The Value of sleep
I was in the integrative medicine industry for more than 10 years. All those doctors will tell you that you need supplements, pills, or therapies for a great night’s sleep. Of course, they will because a) they make money and b) the real solution isn’t something you can charge for (and they probably aren’t practicing it). In my interview with Emily Green, LPC and expert in cognitive behavioral therapy, particularly as it applies to sleep, we talk about the culture norms that are impacting your sleep and how to overcome the cycle of sleeplessness nights.
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”
Sleep too little and you might end up with an early death, or worse, living like the walking dead.
According to research by renowned neuroscientist Dr. Matt Walker, sleep is the most underrated pillar of a healthy lifestyle. Americans perceive sleep as a task, perhaps even a chore, when in actuality, it is an investment in energy, productivity, and aging well.
Of course, like its counterparts—exercise and eating—you can get too much of a good thing. Successful sleep should be a highly curated experience for each
SLEEP DEPENDENCIES
Much like maintaining a healthy weight, reaching and sustaining your goals is heavily dependent on total body optimization, and any good student of living well knows: good health begins in the gut.
In a podcast interview with functional medicine expert, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Walker revealed that the state of your gut microbiome influences your sleep but sleep also influences your gut microbiome.
Which begs the question, where do you start?
The answer is to start taking steps to manage both. Small wins stacked over time will make a big difference. In fact, any wellness expert will tell you, if you want to create meaningful change, start chipping away at two or three small but impactful changes over a set period of time.
10 habits for better gut health
- Eat clean
- Focus on fruits (caution if you’re post menopausal) and vegetables
- Shop at your local farmers’ market
- Choose lean or plant-based proteins
- Take a daily probiotic
- Eat prebiotic and probiotic foods: sourdough, camembert cheese, kimchi, pickles, etc.
- Avoid excessive caffeine and/or alcohol
- Eliminate processed foods and sugar
- Get routine exercise that stresses the body
- Watch out for nightshade vegetables and other food sensitivities
Curating Great Sleep
Great sleep starts with a sleep routine. I talk a lot about setting boundaries and asking those around you to honor those (easier said than done). Sleep, in particular, is challenging to protect due to cultural norms. In America, sleep is consistently the first sacrifice in the midst of a busy schedule. It is merely a task on a to-do list to be crossed off or left undone, rather than essential to life, like eating and movement
I know at my house, I must try really hard to protect my sleep boundaries, and I fail often. I wake up significantly earlier than the rest of my household to get some “me time” and uninterrupted productive hours. This means I need to go to bed a lot earlier, or what I would consider “on time,” since we have a young child at home. But late-night emails or dishes piling out of the sink take precedence, and I’m falling into bed late, exhausted, and still buzzing from busyness.
When I am successful with my boundaries, I start getting ready for bed one hour before I want to fall asleep. This includes:
- Shutdown stimulation. Regardless of whether you watch TV or scroll on your phone or feverishly wrap up the emails or tomorrow’s to-do list—you’re activating your brain right before bed. Dr. Matt Walker, neuroscientist and my favorite sleep expert, says it’s not actually the blue light that’s harming your sleep cycle—it’s the stimulation. One hour before bed, “shut down all the lights, electronics, and“mind whir”—meaning planning for the next day or making your grocery list. Even in the absence of a screen, you’re stimulating the brain. Reading a simple book to your child or something that is relaxing and enjoyable is best for priming yourself for sleep.
- A hot bath. According to Dr. Walker, a hot bath or shower creates relaxation and brings the core body temperature down as you slip into bed for an ideally cool night’s sleep.
- A cool space. Sleep cold—even in the winter. Ideal sleep happens in a cool environment. It’s ok to have snuggly blankets and such to shield you from the“cold” of the room, but keep it really cold for a great night’s sleep.
