The Importance of Sleep (Episode 76)

Studies say 1 out of 3 people have some disturbance in falling asleep or staying asleep. Brent and Janis look at why good sleep is so important for us, why it is challenging to get good sleep and ways that can help us all improve the quality of this essential of life: sleep. 

Transcript:

Welcome to Life and Love Nuggets, where licensed therapist Brent and Janice Sharpe share how you can thrive in your life, your love, and your relationships. Hello again. Welcome back to Life and Love Nuggets, where, as was said in the introduction, we help you try to thrive in your life, in your love, and in your relationships. So today, we're going to talk about sleep. It's one thing that we need to do. It feels good when we're able to do it, but we seem to not do it as much as we need to do it in our culture. This is one of those very much essentials of life.

It reminds us of the reality that we are dependent creatures. We cannot go without doing this. If we don't sleep for just a couple of days, we will become crazy people. So you must sleep. You must eat. We must breathe. If we don't do that stuff, we're not going to make it.

So we often talk about this need we have for control in our life, this kind of almost obsession that we have to try to control our environment, control our circumstances. And this is one of those things that reminds us we are not in control. We don't get to decide this one. If we don't do it, it's, in fact, if you don't sleep, you'll die. The brain will eventually just go to sleep. It might be on the highway. That might be at inopportune times, but it'll just do it because if you neglect this.

And so we seem to try to cheat this one, that there's just so much to do in life. I don't know about you. I do know most about you, but I just don't ever get my stuff done. I don't ever feel like I can just stop and not keep moving. And so try to expand our days, expand the hours in our days. And so sleeping just shrinks. But we actually can't cheat this one unless it's going to have some negative consequences in our life.

So the reason sleep is so important is that the body and the brain are actually in a reparative state in sleep. It repairs, it replaces, and it replenishes. And so it's a little bit like when we go to sleep, a little maintenance crew comes in into the brain and starts replacing and repairing and replenishing. So if we don't give enough time for sleep, that maintenance crew doesn't get its work done. And that's going to affect us. Yeah. And we're all going to have some nights here and there where we don't get good sleep.

You know, there's a lot of different reasons why that can happen. And we can, you know, we still function. We may not be at our best. We don't have quite as good a focus. We may not be as sensitive to other people. We may not be as attuned to their emotions. And we may just have trouble learning things, just focusing on things around us that are important.

But if sleep deprivation or poor sleep happens very often, then we're going to set ourselves up for some very difficult things. We find ourselves then increasing our anxiety. Depression studies show that those are affected by having poor sleep. And even our relationship with others can be affected by not having that positive reparative sleep. Mayo Clinic says that if you don't get good sleep, you will have, your body will be limited in fighting off infections. It increases your risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. So sleep is essential.

Poor sleep can cause psychiatric disorders or at least, give me the word, exacerbate. Studies say that one in three people have sleep disturbances or have trouble falling asleep at night. So it's a thing. It's a big thing. It's something that we need to all be aware of and we have to work on.

So what's good sleep, Brent? And really, how do we do it? I mean, the studies are showing, we all hear about the eight hours, studies are showing that as adults, we need at least seven good hours of quality sleep every night in order to be healthy and in order to have that reparative effect that you were talking about. So how do we improve our sleep quality? So one study suggests that the amount of daytime bright light exposure that we have during the day actually helps us sleep better so that we need at least 30 minutes a day, preferably outside, but at least through a window that can improve sleep duration. If getting outside is not possible, then sometimes, I mean, are these bright light devices that you can buy or bulbs for certain lamps that are artificial bright light that can actually do some of the thing. I remember what was that show that it was set in Alaska, doctor.

Oh, northern exposure. Oh gosh, that goes back a ways. Yeah. And the guy bought, had a little light circle thing. A little halo thing that he put on his head and walked around with it because they just, you know, it's so dark there for so long. Well, and we also know when we've talked about depression that not getting good natural light can contribute to depression. Yeah. So there was a 2017 study that did with a hundred office workers found that those who were exposed to a lot of light in the morning took less time that evening to fall asleep, especially in the and they also found better synchronization of the body's internal clock.

