The Power of Sleep: 7 Tips for Supporting a Healthy Circadian Rhythm

We live in a society that often glorifies busy schedules and late nights, but the truth is, sleep plays a fundamental role in our physical, mental, and emotional health, which is why it is a non-negotiable in my book. During sleep, the body undergoes essential processes of repair and restoration. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, you can’t recover from your workouts and you may actually be causing yourself more harm than good by overstressing the body. In addition, lack of sleep disrupts the balance of hunger hormones, leading to increased appetite and cravings for high-calorie foods. So, you can see how not getting enough sleep can lead to weight gain, obesity and metabolic disorders such as diabetes. 

Adequate sleep is 7-8 hours for most adults and is crucial for immune function, helping the body defend against infections and illnesses. It has been said that the reason we have a “flu season” is actually because in the winter when the days are shorter, we are meant to get more sleep but our society does not honor the circadian rhythm and people go about their busy schedules late into the evening, several hours after dark. The circadian rhythm is the natural, internal process that regulates our sleep-wake cycles.  It is influenced by environmental cues such as light and darkness and plays a crucial role in determining when we feel awake and alert versus when we feel sleepy and ready for rest. There’s a lot we can do to support our circadian rhythm and optimize sleep. Here are 7 tips:

1. Maintain a Consistent Sleep Schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends, to reinforce your body's internal clock. 

2. Expose Yourself to Natural Light: Spend time outdoors during the day, especially in the morning without sunglasses, to signal to your body that it is daytime and help regulate your circadian rhythm. 

3. Limit Exposure to Artificial Light at Night: Minimize exposure to screens and artificial light in the evening at least 1 hour before bed, as this can interfere with melatonin production and disrupt your sleep-wake cycle. You can also purchase blue light blocking glasses and alter brightness settings on screens. 

4. Establish a Relaxing Bedtime Routine: Create a calming bedtime routine to signal to your body that it is time to wind down and prepare for sleep. This may include activities such as reading, gentle stretching, or meditation.

5. Avoid Meals Close to Bedtime: aim to be done eating 3 hours before bed and avoid caffeine later in the day. For some, this may be a few hours, and for others,they may still be metabolizing their morning cup of coffee.

6. No “New Information.” Our body releases stress hormones in response to negative news we are exposed to in the evening, so avoid the news, internet, emails, etc before bed.

7. Create a restorative environment for sleep- dark, consider a fan or white noise machine, adjust the temperature to not awaken hot or cold, ear plugs when appropriate.