- A warm wakeup. Dr. Walker says to “sleep cold and wake up warm.” He talks about how it’s not actually the caffeine in that first few sips of coffee that wakes you up—it’s the warmth. Warming your core body temperature actually wakes you faster. Check out my pro-tip in this video if you’re like me and don’t like coffee or tea and want to discover something that can truly transform your whole day.
BEYOND THE ROUTINE: MASTERING MINDSET
Both Emily and Dr. Walker talk about the role of worry and anxiety when it comes to great sleep. For most Americans, pills and therapies are the first “ line of defense ” against a bad night’s sleep. That’s mass consumerism at its finest — telling you that you need something external to achieve an experience so fundamental to your wellbeing.
All you need to do (it’s free!) is set the worry, anxiety, and rumination aside. I know, I know — easier said than done. However, I speak from experience, and it was the first thing I mastered as I began on this “ journey. ” In fact, I was a bit upset because I went from sleeping only 5 hours per night to sleeping a solid 8 to 9 hours but I feel so much more well rested.
How do you do it? You turn all those conversations from the past playing in your head — I should have said this, I should have done that into positive outcomes. You can’t change the past. You don’t need to have a “revenge encounter.” So, instead of giving thoughts and energy to shoulda, coulda, woulda, fantasize everything going right and positive or shut down the rumination altogether and dream about achieving your desires (like a beach house or spending more time camping as a family or slow mornings because you have a remote job). This is what changed everything for me, almost like magic, in the first six weeks of trying.
If it’s your to-do list keeping you awake, enlist Emily’s recommendation: the worry list. Block 15 minutes on your calendar right before the workday ends and write down everything that you’re worried about. Include not only what needs to get done at work and at home, but also scenarios that might be nagging at you (past or present). Like I mentioned above about the mental fantasy of everything going right, Emily suggests writing down everything that could go right and physically “closing the book” on that situation. Bringing the metaphorical into reality will take it off your mind when it’s time to quiet the mind.
the one thing to remember to make it all work
With all my recommendations, the number one thing I see people do wrong is: give up. Consistency breeds results. Even if your doctor gives you a prescription pill or therapy for sleep, weight loss, depression, or anything else, it takes consistently taking the pill or doing the therapy before it starts working. It must build up in your system, create a new chain of reactions, and then it begins to happen as “the standard” as long as you keep taking the pill or doing the therapy. The same is true for sleep routines, losing weight, or mastering your mindset for any goal: do it again and again and again and again—even when you’re tired, it seems hard, or you think it’s not going to work.
Sure, it’s harder than taking a pill every day or injecting yourself with peptides or getting hormone pellets or taking a tincture at bedtime, but there are fewer side effects, no costs, and it lasts forever if you just keep elevating and expanding.
I often draw an analogy to weight loss or fitness because everything about achieving and maintaining a healthy, fit body is a perfect analogy. It’s not like fit people just woke up one day and “got fit.”It is a skill and a practice. They make it look easy because they never stop practicing it. Once something becomes a habit, it is easier because if you take a break ( like going on vacation or having an “off” weekend ), you crave getting back to the habit, and your body remembers
exceptions to the rule
Like anything in life, there are exceptions. Every person is unique. If you have a health condition that makes sleep challenging, or you’re pregnant or you’re having hot flashes—there are pills and therapies that may be necessary for a specific season or reason. However, there are stories of people who have overcome many of these situations through mastering their mindset. You have a choice.
what you can do right now
If all this sounds great, but you’re like, “Where do I start?” or “I can’t do this alone.”I havegood news! Emily is hosting a sleep workshop, and you can register now by clicking here (if you read this blog past the date of the event, contact Emily for more information about working with her for better sleep). Or, if you want to have a conversation about all your goals and how to turn those into a roadmap for creating the life you want, click here to schedule your 15-minute virtual Meet ’n’ Greet with me. I work with dozens of expertslike Emily, who each have valuable insights and expertise that can support you in creating the life you want. As a team, we can take you step by step through your mindset shifts, activities, and offer you the tools to expedite your transformation and get what you want. But remember, no one can do it for you. Step one is just showing up.
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