And it improved their quality of sleep. So, so that's one thing to consider is just kind of the bright light we're getting. There are a couple of chemicals adenosine and melatonin that are sleep enhancers. So just keep that in mind when we talk about these other things that begin to impact or impair those two chemicals. First light, first of all, blue light exposure, this stuff we get from all of our devices suppresses melatonin secretion. Again, melatonin being one of those sleep enhancers and therefore can impair our sleep. So being aware of that, particularly later in the evening, how much we're on our devices.

Now there are several pop, you know, popular methods of how these glasses that you can wear that reduce the impact of that. Certainly turning off your TV, you know, several hours before you go to sleep or your other devices. And even really any bright lights around the house, even two hours before we're trying to go to sleep, it's suggested turn the brightness of those off, have dim lighting a couple hours. So they're telling us that when the, when winter is there, we turn on soft music, cuddle on the couch and put a fire in the fireplace. I think that's it. Okay. I think that could be. Yeah. So caffeine, it blocks adenosine and therefore affects our quality of sleep.

And so that's what we need to just be careful. Now I appreciate my coffee in the morning and a pretty important part of my life. And so it's just better for everyone.

We like expresso. And, and so but be very careful how much in the afternoon, you know, maybe limit it to early afternoon. Don't let it go too long or it will affect good sleep. As we get older, it might be nothing afternoon, unfortunately.

Soon it'll be 8 a. m. So just be very careful with caffeine because it will impair sleep. Yeah. We also have to be careful with alcohol. Alcohol is known to cause or increase the symptoms of sleep apnea, snoring, and disrupted sleep patterns. It changes our nighttime melatonin production that we need in order to really have a good quality sleep.

It helps our circadian rhythm. So it helps our body just reset every 24 hours. Melatonin does. Yes. Not alcohol. No, alcohol doesn't. Well, there are people that might argue that, but it doesn't. That's right.

So an occasional drink is, is not that big a deal. It doesn't make that much of a difference. But if it's too close to bedtime, that's when it causes problems. And I know it's common for people to just go, well, I just have a glass of wine.

That relaxes me. Yes. Right before I go to sleep. But the studies have shown that's not good, even though they feel like they're relaxing. Mild alcohol, which interesting in women is less than one drink. I'm not sure what that is. Less than one drink.

How do you measure less than one drink? And less than two drinks for men decrease the quality of sleep by 9.3%. A moderate drink, which would be one for women and two for men decreases your quality by 24%, but high amounts, which is just considered more than one drink for women and two drinks for men. It actually decreases your sleep quality by 39.2%.

That's a large percentage. So that's a day, obviously, you know, and so, um, so that high amount more than one for women, more than two for her, for men, 40%. That's huge. And even though it feels like it's a relaxant, you know, but particularly this, the later you do it in the day, um, it's going to really impair good sleep. And if it increases your snoring, it will affect your partner's sleep. Yes, absolutely. Another thing is this suggested to keep a very strict sleep schedule, go to bed at the same time every night, wake up at the same time or get up at the same time, uh, in the morning that that becomes, uh, very helpful for us.

And so the, uh, some people were wondering how, how do we figure this out? How do we figure out what's best for me? And, you know, it was one study that suggests if you had an opportunity to go on a vacation and had a whole where you just hadn't, didn't have alarms and you just kind of went to sleep when you were naturally sleepy and got up, woke up without an alarm in the morning that about seven days of that can kind of help you get a good picture. And, um, also be aware of the impact of your sleep atmosphere. And we're going to talk about several parts of this, but one of those is just comfortable bed. I mean, it's particularly as we get older, it is a good thing to invest in, you know, a good mattress, sheets that feel good, blankets, appropriate blankets and so forth, um, can really make a difference in just, um, I call it sleep hygiene. Just, just having all of those factors that are key to good sleep.

