How to Get a Better Night's Sleep
For something that takes up a pretty chunky portion of our existence, we don’t give sleep much attention.
With the rise of start-ups, tech, and the freelance economy, we’ve seen increased popularity in tropes like:
Hustle hard!
Put in more hours now so you can rest later!
Sleep is for the weak!
It goes on.
A YouGov survey from 2019 found that one in three Aussies isn’t getting enough sleep.
The problem is, the more we learn about that blissful state of dreaming, the more we understand it to be a crucial part of cognitive functioning and mental performance.
I used to buy into the ‘I’ll sleep when I die’ kind of rhetoric. I used to love it, frankly. But recently I realised that doing so simply means I’m consciously depleting my energy and consciously sacrificing my health, productivity and wellbeing. And for what?
Considering sleep deprivation has been historically used in both torture and interrogation techniques, it’s odd that we hold it up as a kind of trophy now. A weird, “hey-guys-I-tortured-myself” trophy. A poor prize to award the self, if you think about it.
Sleep is the opportunity for our brains and bodies to recharge. It helps our waking concentration, planning, memory, and weight-regulation. Sleep deprivation has been linked to irritability, increased anxiety, poor memory, reduced reasoning and verbal skills, and physical dysfunction on almost every conceivable level from obesity to the risk of motor vehicle accidents to cardiovascular problems. There are also estimates that about 90% of clinically depressed patients note issues with sleep quality, including insomnia.
On a lighter note, not getting enough sleep also makes you more likely to be the rude person yawning while someone is speaking to you.
So let's reconsider the hustle culture. Let's move away from hahaha I'm so tired I only slept for two hours because I am just so committed to my dreams.
Let's move forward with more commitment to literal dreams, in a literal bed (because we are sleeping). To maximise productivity and health, experts suggest treating quality sleep as a non-negotiable, rather than a luxury or rare event.
How to improve sleep quality and duration
Sleep quality and duration are affected by a myriad of variables. Here are some ideas for more high-quality Z’s:
Be one with nature
One 2020 study examined how the office environment affected sleep and cognitive performance: Specifically, they compared two different office spaces for daylight and natural views over a week.
The offices were identical but for elements of nature: One had traditional blinds and lighting, the other electrochromic (tinted) glass. The tinted glass adjusts automatically depending on the time and level of clouds.
One key difference with the electrochromic technology was that it allowed people to see outside (views of nature) and absorb more natural light throughout the day.
What they found was pretty cool.
Those who worked in the optimised daylight and views environment saw an immediate increase of sleep per night. Those who were assigned the office with the blinds (which were always pulled about 75% down) lost 14 minutes of sleep compared to their average. Overall, after accounting for lifestyle factors, participants in the optimised daylight and views room slept 37 minutes longer per night. Additionally, they achieved scores 42% higher on cognitive performance assessment tasks than when they were assessed in the room with the blinds.
From this, it is clear that sunlight is our circadian clock’s friend – natural lighting, in combination with views of nature, helped the office workers get more sleep within a single day.
If you find yourself working from home, consider how the lighting might be affecting both your sleep and your cognitive performance. If you can, try to sit your laptop by a window that gets plenty of natural light. If you can do so with a view of nature, all the better. If you can’t get much natural lighting in your home or office, consider taking lunch outside in the sun when you can.
Turn away from devices
This is simultaneously the most obvious and painful piece of advice. A pile of research demonstrates that electronic device usage in the evening (smartphones, TV, video games) is negatively correlated to sleep duration and sleep quality, and can be a risk factor for adolescents’ sleep disturbances’ and depression.
Smartphones and other devices emit blue light, which can suppress melatonin production (the sleep hormone). Essentially, screens emit light telling our brain it’s still daytime - so that 11.30 pm scroll on Instagram might be more impactful than an impulsive online shop.
The standard advice is to switch off the tech in the half-hour to three hour period prior to sleep. (The amount of hours depends on who you ask.) That might sound a little absurd, especially if, like me, you identify as a night owl and love to get some work done in the wee hours of the night. But if we create a nighttime routine, we can work on it. Which leads to the next point.
Night routines
Ariana Huffington, co-founder of the Huffington Post, is vocal about revolutionising how we see sleep and the importance of a bedtime routine. In 2007, she fainted from sleep deprivation and exhaustion, and the nasty fall left her with a broken cheekbone. It was her big reality check, as she describes it.
Now, her ”sacrosanct ritual” includes a hot bath, changing into pyjamas to signal her body it’s winddown time, keeping her bedroom dark, and switching off devices half an hour before sleeping.
I try to keep a bedtime routine, and I notice the difference when I stick to it. Mine includes a quick treadmill walk and at least half an hour of reading before bed. I also used to use a guided meditation app in bed, which I’ve been meaning to start again. My level of routine-observance goes through phases, but my routine has included reading before sleeping for many years now. I find that also makes it easier to stick to ‘no screen time’.
Whether it’s running a warm bath, exercising, reading, or doing something else that relaxes you, building a routine dedicated to sleep can help you wind down.
I first heard about Ariana’s sleep routine on a podcast, but I don’t recall which one (sorry). She’s been interviewed on a few about it, so if you want to get psyched about sleep check them out.
Change your alarm clock
An Aussie study in early 2020 uncovered fascinating insights about alarm clocks. They wanted to explore how different sounds affect sleep inertia – that foggy limbo between sleep and wake where all you want to do is snooze and return to the blissful peace of sub/unconsciousness.
A harsh beeping sound (like the default alarm on most smartphones) can be startling and is not recommended upon waking. The researchers actually found that melodic sounds could help reduce perceived sleep inertia. They suggest these might ‘warm up’ our brains into awakening for the day, instead of being jolted up.
So, get rid of that startling default alarm sound and change it to something a bit more melodic and rhythmic. These types of sounds could help you wake more peacefully and reduce the morning grogginess.
Get comfortable
If you were an Ancient Roman slave, each night you’d likely be nestling into a straw bed with a blanket, perhaps in the kitchen.
Hopefully, that’s not the case for anyone reading this. (Unless that’s by choice for some reason, in which case… you do you.) These days, there are about 8 million choices for mattresses, pillows and bedroom set-ups.
Part of a quality rest means investing in a comfortable set up. Consider all the senses – a calming scent, blocked out windows at night, and setting a comfortable temperature for sleeping in. Make the bedroom a place you want to sleep in, and do it in a way that works for you.
There are suggestions that even a single night of good sleep can have immediate impacts on cognition. It is an instant-return investment. And over time, great sleep hygiene aids us in various physical and mental ways.
If, like me, 2020 has brought more sleep disturbances than usual for you, perhaps some of the ideas above can assist you. Like all habits, I think great sleep routines take time. Sometimes (often) I suck and end up on my phone until 3am. But the main thing is that we keep trying and find what works best for us.
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