Category: Lifestyle

Are You Sleeping Enough?

Most studies recommend 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Obviously there are people who need less and people who need more, but that is the recommended amount. More importantly, the sleep you get needs to be of a good quality. You can sleep 10 hours a night but if you are waking every hour and never get any deep restorative sleep, you’re not going to feel refreshed.

10 Consequences of Not Sleeping Well

If you are struggling with sleep quality, and none of the tips below are helping, you need to discuss it with your doctor. If you aren’t sleeping well, your long term health will be affected: your body becomes stressed and puts you at a much higher risk for having a heart attack or developing other health conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes, as well as increasing inflammation that increases the risk of cancer and can lead to premature aging!

You will find yourself struggling to lose weight or gaining. Not being rested means you will be more like to make bad choices for snacks, snack more to provide quick energy boosts and you’ll grab fast foods for lunch or dinner instead of making time to cook nutritious meals, and additionally feel exhausted and have no energy for exercise. Whether the bad choices or the lack of sleep, you’ll also find yourself depressed or anxious.

You might find yourself unable to remember things, can’t focus and feel more stressed. Sleep is the time we rest and recover.  It is critical for proper functioning of the body and repair of the major organs and tissues, while allowing time for the brain to process experiences and give us the rest we need to face the next day, unstressed, with more energy and more productive.

3 Stages of Sleep

While you sleep your body goes through a number of sleep cycles that are thought to last approximately 90 minutes moving between light and deep and REM stages, waking briefly between or during stages. Light and deep sleep can be subdivided but are generally groups as NREM (non-REM) sleep.

  • Light sleep

Initially as you fall asleep you might experience some muscle jerks or spasms, and can be easily awakened by sound or movement. Slowly as you lapse into light sleep, your heart rate slows and your body temperature drops slightly and eventually you become harder to wake as you are about to enter deep sleep. Light sleep is less refreshing than deep sleep, but is important not only as a step towards deeper sleep but because it allows the body the opportunity to unwind, and begin cell repair and the processing of memories from the day. As you get older you tend to have longer light sleep periods, which is why the older you get the more tired you are when you wake.

  • Deep sleep

This is the sleep phase where the body is at its quietest, not easily woken. It is more likely to occur earlier in the night when you are most tired, with deep sleep phases becoming shorter as the night goes on. During deep sleep, your brainwaves slow, the body repairs and regrows tissues and muscle, bones grow and your immune system begins to restore itself. This is the stage of sleep most beneficial to restoring your mind and ability to learn, and especially your body.

  • REM

During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, your brain processes experiences, thoughts and memories, usually in vivid dreams. If you are woken during this stage, you are likely to remember dreaming. Aside from your eye movement, your breathing and heart rate increase. Periods of REM tend to increase through the night, replacing the periods of deep sleep as you become more and more rested. Interestingly, the body is largely immobile during this time. The theory being that a body able to move would be likely to thrash and move quite significantly in response to dreams. Aside from memory processing, perhaps storing memories in long term memory, REM is helpful in regulating mood levels and refreshing the brain for learning.

6 Tips for Improving your Sleep

  • Dark

Make your room as dark as possible, perhaps investing in blackout curtains if your bedroom faces east. The body is well trained to wake with the sunrise, but that was only a good idea, when we went to sleep shortly after sunset!

  • Quiet

Keep your surroundings quiet so that you are more likely to stay asleep. Even small sounds can disrupt your sleep, especially during the lighter sleep phases. If you live in a noisy area, consider a “white noise” machine.

  • Cool

Try turning the temperature down as the body tends to sleep better when it is cooler.

  • Avoid things that prevent you falling asleep or wake you during the night

Try to minimize your late night exposure to the blue light of mobile devices like cellphones and tablets, as well as the flickering images of television. Remember tea and coffee both contain caffeine that will keep you awake, as well as waking you to go to the bathroom during the night. If you find yourself waking regularly for bathroom visits, consider how late you are having your last beverages of the day.

Another consideration might be avoiding a heavy meal right before bedtime as this can make for an uncomfortable, unsettled night, and also rich and acidic foods that might cause heartburn. Alcohol can also disrupt sleep patterns; although helping you fall asleep, it has a stimulant effect later in the night.