And it's important to like your bedroom, make your bedroom someplace that is pleasant and positive. I encourage people all the time, don't keep the unfolded laundry beside your bed because when you go to bed, you're going to be I should do something with that. Don't keep work things in there, make it a pretty room that you are comfortable in and that is a peaceful and restful place for you. And one of those things is watching the allergens in your house. Um, I remember years ago when our daughter was having a lot of allergy problems and we got an air purifier just for her room and we kept the door shut. We were like, Oh, I'm sure that's helping her. But then when I got hit with my seasonal allergies of azaleas, um, I remember I couldn't breathe at night and I was waking up a lot because I was so congested going in and laying on the floor of her room.

And in less than an hour, I think less than a half an hour, I suddenly was breathing good again. And so it's important to go, are there impurities in the air or are there allergens that we need to screen? Because it's, it's very easy to do that with an air purifier. Optimize the bedroom environment. Now, a lot of this has to do with all the lights, you know, all of our little bright red lights on, on a, uh, on a phone, not a phone on a, an alarm clock. If you still have one of those. Okay. Most people just use their phone, but some people still have a clock. Right. And oftentimes it's, I know we had to turn ours.

It was kind of facing our bed and we just had to turn it. Um, there's a little on the, uh, special plugs that you have on sinks. There's a little green light on them. Yeah. And I know in ours are, you know, it's right. Bathroom is right off the bedroom. And so there was one little green light that you, you know, um, the alarm system alarm system, the, the, the buttons there, you know, we'll have a light, just one little light on them.

So a television, if you have one in your, your room, and so we'll just oftentimes have a little light on it. And so, so just cutting all those off, you know, even putting a little something over that bright light, little stickers you can actually put over those lights and just, so anyway, that can make a huge difference. Having a block out curtains that keep outdoor lighting. Um, the, um, a sound machine oftentimes is helpful. I know we've slept well in for years, just because of noise. Now, one of those raising four kids and there's always movement and so forth. And, uh, now if you have kids, you got to not have it too loud.

You're supposed to get up. You got to be paid attention to that. Um, but just what are the things are, how do you minimize that? So just paying attention to all that can be huge temperature. It's interesting suggested that about 65 degrees is kind of the optimal sleep temperature for most people. Now it's going to be different for everybody. Um, but paying attention to that and making sure that it is, that we've got the right kind of atmosphere can be huge.

You know, it's interesting. I was reading something the other day that they were couples are finding it easier to sleep well in the same bed if they have separate duvets. So they have separate comforters instead of the big one over the bed. Um, they don't have the fighting at night. If they get hot, they can take it off. Um, so I think that's something to consider. It won't be pretty on the bed to have to, but, but if it helps you sleep and, you know, I think as we're talking about all of these things, it reminds me of what I usually say.

And that is really, we're all babies. We need to have a consistent sleep schedule. We need to have, yes. And you look at babies, you know, when we have our grandkids over, you have the room completely dark, you have the blackout curtains, you make sure that that electronic thing isn't on. So they don't see it. I mean, that's basically machines. Yes. The temperature's cool.

Uh, is the bed comfortable enough? We do all of those things, which is what we need to do for us. A bunch of babies. Babies. The other thing is naps. Naps can disrupt your, your street, street schedule, sleep schedule. Maybe I needed to get more sleep last night.

Um, but there's some benefits that have been found in short naps, power naps. So they suggest that if you sleep no more than 20 minutes, it might energize you for the rest of the day. So if you have a late morning or early afternoon, where you find yourself sleepy, 20 minute nap may be a good thing. But if you're really tired and you end up taking a longer nap, it's suggested that you nap at least 90 to 120 minutes to go through all of the sleep cycles. We just have to make sure that we do that in more than six hours before our bedtime, because if it's within six hours of our bedtime, we're not going to be able to go to sleep that night. So if you can't get at least 90 minutes, don't let it go past 20 minutes, set alarm, get up, um, or just mess the whole thing up. So I'm thinking it's just good for us to all take an afternoon siesta, like two hours. That's good.

