Amazing Breakthrough!

Scientists have discovered a revolutionary new treatment that makes you live longer.  It enhances your memory and makes you more creative.  It makes you look more attractive.  It keeps you slim and lowers food cravings.  It protects you from cancer and dementia.  It wards off colds and the flu.  It lowers your risk of heart attacks and stroke, not to mention diabetes.  You’ll even feel happier, less depressed, and less anxious.  Are you interested?

Matthew Walker, PhD

If you answered YES, this blog post is for you!  What is it?  What’s the revolutionary new treatment?  It’s sleep!  Yes…sleep.

Sleep – So necessary.  So wonderful.  Yet it can be so elusive…and SO frustrating.  The more I learn about sleep the more I find it so strange that such a critical piece to our overall health & well-being is often so difficult to obtain.  I’m currently reading Why We Sleep:  Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker, PhD which is why I’m particularly interested in this topic.  It’s an insightful book filled with excellent, up-to-date info on the neuroscience & psychology of sleep, sleep deprivation & the effect of both on our health.

As I’ve learned in this book (and have very much experienced), high quality sleep decreases as we age.  It’s bizarre to me that one thing which is so important for keeping our physical & mental health at its best gets harder & harder to come by.  Weird.  Has this always been the case…or is it a byproduct of our modern lifestyles?

Regardless of the origin…or your age…there are many things you can do to ensure a better night’s sleep.  I recently chatted with an athlete about sleep & he mentioned that he starts his “sleep prep” about 2 hours prior to bedtime.  What a great idea!  I asked him to elaborate & he mentioned that he:

• Plans out the next day so he knows exactly what his hour-to-hour schedule will be.  (Note:  This is essentially Time Blocking.  If you’re interested in learning about this helpful concept, watch my Live.  If you’d like to read more about it, Deep Work is EXCELLENT!)
• Turns off notifications on his digital devices & puts those devices away.
• Calms his brain by reading or watching aimless TV.

Great stuff here!  I particularly like the idea of a “sleep prep” because, when we value something, we get ready for it.  My athletes value their races…so they prepare 6-12 months for those events.  I value my piano recitals…so I prepare 3-5 months for those.  If a particular business meeting is important, you’ll prepare for it.

So…the best thing you can do for your sleep is prioritize it.  Make it important.  Make it necessary.  Value it enough to get ready for it.  Once you’ve done that, then you can plan out what exactly your “sleep prep” will look like.

Here’s my “sleep prep” plan:

1. Time Block my next day accounting for every 1/2hr from wake-up to bedtime.  By doing this my brain can let go (i.e., it can relax!) of trying to remember all the little things that need to be done.
2. Shut my work computer down.  That means I turn it off…not just let it go into sleep mode.  I do this because, frankly, the temptation to “just get back on & do one more thing” is too great.  I’ve learned that the little inconvenience of starting up the computer up is enough to dissuade me.
3. Eat dinner early…at least 2hrs before bedtime.  Full bellies mean lots of digesting going on…and that’s not restful!
4. No alcohol or sugar with dinner.  Both negatively affect my sleep…and if taken together…oy…it’s a disaster!
5. Stop drinking water at least 1-2hrs before bedtime.  That minimizes the need to go to the bathroom multiple times in a night.
6. Turn off notifications on digital devices from 7:00PM to 7:00AM.  Again, this keeps my head out of “work mode” & helps me wind down from the day.
7. Stay off of digital devices after turning notifications off.  It’s well-documented that the blue light from smartphones & tablets makes it harder to go to sleep…not to mention their use amps our brains up at a time when we’re trying to calm down.
8. Calm my brain by watching 1 or 2 short, funny TV shows.  Nothing emotional, nothing suspenseful, nothing action-oriented…I want silly, funny, light!
9. Take a warm-to-cool shower right before bed.  I start with warm water, then gradually turn the temp down to cool (not cold!).  Once it’s cool, I stand in it for about 30sec.  After that getting into bed feels super cozy & warm!!  And I’ve found that it reduces my nighttime hot flashes!  Bonus!!
10. Keep consistent (roughly) bedtime & wake-up times regardless of the day.  In other words, it doesn’t matter if it’s a weeknight or a weekend, I go to bed & get up at about the same times.  Bodies prefer a routine & have a difficult time adjusting to big changes.  I’ve tried (on weekends) to go to bed later in order to sleep in, but that just doesn’t work.  Regardless of when I go to bed I still get up at the same time.  So, I get better sleep if I just accommodate what my body wants to do!

Although I don’t have any difficulties going to bed, I know many people do.  If you are one of those folks, here’s an interesting concept I came across in the Sleep book.  The author suggests that we set an alarm for bedtime…just like we set an alarm to wake up.  If you’re one of those people who wants to go to bed earlier but continues to find yourself up late into the night, try this.  I’d be curious to see if a bedtime alarm helps!

Like I mentioned above, my sleep issues aren’t about going to bed & not falling asleep.  No, as soon as I crawl into bed, I’m asleep!  My issue, rather, is staying asleep.  I have the dreaded 2:00AM problem.  I wake up around 2:00AM & sometimes I can’t get back to sleep because my brain just starts working away.  Meditation skills can help me control my brain enough to get back to sleep, but they don’t work every time.  So, I’m adding another tool to my sleep toolkit – theta waves (see video below).  This method taps into the relaxation power of binaural beats.

When two slightly different frequencies are played in separate ears simultaneously (usually through headphones), our brains perceive a new, 3rd tone – the binaural beat.  This binaural beat has a frequency equivalent to the difference between the two tones being played.  For example:  If you hear 25Hz in one ear & 10Hz in another ear, the auditory illusion created is a binaural beat with a frequency of 15Hz.

This particular video creates binaural beats in the theta wave range of 4 to 7 Hz.  Theta waves are common in the lighter stages of sleep & in the transition from waking to sleeping.  Waves in this frequency tend to promote relaxation & potentially, sleep!  FYI – I listened to this YouTube during my naptime yesterday…and sure enough…I fell asleep!

So, my friends.  It’s time to get on the sleep bandwagon.  It’s time to let go of that awful phrase:  “You can sleep when you’re dead”.  Because…here’s the kicker…if you don’t prioritize sleep…you may very well be cutting your precious life short!

Happy sleeping!