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- Sleep: Why You Should Care
In part 2 of our sleep episode we are going over tips to improve your sleep. We tried to cover simple things you could try at home and then ended with supplementation if you wanted to go that route. So let’s get right into the tips:
-Avoid electronics right before bed. Blue light stops melatonin release which increases sleep procrastination.
-Avoid eating too close to bed. It can raise your core body temperature at a time when you need it to be dropping. Cut off eating 2-3 hours before bedtime.
-Avoid exercising too close to bed. It also can raise your core body temperature as well as spike certain hormones (adrenaline). Avoid exercise within 2 hours of bedtime.
-Ideal bedroom temperature is 65-68 degrees.
-Avoid caffeine too close to bed. For most people the half life of caffeine is about 6 hours. So after 6 hours, 50% of the caffeine is still in your brain. After 12 hours, 25% is still in your brain.
-Avoid alcohol. Alcohol fragments sleep due to increasing core body temperature and stopping vasopressin. You end up waking up many more times during the night, thus blocking REM sleep.
-Don’t lie in bed awake for very long. Your brain associates very easily and you don’t want it associating bed with being awake. Get up and go read in dim light or meditate and return to bed when you are sleepy.
-Try to have a consistent wake up time. Even after a night of bad sleep, try to stay consistent on wake up time.
-Typical melatonin released from your brain is about 20-100 micrograms. Therefore, be cautious with how much melatonin you take if you are supplementing with it. Certain data suggests that doses of 700-800 micrograms or more can down regulate melatonin receptors in the brain.
-Glycine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brainstem and spinal cord and so it inhibits motor activity during REM sleep. Essentially it is calming the central nervous system. 2-3 grams is a typical dose.
Simplified Takeaways…
Avoid blue light, eating, exercising, caffeine and alcohol too close to bed.
Don’t lie in bed awake for too long and try to have a consistent wake up time.
Sleep trackers can be a helpful tool if you are trying to make specific changes, but there are studies showing the negative impact of seeing a poor sleep score can ruin your day.
Although melatonin is probably the most popular sleep supplement, it is very often dosed way too high, and there are some issues being raised about chronic use of this supplement, especially with developing kids.
Glycine is a good supplement, with 2-3 grams being an effective dose. Honorable mentions include Valerian root, 5-HTP, and Ashwagondha.
Further Reading…
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