How To Fix All Your Sleep Problems - The Science Of Sleep | ECE Ep 005
- By Erin Cobb
- •
- 12 Oct, 2017
In Episode #005, How to Fix All Your Sleep Problems - The Science of Sleep , I detail the routines and products I use to fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and create effective sleep patterns. I also discuss the overlap between biology and psychology in dealing with midnight wake-ups, using sleep triggers and waking up refreshed.
“Think of sleep as the tuneup you need to run smoothly,”
-David M. Rapoport, MD. Rapoport is director of the Sleep Medicine Program at NYU Langone Medical Center.
Show Notes:
How can other people fall asleep so fast, yet it takes me 2 hours?!
What is poor or limited sleep costing me everyday?
Prep Your Environment
Eliminate these three with proper preparation and once you get to sleep, you'll stay asleep. (I explain how below)
- Temperature Set room temperature to between 60-68 degrees and only use a standard bed sheet for cover. Most people who wake up in the middle of the night do so because they are a) dehydrated and need a drink or b) have to pee. People get dehydrated because their blankets are actually too warm, causing them to sweat throughout the night. This feels weird at first, but implementing this cut my mid-night wake-ups by 80%.
- Eliminate Noise Variation Most people think in order to sleep well they need to reduce the amount of noise when in fact its all about reducing the variation in noise. Your body is alerted to changes in noise level rather than overall noise. When a car door slams outside, a baby begins crying or someone gets murdered down the hall, humans tend to notice. I wont get into the differences between white, pink, and brown noise now (I've obviously gone WAY too deep into that rabbit hole). But basically you should either put a fan in your room or a legitimate noisemaker, bonus points if you control it with a clapper (pavlovian response). Alternatively you can use the simplynoise app and earbuds.
- Manipulate Light This one seems simple, yet almost nobody does it properly. Your body is biologically in tune with the rising and falling of the sun. As such, you want your room COMPLETELY DARK when you go to sleep and really light when you wake up. Use black out shades or a "Mindfold" to accomplish the former (while looking good) and a Phillips wakelight for the latter. Looks dumb, works well. Alternatively, I set my clapper to my lights as well so my body associates two claps with "time to get the hell up and seize the carp".
- Comfortable Bedroom
Use Sleep Triggers and Establish a Routine
Go to bed and get up at the same time every night for two weeks based on periods of 1.5 hours. Sleep is based on circadian rhythms, 90 minute sleep cycles that take you into and out of REM. You don't want your alarm to go off in the middle of some serious REM sleep. To make it simple, plan on sleeping 6 hours, 7.5 hours, or 9 hours. Over time you may find yourself waking up naturally about 5 minutes before your alarm.
Use an effective sleep trigger always turn your white noise on right before bed and off right when you wake up, this will make it effectively a sleep trigger AND Noise canceler.
Take A Nap An Oprah Winfrey Power Nap to be exact! Essentially this is just a ridiculous name I came up with for taking a 20 minute nap at the same time everyday. You should shoot for sometime between 1 and 3pm if you woke up at 7. Be consistent and ONLY sleep 20 min or you’ll wake up sluggish. I’ve found this ads another 2-4 hours of productivity onto my day.
Use routines to train your brain. Before bed each night make sure the LAST THREE THINGS you do are the same and in the same order. For me, I brush my teeth, take vitamins, turn out the lights in my apartment, climb into bed then clap 3 times to turn on my fan (yea, I'm all about the clapper)
Make it easy, the brighter the lights the more awake you’ll be. I use the clapper (with a standard fan and lamp) for both of these but a Philips wake light should do the same.
The No list
No Concerns Dont get worked up if you aren’t falling asleep, just relax and focus on slowing your breathing.
No Work Homework or otherwise on your bed during the day/evening.
No Worries Don't Beat yourself up that you aren't falling asleep. These routines usually take about 2 weeks to train your brain and be effective.
ADVANCED: Sleep Supplements and Cold Therapy
Supplements and herbs such as Melatonin or Kava Kava tea 30 minutes before bedtime can greatly aid falling asleep faster and some evidence has been presented for it keeping you asleep longer.
Cold therapy can also get you to sleep faster in addition to helping you lose weight. I use an ice pack on my upper back/neck for 20 minutes 3 times a week. I learned about this technique in The Four Hour Body which I highly recommend. Doing this at some point in the day tends to seriously help people fall asleep fast.
Chilipad- I haven't personally tried this but many people swear by it as up to 80% of midnight wake-ups come from overheating.
Eat well
Exercise
You can make a choice right hear, right now, in this instant
that you're fully committed to making a change. If you think you're
more than you're currently demonstrating, that its time to raise your
standard, that you're never going back to the person you used to be.
Remember: Start to make the change now, change your physiology and you'll start to change your life.
Products Mentioned
Tuft and Needle Mattress (Edit: I Actually use a Casper Wave now)
Mind fold
Chilipad
Melatonin
Kava Kava
Ice pack
Sources:
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