It seems like it's perfect. Anyway, another thing that we need to watch is water. Now, if you get sleepy in the afternoon, sometimes it's because you're dehydrated. You know, it's really easy for people to reach for a caffeinated beverage or sugar to help them feel better. But if you start by drinking water, sometimes you find out you're not as sleepy anymore. But water right before you go to bed, if you drink too much of it, can cause your sleep to be disrupted because you have to get up and go to the bathroom. Or at least you're consciously aware of needing to go.

And so we do have to watch that. Yeah, once to twice getting up to go to the bathroom is understandable in sleep. But too much water can cause it to happen too much, you know. The other thing is we have to recognize what's kind of going on culturally in our world right now. There's so much what we would consider chronic stress that is all around us. And so cortisol is being constantly released in our bodies. It can impair sleep, and which can cause more cortisol to be released, leading to hypertension.

It leads to kind of a fight or flight kind of response, hyperactivity. Anyway, all of that impairs sleep. And so just recognizing that our circumstances of our days, you know, hearing about a war here, or a conflict, or politics, or whatever, keeps everybody kind of hypervigilant. And so we're gonna have to pay attention to this more than even normal, in normal circumstances. And so some of the things that can help reduce stress and anxiety are actual keys to sleep. So one of those is certainly exercise. Getting regular physical exercise obviously improves sleep and health.

It can enhance all aspects of sleep and reduce insomnia. So although daily exercise is key for good night's sleep, exercising too late can be problematic. So now some people, again, it's different. Some of this stuff is different. I can't exercise at night, even late afternoon. I tend to be awake. I mean, I know some people that can do that and go to sleep, but just if you're having some sleep disturbance and you're the late night workout person at the gym, just realize that could be a key factor.

It is just, it stimulates everything, and exercise does. And so it increases alertness, levels of hormones, epinephrine, adrenaline, and so it can just impair sleep. The guidelines for Americans right now in regards to what's healthy exercise is 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week.

So that's about 20 minutes a day. If it's just a walk, just kind of moderate. If it's intense, about half of that. So 75 minutes a week. And then a couple of days of muscle strengthening is what's suggested along with that aerobic exercise. So if you can spread that out throughout the week and make sure that you stop a few hours before you go to sleep, can really enhance sleep quality. Yeah, and to get good quality sleep, we need to practice what they call sleep relaxation, and it's finding ways to relax before it's time to go to bed. So this isn't the time to watch the most suspenseful show that you've possibly watched or violent shows or anything that can cause all of that anxiety to come back up again.

Practicing relaxation exercises, deep breathing. We have talked about before, we do square breathing where you breathe in for four, you hold for four, you breathe out for four, you hold for four and can continue that cycle. And it can help you actually relax your body. There's other types as well of breathing that people can do. There's things like the Calm app, a Calm app, practicing mindfulness, being aware of your circumstances. I'll tell clients, especially if they wake up in the middle of the night, I'll say, just lay there and think about how peaceful it feels to be where you're at right now, how comfortable your bed is, and just the silence and comfort that you have right then. And it can help people go back to sleep.

And if you're gonna read before you go to bed, read a peaceful book. Again, it's not the time to read something that's so suspenseful you wanna keep reading to the next chapter and the next chapter and the next chapter. Another thing is reserve your bed for sleep and sex only. When you get your bedroom really comfortable and really nice, it's tempting to just go, I'll just hang out in bed a little bit longer. But that is causing disruptions in your sleep. What we wanna do is we want to train our brain to know that when I'm in bed, it is for sleep and sex and nothing else. And that will help us fall asleep easier and have better quality sleep.

