I have to admit something—I don’t sleep. Okay, I sleep, but it’s not nearly enough. I’m lucky if I get seven hours a night, and on the weekends? Let’s just say the number decreases significantly. Judging by the long lines at the sixteen Starbucks I pass on my way to work, I’m not alone.
Work, stress, and social lives all wreak havoc on our precious sleep cycles. The majority of us are not only lacking necessary sleep hours, but the quality of our sleep leaves something to be desired. Hoping to curb my morning grogginess and mid-afternoon drowsiness, I consulted two professional sleep experts to find out how we can achieve the best kind of sleep—sleep that leaves us feeling rested, alert, and not so dependent on caffeine.
Figure out your perfect number.
The oft-quoted “eight hours a night” is a rule not unlike “eight glasses of water a day”—good in theory, but too general. The amount of sleep one needs varies from person to person. “There is no magic number that works for everybody,” says Dr. Tracy Kuo, a clinical psychiatrist and sleep disorder specialist at Stanford University Sleep Disorders Clinic. “As an individual, you need to figure out what your sleep need is.” However, most doctors recommend getting somewhere between seven to eight hours of sleep. Dr. Kenneth Weeks, a cardiologist specializing in sleep disorders and their association with heart problems, suggests shooting for seven-and-a-half hours a night. A good night’s sleep means we can function with a steady, healthy level of energy throughout the next day (with no 4 p.m. lethargy), so find the amount of hours that allows you to achieve this state.
Make sleep a priority.
Both Dr. Kuo and Dr. Weeks concur that most of us don’t realize the importance of sleep, and they caution that this is one of the worst mistakes we make. “A challenge we all face in modern life is valuing sleep enough,” Dr. Kuo explains. “Most people take time away from sleep to do things, so they’re not letting themselves get enough sleep.” Sleep restriction has been linked to many problems including mood disorders like depression and anxiety, weight gain, and a shorter life expectancy. According to Dr. Weeks, a lack of sleep hurts the body’s ability to fight infection and disease. Just as we have to make time for health-improving and preventative activities like exercise and eating well, we should make sure to incorporate an adequate amount of sleep into our schedules, too.
Limit eating and exercise prior to bedtime.
Eating a heavy meal or working out too close to bedtime can cause a poor quality of sleep because both lead to sleep fragmentation (waking up throughout the night). Dr. Kuo advises that people “need to have enough time for that activation level [caused by exercise] to decrease so that sleep is permitted.” Both Kuo and Weeks recommend eating or exercising no closer than three to four hours before sleeping.
Unfortunately, hectic schedules sometimes demand that our meal times and gym sessions occur later at night. And, as Dr. Kuo says, “If you go to bed starving, you’re not going to go to sleep either.” Try relaxing as much as possible after working out; lay down, take deep breaths, and focus on cooling down your body temperature. As for midnight snack attacks, Dr. Weeks recommends eating something “that dissolves quickly and won’t sit in the stomach.” He lists warm milk and crackers with a little peanut butter as good options.