  • Routine

Perhaps more important, or at least equally important is having a routine and consistent schedule. This is pretty much what I suggest for exercise too. Exercise regularly at a set time, it doesn’t matter what time suits your routine best, just do it regularly and don’t skip or you will lose momentum. It’s the same with sleep. Go to bed at the same time every night, or at least within an hour of a regular bed time. So if you decide 11pm is your perfect time, be in bed between 11 and 12 every night. Ideally between 11 and 11.30 if you can! Don’t stay up late on weekends, don’t sleep in too often. I have to admit I go to bed about half an hour later on Friday and Saturday, but I sleep in about an hour later as catch up for the week. Not ideal, but I really don’t get enough sleep during the week (around 7 hours, whereas I love my 8 hours).

Also if you struggle to fall asleep try to have a pre-bedtime. The body learns the routine and starts expecting sleep so it makes it easier to fall asleep. Depending on how much you want to have in your routine, about an hour before lights out, put your phone aside and turn off the TV, fill the coffee pot, and make lunch boxes. Do whatever you need in the way of having a bath, brushing your teeth, getting into your pajamas and maybe get into bed. Try listening to soft music, or reading a book or magazine. If you regularly wake up during the night remembering things that have to be done (I call it stress waking!), then maybe you can try spending 10-15 minutes making a list of things you need to do in the morning so you can let go and sleep through, knowing you are on top of things; although for some people that might just get them thinking and worrying, so see what works for you.

  • Talk to your doctor about a sleep study

If you are waking up tired even after 7 to 8 hours sleep, consider seeing a doctor and doing a sleep study. My husband was always tired and I complained he snored a lot, so he went to find out and came home with a device to wear to measure his sleep quality. We found out he was suffering from sleep apnea and was spending the entire night going through phases of sleep, snoring, stopping breathing, then startling awake to catch a breath. Most times he was completely unaware but as a result he was never reaching the restorative, restful sleep stages. He reluctantly signed up for a CPAP machine. He tried the over the nose one, but because he often has congestion and needs to breathe through his mouth he late upgraded to the full nose/mouth mask. It took a while to get used to, but he now sleeps considerably better and wakes up feeling like he got some sleep.

Go get some sleep!

If you do end up doing a sleep study and needing a CPAP and if you happen to have the same sort as my husband, these are the replacement parts he finds the best. Also a great book on the topic of sleep! If you happen to buy something, I may earn a small commission on your purchase.


Thoughts on the Blue Zones

I am completely fascinated by the idea of the so-called Blue Zones described in the book by Dan Buettner. I believe that even though much of what is described it impractical and simplistic (perhaps that is the reason their lives are so much happier!), there are aspects we can take to heart and apply to our own situations.

Quick recap in case you haven’t heard:

There are a few places in the world, referred to as the Blue Zones by the author: Okinawa (Japan); Sardinia (Italy); Nicoya (Costa Rica); Icaria (Greece); and Loma Linda, California. People living in those general areas tend to live longer and be far healthier. Many live to be well over 100 years old – a figure we can only hope to reach, let alone be in good health. They have fewer cancers and other “old age” diseases. There doesn’t seem to be a particular diet they follow, but there are general considerations in common.

It’s not that I want to live to 100, although it might be nice. But if I do, I really want to be in good health. My grandmother on my father’s side made it to 96 but she lived in a home the last few years and when I visited with my newborn son, she didn’t know who I was. It made for a nice photo of 4 generations, but it was also rather sad knowing that one day I could probably be there too. My mother is currently almost 87, but I see the very early signs of dementia setting in. It is terrifying to imagine living that way. I have decided that I’m done at 80 just to make sure that doesn’t happen to me.

Is it that they have better genes or is it that they eat that much better? Is it the lifestyle or their daily exercise habits? From what I have read, they don’t seem to eat one consistent diet. Some have a fish dominant diet, some meat. Some abstain from alcohol, while some enjoy in moderation.

While I describe a number of diets and compare them to each other in my other articles, the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the so-called Blue Zones seems to have a few things in common. Since there is no one solution fits all, the idea I get is that as long as you strive to follow a few of them as often as possible, it certainly can’t hurt J So where possible, I am trying to incorporate some of the principles as often as possible.

The 5 main takeaways for me are:

1. Activity

The locals are active. Not planned exercise, not in a gym, not crazy aerobic sweat-inducing exercise, just being physically active – keeping moving, picking and planting their crops, walking to the shop and home, and bicycling the longer distances. Being active at a moderate purposeful level is part of their daily routine.

