest and relax.
LEARN HOW TO POWER NAP
Short naps of 5 to 15 mins duration have been proven to be very effective at promoting energy renewal and increasing cognitive function. A nap involves sitting or lying comfortably in a well-ventilated room, progressively relaxing muscles and breathing deeply from the stomach. The subject will approach a near sleep state without actually falling asleep and will be conscious of their surroundings during this time. The more adept the individual becomes at practising this technique, the more readily they are able to rapidly achieve a state of relaxation and rejuvenation. Incorporating visualisation techniques into your power nap – eg relaxing scenes – can make it even more effective.
IS EIGHT HOURS THE NORM?
I have encountered many individuals who have become anxious about their supposed sleep deprivation because they feel they might not be achieving the the ‘normal’ amount of sleep. Sleep requirements vary from person to person and also depend largely on whether the above strategies are being practised regularly. For most of us, living in this age of information overload, the challenge is to achieve efficient deep sleep rather than a certain quota of hours.
YOUR SLEEP ENVIRONMENT
Keep your sleep environment free of clutter and junk. Don’t bring work into your bedroom and keep the laptop and blackberry out of your bed! Ensure that your bed, mattress and pillow are comfortable and just right for you. The ideal temperature for good sleep is slightly cool so keep windows open or have a fan in the room. The white noise from the fan can also help to create a white noise effect that cuts out distracting background noises.
THE OPTIMAL SLEEP MINDSET: GOOD REST VS. POOR SLEEP?
To sleep well we almost need to let go of wanting to sleep well. In other words, the more pressure we put on ourselves to sleep, the less likely we are to actually fall asleep. This may particularly be the case before big events (eg getting up early to catch a plane, the night before an important meeting or presentation). In these situations it might be helpful to dispel with using the word ‘sleep’ and to use the word ‘rest’. So tell yourself the night before any big event ‘it doesn’t matter if I don’t sleep tonight, I’m just going to use the time to rest’. It’s a bit of trickery but you’ll be surprised how quickly you then get to sleep – particularly if you use the technique regularly.
NUTRITION AND SUPPLEMENTS
In order to get good sleep, we need a good balance of the hormones serotonin and melatonin in our sytem. Adequate amounts of vitamin B6 and tryptophan are needed to boost these hormone levels and they are found in chicken, cheese, tofu, tuna, eggs, nuts, seeds and milk. So drinking a glass of milk before going to bed can help to induce sleep. Other sleep-inducing foods are oats and lettuce.
Herbal nightcaps – it is best to resort to sleeping aids (natural or pharmaceutical) only as a last resort. They should be used when other avenues have been exhausted and then only occasionally. Valerian (tablets, tincture or tea bags) is sometimes called nature’s Valium and can aid sleep for most people. Passionflower and hops also have mild sedative effects.
Finally, remember that sleep – although incredibly vital to our health and wellbeing – is only one way in which we renew, rebalance and energise ourselves. Also vitally important are other aspects of our physical health (nutrition, exercise, other forms of rest and relaxation, hydration), as well as our mental, emotional and spiritual health. Paying attention to all of these other areas of our health can go a long way towards restoring balance and wellbeing.
Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, Author of Tired but Wired and Sleep Expert at Silentnight beds.
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