When I first ended up in therapy, and at an appointment for medication support, the prescribing psychiatrist said to me, “If we cannot get you to sleep, you will not be able to heal.” By that time, I hadn’t been sleeping through the night for years between the little people, the cortisol and adrenaline overload, and the vivid nightmares.
Eight years later, I am still hardcore about bedtime. I know that my body requires approximately 9 hours of sleep per night in order to support my overall physical and mental well-being (and my continued healing).
Our bodies are incredibly resilient. Repair processes are literally built into our biology and our sleep cycles. But repair cannot happen without sleep.
When we don’t sleep, we don’t heal. Speaking of healing, I spent some time talking through lessons I have learned about healing in Episode 58 of the podcast.
40% or more of U.S. adults aren’t getting enough sleep (approximately 7-9 hours per night).
I know. I know. Hustle culture would have you believe that sleep is an easy sacrifice on the path to success.
But, I want you to hear me when I say that if you are one of those people who believes ‘you can sleep when you’re dead’ or wears sleep deprivation as a badge of honor, you may be accelerating your path toward illness and possibly even early death.
In 2007, Arianna Huffington woke up in a pool of blood in her office. She had passed out from exhaustion and hit her head on a table; breaking her cheekbone and leaving a nasty gash. Since that time, Huffington has written two books on the importance of well-being and sleep. This experience also led to the launch of Thrive Global.
Over the holiday break, one of the CLE (continuing legal education) seminars I took was on Alzheimer’s prevention. The medical doctor who spoke during the seminar said that deep sleep (one of your sleep cycles) is critical to the removal of plaques from your brain. WOW.
Here are some of my favorite tips for getting better sleep:
- No screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime
- Avoid caffeine after 2:00 pm
- Drink alcohol a few hours before bed to allow your body time to metabolize
- Keep your bedroom cool and pitch black (remove all flashing lights from electronics)
- Move your body every day (even a gentle walk has benefits)
- Writing a list of things you are grateful for before bed
- Set and hold a firm bedtime (no matter how much scrolling or Netflix seems like a better idea at the time)
You can find other tips online with a simple search. But try not to overwhelm yourself. Pick one to implement for a few days or even a week, see what changes, and then add others on a similar schedule over time.
If you find that you are having a hard time restoring your sleep cycle, you may also discuss additional support with your doctor; which might include everything from magnesium, melatonin, or cortisol-reducing supplements to pharmaceutical sleep aids.
Whenever I start to feel frayed around the edges, cranky, or worn out physically, mentally, or emotionally, sleep is often my first remedy. In general, the world feels a little less overwhelming after a good night’s sleep or even a nap. If sleep hasn’t been a priority for you, I hope you will reconsider.
Wishing you a good night’s sleep,
Booth
p.s. The Six Steps to Stress Recovery and Burnout Prevention are available for purchase. Not surprisingly, stress and burnout rates are on the rise. If you’re feeling stress and burnout following you into 2021, walk with me through a step by step process for staying connected and calibrated.