Nature works on clocks.
Flowers open and close, leaves furl, photosynthesis occurs and insects live and die.
The human body also works with many different clocks. We have a digestive clock, an adrenal clock, a thyroid clock and more.
Being in balance with nature’s clocks is vital to living in balance, and the master clock, the conductor of the orchestra, is LIGHT.
When light hits the back of the eye, it stimulates the brain which controls a host of other actions in the body including hunger, sugar and fat metabolism, immune health and heat regulation. So getting a good night’s sleep starts in the morning with light.
Good sleep is about timing, quality and duration.
Although electricity has shortened our nighttime, our ancestors did not necessarily sleep longer than we do now.
In pre-modern Europe, there are many accounts describing two intervals of sleep, separated by an hour or more of quiet wakefulness. This was sometimes known as ‘the hour of God’.
A study showed that when people are deprived of artificial light at night, a pattern of sleep consistent with pre-industrial Europe emerges: people slept for four hours, were awake for two to three hours of quiet rest and reflection and then asleep for another four hours.
The awake interval had its own altered consciousness, similar to meditation.
This segmented sleep pattern is also associated with greater dream recall.
It turns out that segmented sleep may have been the norm all along.
REST AND REPAIR
REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is the final stage of four stages of sleep. It links the upper and lower region of the brain through dreaming. During REM and dreaming the following processes are strengthened:
• Learning
• Memory
• Mood
• Immunity
• Creativity
• Expands consciousness
Alcohol (even one drink) consumed near bedtime disrupts REM sleep and dreaming. Opioids, antihistamines, sleeping tablets, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications all interfere with REM dreaming.
Risk factors for insomnia include:
- trauma (physical and emotional)
- grief/bereavement
- mental health issues
- shift work
- pain
- dementia
- screen use at night
Most of us are familiar with routine sleep hygiene advice such as no caffeine or vigorous exercise late in the day, keep the room cool and dark etc. But there is more we can do. The three most important things I recommend are:
- Get bright light to your eyes first thing in the morning (without glasses/contacts). This can be just looking through the window at the sky – even when it is overcast.
- Avoid screen time in the evening and turn off wifi. Evermore research is coming out about the negative effects of wifi on the brain.
- Gut health. The gut produces 400x more melatonin than the pineal gland!
Other things that can help sleep include weighted blankets, breathwork, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) which involves contracting and tensing a muscle group for a short amount of time followed by releasing that muscle group along with deep breathing. All of these calm down the nervous system.
Herbal teas such as chamomile and passion flower and supplements including magnesium, L-theanine and GABA also help sleep.
Wishing you good sleep and health,
Dr. Maria