Make Sleep Sacrosanct
Non-negotiable for health, wellness, and longevity
I’m often torn about which topic to write about next (which turns out to be half the battle), so I’m relieved when the answer somehow reveals itself. Last week, I came across a post from one of the naturopaths I follow who directed her audience to “sleep like it’s your job.” You may have surmised, this subject shot to the top of the list.
Anyone who knows me well knows that my batteries start running out about 7:30 PM. My husband, Andrea, (mostly) lovingly teases that I turn into a pumpkin at 8:00 PM and he isn’t far from wrong. My natural body rhythm is early to bed and early to rise. This was a real stumbling block in college when all-nighters were commonplace—and it terrified me. I knew I couldn’t stay up past a certain hour, namely 10:00 PM, let alone work that late. I literally don’t fire on all cylinders; I get sloppy, I can’t focus, I’m a hot mess…and when design school regularly requires you to wield exacto blades, this was not a recipe for success. I quickly developed very rigid time management skills out of sheer necessity and fear.
Now, all these years later, sleep is a growingly hot topic. Everyone who is anyone in the health and wellness space is heralding the importance of sleep and I couldn’t feel more at home.
A while back I was listening to Megyn Kelly interview Dr. Mathew Walker, author of “Why We Sleep,” and he mentioned that he fiercely guards his sleep to the extent that he will leave his own dinner party early to go to bed. I thought “oh my gosh, I’m not so weird, after all!” I honestly felt so vindicated—although I’ve never agonized over my habit, I’ve been well aware that I’ve been an anomaly in my immediate sphere. But that is starting to change.
As it turns out, there are well-known others who turn in early. I’ve read that part of Tom Brady’s longevity strategy is an 8:30 PM bedtime and Mark Wahlberg maintains a 7:30 PM to 3:30 or 4:00 AM routine for optimum health and productivity. Recently we were guests of our friends in Scottsdale who share my passion for all things health and wellness (to an even higher level), and they regularly go to bed at about 7:30 PM. Whaaaaatttt? I was in heaven. My kind of people! For once I didn’t have to make an excuse or explain why I go to bed so early…
The topic unexpectedly popped up as well in one of the books on my nightstand—Essentialism, by Greg McKeown. Beyond simply a time-management method or productivity technique, Essentialism is “a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential…so we can make the highest possible contribution toward the things that really matter.” Sandwiched between chapter 7 “Play: Embrace the Wisdom of Your Inner Child” and chapter 9 “Select: The Power of Extreme Criteria” is chapter 8 “Sleep: Protect the Asset.” Ponder that for just a moment. Protect the Asset. The author deems sleep so critical and is of such “exceptional value” for high performers that he devotes an entire chapter to it.
Our lives depend on good sleep
The benefits of consistently long, solid sleep extend far beyond just how well you perform on a daily basis; it can dictate our health and lifespan. While you may not strive to be a top-level achieving essentialist, the impact sleep has on higher productivity and mental acuity can directly correlate to longevity, in part because our health depends on making sound choices daily. That is the cornerstone of my Ageosophy: we are a sum of our choices and we have the power to choose wisely.
Unfortunately, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 3 Americans have a sleep deficit. Many studies have shown poor sleep quality is linked to both mental and physical issues such as metabolic dysfunction and a higher risk of heart disease,[1] and both of these impact longevity. One study[2] that followed 21,000 twins over 22 years found that people who slept less than seven hours a night had an increased mortality rate of 24%, while those who slept more than 8 hours had an increased risk of 17%. Achieving the balance of 7-8 hours is very consequential.
In addition to metabolic dysfunction and heart disease, the negative effects of poor sleep extend to all of the body’s systems—cardiovascular, endocrine, immune and nervous systems—which lead to an increased risk of developing obesity, diabetes, serious metabolic dysfunction, anxiety, depression, stroke and some type of cancers…obviously not good for our lifespan.
There are just as many risks to psychological health. Lack of sleep can make it more difficult to cope with life’s stressors and can even lead to depression. Topping it off, a 2014 study found that sleeping six hours per night increases your risk of having a car crash by 33% compared to sleeping seven or eight hours a night. The researchers concluded that 9% of all motor vehicle accidents could be attributed to people sleeping less than seven hours a night[3].
