Sleep
Charles Popov, LPC, MA, CADC II, Nutritional Therapist
Resiliency Behavioral Health Srvices LLC
I was told by my Orthopedic surgeon this week that my insomnia (haven’t slept well for 3 weeks)is normal, and that sleep deprivation is the common complaint for my recent surgical procedure. Moreover, it will get better over time. I was relieved with that news, as a lack of sleep impacts me at the neurotransmitter level, affecting my mood states, attitudes, relationships, work, etc. It’s like night and day when I get the required 7.5-8 hours. Man, I can tackle the world when I get good night’s sleep!
Here’s how it works:
90-Minute Sleep Cycles (Ultradian Rhythm)
Asleep, our brains move through repeating stages roughly every 90 minutes:
- Light Sleep (N1 and N2)-drifting in, easy to wake
- Deep sleep (N3)-physical restoration, immune support
- REM sleep-dreaming, memory processing, brain recovery
We cycle through these stages 4-6 times peer night, and the results can be compared to resetting your smart phones to factory setting (of course we retain all of our data). My point here, is that instead of introducing exogenous substances (i.e., alcohol, Sleep aids, melatonin, prescription medication, marijuana, etc.), we can assist our bodies back to homeostasis (balance) with certain strategies. Without getting into the weeds, when our circadian rhythm is optimal, our bodies create natural neurotransmitters (melatonin, adenosine, GABA, serotonin, cortisol, dopamine, norepinephrine, orezin, etc.) in balance. Without going into the mechanisms, when we’re in balance, its a beautiful thing! Suffice it to say, the Circadian rhythym (internal clock) runs on a 24-hour controlled by the Suprachiasmatic nucleus our our brain
When we interrupt the natural process with outside substances, not only is our sleep cycle compromised, but a cascade effects occurs which seriously impact our waking mood states (https://www.charlespopov.net/blog/1038093-alcohol-amp-anxiety).
What To Do?
Simply put friend, this is what we can do:
- Lock in a consistent schedule for sleep. This stabilizes our circadian rhythm
- Control light exposure. Morning sunlight (10-30 minutes) boosts alertness; dim light at night supports meltonin release. Turn off your blue light technology!
- Respect sleep pressure by not l o n g napping during the day. This helps adenosine accumulate naturally.
- Limit coffee and other caffeine. It blocks adenosine production, Alcohol disrupts REM sleep.
- Reduce stimulation 60-90 minutes before sleep. Meditate, get off phone, emails, etc.
- Optimize your environment by a cool (60-70 F) dark, room.
- Exercise during the day strengthens circadian timing (avoid intense work outs several hours before sleep).
Reference
Chellapa, S. L., & Cajochen, C. (2010) The circadian clock and the homeostatic hourglass: Two timepieces controlling sleep and wakefulness. In U. Albrecht (Ed.), The circadian clock. Springer.