Sleep Your Way To midlife Health
A love affair
I love sleep. I just love it. I’m not sure exactly at what point in my life I started organising my life around my bedtime schedule but here I am, and I don’t apologise for it. I get excited about going to bed, getting under the covers, pulling down my eye mask and drifting off. If sleep isn’t a hobby, it really should be. Now in my 40s and well into my peri-menopausal years, sleep is more important than ever in supporting me to deal with hormonal fluctuations, appetite and brain fog in particular.
I firmly believe that quality sleep is one of the key foundations of living a long and healthy life. I believe that we should all be prioritising it and working hard at making it the best it can possibly be. I want everyone to have a love affair with sleep! It is a key topic of conversation with my clients, and they find that when sleep issues are addressed and improvements made, it really is game changing for their overall health.
Why should sleep be a priority?
Great question! Especially when there are so many other things that are a priority in your life and it feels like there is not enough time to get it all done. Luckily, it is an easy question to answer. We all know the feelings that follow a bad night’s sleep - foggy brain, lack of concentration and motivation, patience is thin and achieving anything feels impossible. Avoiding those feelings is reason alone to prioritise sleep.
Aside from allowing us the ability to function well on a day to day basis, sleep is what gives our body and brain the opportunity to rest and repair. Ever wonder why you sleep so much when you are sick? That is your body taking over, forcing sleep so that it can repair and get better.
Sleep enhances brain function and physical performance.
Sleep allows our brain to sort through and process what has happened during the day by dreaming.
Sleep helps to regulate the appetite hormones ghrelin (hunger) and leptin (satiety). Persistent bad sleep can lead to weight gain as the body works to increase energy availability. Levels of ghrelin are increased and production of leptin is decreased; i.e. you feel constantly hungry, nothing you eat satisfies you, and you keep eating. Been there, got the tee-shirt.
Getting consistent good quality sleep has been shown to reduce the risk of diseases such Type II Diabetes, Heart Disease and Alzheimer’s.
Sleep and the Menopause
Oestrogen, progesterone and melatonin are the three big hormone players in the game of sleep. Balanced levels of oestrogen help improve the quality of sleep, reduce the time it takes you to get to sleep and it helps to regulate body temperature when you are asleep. Progesterone is the hormone that contributes to the sleepy feeling that you get. Melatonin is the hormone that signals sleep and wake cycles to our brain. As levels of oestrogen and progesterone start to fall in peri-menopause and menopause, and levels of melatonin start to dip naturally with age, it is easy to understand why so many women experience problems with sleep in their 40s and 50s. To add to this, levels of the stress hormone cortisol are known to rise at night as women go through menopause, so whilst you are trying to sleep, your brain is getting signals that there is danger and goes into flight or fight mode. Not exactly the key to a good night’s sleep that you were looking for.
Can’t sleep Won’t Sleep?
It’s one thing to know and understand the importance of sleep but it’s another thing to be able to achieve it. Stressing about not getting enough sleep can cause problems in itself and lead to even more tossing and turning. Add in the hormonal fluctuations that come with peri-menopause and menopause and you can feel like you are on a hiding to nothing where sleep is concerned. Rest assured (pun intended) that with consistency and patience, you too can become a professional sleeper. Here are my top tips for cultivating your perfect night’s sleep.
Don’t wait until there is an issue to start creating good habits
It is never too soon to make improvements to your night-time routine and to start creating consistency. The earlier you do this the more positive an impact it will have as you move through the different stages of life and the more personalised tools you will have to help you through changes in sleep patterns. For women the mid-30s to mid-40s are often the busiest times of life and the most stressful and this is when sleep disturbances can start to happen. If these are not addressed early on they can continue to snowball and get worse as hormonal imbalances also come into play.
Act during the day so you can sleep soundly at night
Spending as much time as possible outside in natural sunlight is not only brilliant for your overall sense of wellbeing, but is key for regulating your bodies natural circadian rhythm, ensuring that you get sleeping and waking cues at the right times. Getting enough natural sunlight is a challenge at the best of times in the U.K. so you may want to consider investing in a full spectrum SAD light, particularly for the winter months, like this Beurer Perfect Day Daylight lamp available from Holland and Barrett.
It can take up to ten hours for caffeine to leave your body so plan your coffee and tea consumption carefully so that it doesn’t interfere with bedtime.
Limit your intake of refined carbohydrates (white bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits etc) and sugary foods in the evenings. Consuming these foods causes spikes in blood sugar which stimulates the body, followed by a crash when your body produces cortisol and adrenaline. These fluctuations can interfere with your sleep.
Create an environment conducive to sleep
Your bedroom should be a sanctuary of calm, an oasis of chill, a place to escape the demands of the day. If your bedroom is more chaotic than tranquil then it is likely that your sleep will be the same. Keeping your room clear of mess allows your brain to remain calm and switch off from rather than tuning in to your “to do” list. Think spa like soft lighting, and neutral tones that won’t overwhelm your senses.
Make like Goldilocks and get that temperature just right
Studies show that temperature is a key regulator of sleep, and keeping your bedroom at a cooler temperature may help you fall asleep faster, and stay asleep longer. Too warm and your internal body clock is prompted to wake you up as it uses energy to try to bring your body temperature down. Consider using breathable fabrics for your bedding such as linen, cotton or bamboo to help keep you cool.
Bedtime routines are not just for babies
The most important part of a night-time routine is signalling to your brain that it is time to start winding down. Having a consistent routine that is markedly different in energy to your day-time activities trains your brain to recognise that you are preparing for sleep. Aim to begin your routine at least an hour before bedtime. You could start by dimming the lights, reading instead of screen-time, stretching or meditating, and burning a calming essential oil candle whilst doing your evening facial routine. Your aim here is to tap into your para-sympathetic nervous system, also known as the “rest and digest” system, and bring your day to a close with a sense of calm.
Get horizontal by 10pm
Science has shown that we get a “second wind” around 1030pm every night. If you don’t get to bed before this, you are likely to find it a lot harder to get to sleep because of the natural energy rush your hormones produce. You might not be asleep by 1030pm but just by lying down in the calm, dark, bed-time environment is enough to trigger different behaviours in your body.
Bed appropriate activities
Your bed should only be used in service of your love affair with your partner / spouse or your love affair with sleep. Having sex produces hormones that make us feel sleepy and relaxed but use your bed as a place to catch-up on emails, scroll social media, watch T.V., or as an alternative to your work desk and your brain will associate it with those activities rather than sleep.
It won’t Always be Sweet dreams
There will always be times when sleep eludes you. Accept that, and prepare yourself for those incidences. If you get into bed and you haven’t fallen asleep within around 20 minutes, get up and continue with one of your calming wind-down activities until you start to feel sleepy again. Similarly if you wake up in the middle of the night and just can’t get back to sleep, don’t toss and turn in bed. Get up, go to a different room and do a calming soothing activity in a dimly lit room until the sleepy feeling returns. Make sure you continue to get up at your normal time following a bad night’s sleep and don’t be tempted to nap during the day. Do not be tempted to reach for highly processed and sugary foods or refined carbs to fuel you through the day. Instead, power your body with protein, fibre, healthy fats and whole grains.
As a health coach I’m passionate about helping women take back control of their lives and achieve their health and nutrition goals. If the tips above have sparked a desire for change but you don’t know where to start, click on the button below to organise a call to explore which RealWell Health Coaching programme would work for you.