Sleeping is easy. Our lifestyle and rhythm just often make it difficult.
Go to sleep when the sun goes down in a well-ventilated, not too warm place, breathe through your nose and wake up naturally when the sun comes up, feeling fresh. It is this simple.
Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles that are part of the body’s internal clock, running in the background to carry out essential functions and processes. One of the most important and well-known circadian rhythms is the sleep-wake cycle.
Different systems of the body follow circadian rhythms that are synchronized with a biological clock in the brain. This internal clock is directly influenced by environmental cues, especially light, which is why circadian rhythms are tied to the cycle of day and night.
When properly aligned, a circadian rhythm can promote consistent and restorative sleep. But when this circadian rhythm is thrown off, it can create significant sleep problems, including insomnia.
In reality, life may not be so simple. Habits and circumstances can delay the time of going to bed, or even worse, they make it inconsistent. After sunset we can switch on bright lights and continue to watch bright screens. Possibly we have a late dinner with a couple of drinks and the room we sleep in probably isn’t fully dark either. These all can lead to weird dreams, sweating, tossing and turning, and just overall reduces the quality of sleep.
From a more physical perspective, it can also be a complicated question. In a best case scenario, the body is healthy and doesn’t have limitations, which means we can sleep without having a specific mattress and pillows. Functioning well also includes nasal breathing is a default habit, so the quality of sleep is improved. In reality, we may need high pillows to avoid getting that back or neck pain in the morning, but that pillow also restricts the way the air can flow, and the body – due to the lack of better options – will start breathing through the mouth, causing snoring and other issues down the line. This then will translate to our daily habits, which then will put us in more compensated postures and positions and the cycle goes on and on.
It’s difficult to tell what should one do first to improve everything, but a good starting point is to try to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day. This will help with the rhythm. If the body is physically in a bad state and only sleeping in one position is possible, obviously that has a lot of consequences, so work on the spine (more mobility, flexibility, etc.) as that will improve how the head/legs/arms are when lying down. In these improved positions it’s easier to breathe through the nose, so taping the mouth to develop the habit of doing so could be the next step. It will always help to sleep in a room where there are no devices with little lights or annoying buzzing noises so remove or unplug every unnecessary device. Also, have the last meal a few hours before going to bed so the body has time to digest it. Lastly, since light is more part of that natural cycle, if necessary to wake up on time in the morning, try to use a lamp to wake you up instead of a scary, screaming alarm.
Implementing these habits and practices can immensely improve the quality of sleep. There are some specific cases when more attention is needed, but generally, I found these are simple steps that don’t require heavy financial investment and still have life-changing benefits.