Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

The science behind sleep - quantity v quality, a new REM theory, plus 21 Bedtime Tips For Quality Sleep

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Sleep is the best meditation. The Dalai Lama

Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

Are you having difficulty getting eight hours of sleep? For some time I’ve had sleep problems because of neighbour noise and disturbance and I know I don’t have a run of getting the recommended amount of sleep. I was relieved, therefore, to read the science study results on sleep quantity and quality I report on below. However, my problem is ongoing and needs to be resolved for my overall health. The study results may comfort you if you are temporarily suffering from a lack of adequate sleep.

Science Study On Sleep

A study from John Moore's University in Liverpool concluded that quality, not quantity, of sleep is more important when protecting against colds. The study found that people who do not get quality or enough sleep are nearly three times as likely to become ill with colds, flu, and COVID-19.

However, it also revealed that quality sleep can effectively compensate for sleeping less than the recommended amount to bolster the immune system to help fight infections. The participants in the study who had reduced sleep but felt it was quality sleep were more protected against illness and did not succumb to respiratory infections.

So if you have a run of nights where you don’t get enough sleep, it will be fine as long as you feel it is good quality sleep. But you should always aim for the seven-to-nine hours recommended by The National Sleep Foundation for long-term health.

The importance of feeling that you slept well, even though you actually slept badly positively affecting your immune system, ties in with how having a positive mindset and thinking yourself younger than your chronological age, positively affects how you age. This strongly suggests a link between our mindset and well-being, demonstrating the mind-body connection. So always try to think positively, people.

Source: Sleep Study

A New Theory About REM Sleep

I have several eye conditions and am interested in watching an eye doctor on YouTube for his latest news on eyes. According to Doctor Eye Health (Dr Joseph J Allen OD, FAAO), there’s a new theory that we may not have developed REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep solely for dreaming.

When we dream the eyes shake back and forth, hence the name rapid eye movement (REM). The new theory is that we developed it for the eye's health. The cornea at the front of the eye requires oxygen, which it gets from the air, and the aqueous humor, the clear fluid inside the eye.

During sleep, closed eyelids prevent air from reaching the cornea, and the lack of aqueous humor at the front of the eye deprives the eyes of oxygen. The theory is that we developed REM sleep to shake up the aqueous humor, enabling it to reach the cornea at the front of the eye to keep it healthy. Sounds feasible.

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. An Irish Proverb

How Sleep Affects Eye Health

Again, from Doctor Eye Health: getting a good night’s sleep is crucial to your eye health. Poor sleep could cause dry eye disease (one of the conditions I have). When you’re sleeping, your eyes go through essential repair and recovery. In a study into the association between dry eye and sleep disorders, researchers found that people who had more sleep disturbances at night had reduced tear production, leading to a greater risk of developing dry eye disease.

This was particularly so in people who had less deep sleep. The risk intensified the longer the disturbances continued, which is another reason to aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every night. The following suggestions may help you achieve that recommendation:

21 Bedtime Tips For Quality Sleep:

Temperature Regulation

1. Create a cosy but not overly warm sleep environment

2. Keep the bedroom temperature between 65-68°F (18-20°C)

3. Use layered bedding that can be easily adjusted

4. Consider a heated mattress pad with a timer for initial warmth or an electric blanket. I use a good old-fashioned hot water bottle.

5. Use breathable, natural fibre pyjamas or sleepwear

Seasonal Sleep Adjustments

6. Adjust bedtime slightly earlier during winter months

7. Use humidifiers to prevent dry air from disrupting sleep

8. Consider weighted blankets for comfort and anxiety reduction

Bedtime Routine

9. Set a consistent sleep and wake schedule

10. Take a warm bath 1-2 hours before bed (the cooling effect promotes sleep)

11. Practice gentle stretching or bedtime yoga

12. Keep a set of silicon earplugs handy on your bedside table if there’s any risk of being woken

13. Use calming essential oils like lavender or chamomile in your bedroom

14. Read a little from your latest bedtime book before settling down

15. Not asleep yet? Try relaxing each muscle, starting from the toes, ankles, calves, thighs, lower abdominal muscles, buttocks, hands, arms, shoulders and so on. Tense and relax each muscle as you move upwards, ending with scrunching up the face, then relaxing it, to encourage drowsiness.

16. If sleep still eludes you try a breathing exercise. This is also effective if you wake in the night and can’t get back to sleep. Try box breathing* or take a deep breath to the count of 10 and exhale to the count of ten, then inhale to the count of nine and exhale to the count of nine, then eight and so on until you are breathing very lightly.

Light Management

17. Avoid blue light on screens within an hour of bedtime

18. Use a light therapy lamp during dark winter mornings

19. Get morning sunlight within an hour of waking

On Waking

20. When you wake and before you rise, do some gentle yoga stretches to prevent muscle stiffness when you get up so that you start the day moving easily. Start with a full-body stretch and, if you can, include Happy Baby (amusingly also known as Dead Fly) which gives your back a gentle stretch. Lie on your back, take hold of an ankle or foot in each hand, and rock, gently massaging the back. This video demonstrates the position: My Morning Stretch Routine

21. If you feel you didn’t sleep well, take a nap after lunch but not longer than 20 minutes. That will recharge your batteries and shouldn’t affect your next night’s sleep.

The science of sleep continues to interest me, and I want to share the latest findings with you, my subscribers. I’ll write about it again when I hope to have resolved my own sleep issues.

*Box breathing is explained in this post: Breathe Well and Live a Long Life

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