This isn’t really practical in our modern busy traffic filled lives where most of us commute via public transport or drive a car to work. However, we can try to get up and walk around regularly. We can try to walk around the block a couple of times a day, perhaps at lunch or taking a morning or evening walk. Just get in your steps as part of your daily routine. Look for every opportunity to get moving and being active.

2. Having Purpose

Blue Zone inhabitants had meaning and purpose in their lives. Perhaps because they tend to live in small communities, perhaps because they are living off the land, those that live the longest seem to know what they are living for, what their purpose is, and their reason for being. Many live in family groupings where they help each other in defined ways, perhaps performing traditional roles doing chores.

These days, too many of us are constantly searching for purpose and meaning in our lives, feeling unfulfilled. The message I take from this is that I need to set myself small goals and aim for them. Consider taking a course at a local community college.

By knowing what you want and what you are striving for, you can set goals, and feel motivated. Most importantly you have something to strive for. As you achieve them, you can feel satisfied and accomplished.

3. Being Connected and Engaged

One of the factors that all the centenarians seemed to have in common is that they are socially connected, have strong family ties and are engaged in their communities. Small communities with families living together, or near each other, and having a strong sense of culture make this easy. Everyone helps one another, and everyone knows one another, stopping to chat or having family gatherings regularly. Loneliness isn’t an issue, and because of family roles, even as they get older they have purpose.

While not all of us live near family and the friends we had growing up, it doesn’t mean we can’t make new connections and building a strong support network in our local area. Are there groups at a local library, or school you can join, or perhaps a local gym that has classes for beginners. Consider joining a faith group if you have a religious upbringing or are interested in learning more. What are your interests and how can you connect with similar people. Not all of us have resources to give, but most of us have time; perhaps once a month. Consider helping at a homeless shelter, delivering meals to the aged, making care packages for troops stationed overseas or volunteering at a hospital or senior center. Try building an office culture of collecting backpacks for kids or food items for Thanksgiving or starting a toy drive, you might get to know some new people. It doesn’t cost you much and really does give you a warm feeling when you see the smiles and realize how much difference you made in someone else’s life. There are a lot of people who need you and you can make some great friends while you are there.

4. Low Stress

A low stress level seems to be another consistent indicator of good health into the later years. Perhaps because of the level of activity that keeps them fit and healthy, perhaps because they live a simpler life living off the land and aren’t commuting back and forth to a stressful job or keeping up with social media and the news, they are able to disconnect and relax.

We may need to commute to work and the lifestyle they have is likely not practical for us, but it doesn’t mean we cannot try to mimic some aspects. By disconnecting from the constant barrage of information and taking time to smell the flowers, see the beauty around you and stay connected with your friends and family, you can focus on having a less stressful life.

5. Diet

The most significant part of the study and where I see I can make the most changes are with my diet. These longer living groups follow different diets with some incorporating more meat, some eating more fish, but all ate a significant amount of vegetables, locally grown, likely organically. While some abstained from alcohol, most of the others enjoyed a glass or two of wine with their meal.

They enjoy their meals with family and friends and it’s more about the occasion and the company than the food. I imagine they eat less and slower because they are talking and laughing. They aren’t watching TV and reading their phones while eating, they are engaging with family and talking about the day. The mid-day meal is the big one, followed by a quick siesta in the heat of the day.

And you know they aren’t picking up soda cans and processed foods from that quaint market in the center of town. Perhaps I am romanticizing it and it’s definitely not the way my lunches are, hastily wolfing down a sandwich between meetings while sitting at my desk, but I do recall a friend who travelled to Italy for 3 months to study art history. She attended classes and as she walked home in the evening through old town Florence’s cobbled streets she would stop to get a carafe of wine, some handmade pasta and vegetables to stir-fry or cheeses, preserves and bread for her dinner. It sounds idyllic, and yes, completely unrealistic most nights when you are late home from work and rushing the kids to soccer practice. BUT… imagine once a week cooking fresh vegetables or sitting down to dinner and enjoying the flavors and talking. Start with one day a week trying a new recipe, or trying a vegetarian meal or sitting up to the table with family. Small changes.

Really, all the principles we see above, are obviously good practices. Whether it’s possible to do all of them, whether one or other is more important, they are all good ideas and unlikely to be bad for you. So take this time to try something new that might improve your health, improve your happiness and keep you living well into your 100s.

Check out: https://www.bluezones.com/

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