The flip side of the risks are the benefits. For instance, I recently discovered that when we sleep our brain flushes—it literally cleans out. That’s why we are able to see things more clearly and possibly even better once we “sleep on it.” Additionally, there are numerous studies about sleep improving our ability to focus, learn, retain memory, be productive, and make fewer mistakes.
Optimal sleep principles
There are many things you can do to help achieve the essential 7-8 hours of sound sleep. While you will want to develop what works best for you, there is one requirement at the top of the list that is the easiest (yet often the hardest): make sleep a priority. Sleep is a discipline, not a pill. A discipline to practice and continually hone. The good news is it isn’t expensive and is within all of us to do.
• Develop a sleep routine—This is critical because routines become habits. I look at the early evening as wind-down to bedtime and everything I do is with an eye to getting ready to sleep. Typically, during the week, we do not watch TV because it’s too easy to get sucked into a program or movie and too hard to pull away. That is a huge sleep thief. If it’s not on, it’s not a problem. I limit my time on the computer and try to cut off at 7:00 PM unless I’ve got something pressing. (It’s that blue light issue!) I wash my face early so I don’t get too tired to skip it. I usually read for about 30-45 minutes, which is as good as a sleeping pill. Our friend lays on his grounding mat for 20 minutes as part of his routine. I know some people take warm baths every night. The point being, do whatever is calming and relaxing and helps quiet your mind.
• Create a serene environment—With two dogs who sleep in our bedroom and have many bodily functions, this is really hard to do, but I control what I can. Optimal is cool and dark, so we turn the heat off and crack the window to allow some air. The alarm clock is a very dim red, which is the least sensitive color. I have a wonderful bean bag eye pillow; light pressure on the eyes is very relaxing, plus it’s a subtle signal to the brain to shut down. We don’t have devices in the bedroom. We leave our phones downstairs. And, if we neglected to make the bed, we make sure the covers are straightened out…there is something very calming about getting into a tidy bed.
• Adhere to an established time—Our brains are easily trained and it’s important to go to sleep around the same time every night, including weekends. This helps to regulate our internal clock.
• Avoid alcohol before bed—Alcohol interrupts sleep because our bodies wake up when the liver finishes metabolizing it. Every Lent I give up alcohol, and this year I haven’t resumed my usual evening glass(es) of wine on the weekends. I notice the difference in sleep and how much better I function first thing in the morning. If I have the occasional drink, I’ll have it late afternoon—happy hour time—so it’s far away from bedtime.
• Don’t eat or drink close to bedtime—Many foods and digestion can disturb sleep, so I usually don’t eat much after 2:30 PM in the afternoon and when I do have dinner (which is light), I cut off at 6:00 PM. I notice that if I eat later, I have a very restless night, which leads to a very crabby day. I also drink the majority of my daily water within the first 10 hours of the day, tapering off significantly in the late afternoon so I’m not woken up in the middle of the night.
• Exercise regularly—Numerous studies show exercise improves the quality of your sleep, both by relieving stress and anxiety and by simply tiring you out. Better sleep means more energy and the loop begins.
• Tracking—There are many wearable options for tracking sleep; the popular Oura tracker ring springs to mind. I know people love it and I can see how it would be very helpful and fun to use, but I also know it can bring on a lot of anxiety for others…which I can also understand. I don’t personally wear any devices but if I did I would use it to establish a baseline and then wear it every so often as a “check-in.”
At the end of the day
The top-line takeaway is that sleep is a cornerstone to our overall health and well-being, which leads to a longer health span and ultimately lifespan. Whereas sleep was once considered something of a luxury and for the less accomplished among us (“Sleep is for the weak” or “I can sleep when I’m dead”), it is now viewed as a necessity and the currency of those “in the know.” While it’s always been important to me, I’ve elevated sleep to sacrosanct, which mentally shifts it to non-negotiable status…where it belongs.
[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How does sleep affect your heart health?
[2] Hublin C, Partinen M, Koskenvuo M, Kaprio J. Sleep and mortality: a population-based 22-year follow-up study. Sleep. 2007;30(10):1245-1253. doi:10.1093/sleep/30.10.1245
[3] Gottlieb DJ, Ellenbogen JM, Bianchi MT, Czeisler CA. Sleep deficiency and motor vehicle crash risk in the general population: a prospective cohort study. BMC Med. 2018;16(1):44. doi:10.1186/s12916-018-1025-7