And then if you're restless, we'd wanna avoid this connection in our mind between our bed and frustration from sleeplessness. And so if you can't fall asleep for 15 to 20 minutes, it's recommended that you go ahead and just get up. Now, don't go turn on a fast action movie or something. It's best to get out of bed, do something relaxing in low light for about 15 minutes or so until you start feeling sleepy again, then go back to bed. So again, avoid checking electronics and all those kinds of things. Sometimes journaling, just if you're worried about something or if you're afraid you're gonna forget to do something tomorrow, writing it out, writing it down can help release that. Certainly listen to music for some people can be helpful or meditating during that time.

But again, we just wanna avoid that connection between bed and I'm restless and not sleeping well. A couple of our grandchildren go to sleep with scripture lullabies. Of course, the first time, I think I've said this before, but the first time I couldn't find it for them, I said, what do you listen to? And they said, crammy, it's Taylor Swift's lullabies. It wasn't Taylor Swift, but that's what they thought because mom listens to Taylor Swift so much. But it was scripture lullabies. And I thought, wow, this would be a good thing for adults to go to sleep.

It's really restful and really peaceful. Now, the negative impact of nicotine use and smoke exposure has been widely reported for all kinds of harmful impacts on our body, but it also affects sleep. Exposure to smoke, including secondhand smoke has been associated with a range of sleeping problems, including difficulty falling asleep, and then it actually adds to fragmented sleep. Nicotine is a mild stimulant, and evening nicotine use in particular can really impact and disrupt sleep. Wow, okay. Well, a lot of people take melatonin. A lot of people have said that they find that melatonin is helpful, and it is, but the studies show that really it's the most beneficial if you have it four hours before you go to sleep.

It's not a sleeping pill. It really is something that deals with your melatonin production in your body. And so it needs to be taken earlier for it to be really effective. One of the things that they've found actually is effective is lavender. Putting like lavender spray on your pillow or putting a small sachet of lavender under your pillow or having a lavender scent in the room has actually been shown to help you sleep and increase your quality of sleep. So there are some things that you can do in that way. I'm sure there's probably other essential oils or herbs that are helpful, but lavender is one that has been studied.

Yeah, and it's been known to increase back again to melatonin, which is one of the sleep enhancers, one of those two key sleep enhancers. Anything that can help that, help our body naturally produce melatonin is gonna help. And then again, we could go on and on. There's all kinds of ideas and strategies. We're basically just saying, just work on getting good sleep. Don't neglect this. It's really critical.

It's the whole idea that it is the time that our body and brain repairs. So if we continue to go without good sleep, we are wearing ourselves down in all areas. And so we've got to say, this is a priority, even though I have a lot of things I have to get done, this is a priority so that I can be reset and will make us more efficient in what we are doing. Yeah, our bodies are, we use a lot of energy. There's a lot that goes into exerting our brain and our bodies. And if we don't have time for restoration, it's gonna be a problem. It will break down.

So we're gonna leave you with kind of a, just something to think about. It's called the 3, 2, 1, 0.

10, 3, 2, 1. Forgot the first number. 10, 3, 2, 1, 0. So think about this kind of as a strategy. So starting 10 hours from bedtime, avoid consuming alcohol. Maybe that too, but caffeine. Okay, sorry.

So 10 hours, avoid caffeine. Three hours, limit alcohol and food. Because we eat food late and there's a lot of energy that goes to digesting that and that impairs sleep. Two hours before bed, try to relax and avoid mentally taxing tasks. Then one hour before bed, put away all electronics. So just see, so that's 10, 3, 2, 1, 0. So just see what happens.

And maybe there's something here that you can grab ahold of and kind of put into practice and see if that's helpful. The scripture says he gives his beloved sleep. This is something that was designed for us to heal and restore. It's designed to bless us, to regenerate us. And so we just wanna allow what has been the God-given design to do its good work and get good sleep. So go in peace today, blessings as you go. The Life and Love Nuggets podcast is a 501c3 nonprofit and is supported by gifts from people like you.

To donate, go to lifeandlovenuggets.com slash donate. This podcast is produced by Clayton Creative in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The content should not be considered or used for counseling but for educational purposes only. The Life and Love Nuggets podcast is a 501c3 nonprofit The content should not be considered or used for counseling