Twenty47HealthNews by Holistic Health Coach Shay

Creating the Ideal Sleep Environment for Your Well-Being

• Shay - Holistic Health Coach • Episode 7

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Episode 7 Part 2 of our 3 Part Series on Sleep 
What if your sleep patterns could directly influence your mental health? Explore the intricate relationship between circadian rhythms and mental well-being in our latest episode. We discuss how these natural internal processes regulate essential bodily functions and what happens when they are disrupted. Uncover the impact of factors like light exposure and stress on your sleep-wake cycles, and learn practical tips for managing screen time and stress to maintain a healthy rhythm. This episode highlights the importance of adequate rest tailored to your individual needs and life stages for overall mental wellness.

Enhancing your sleep environment can be a game-changer for your overall well-being. Discover why a cool, dark, and quiet bedroom is vital, and how small adjustments like blackout curtains and proper bed temperature can lead to better sleep quality. We also delve into dietary habits, exercise routines, and the benefits of natural light exposure, especially for night shift workers. This discussion underscores sleep as a critical component for resetting and healing from daily stress, drawing comparisons to the necessity of oxygen for the body. Tune in for actionable advice on prioritizing sleep and taking time off to maintain your health and well-being.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Episode 7 of 24-7 Health News sponsored by myself, health Coach Shea at Sage Life Therapeutics. These topics are from my blog at 247healthnewscom, or topics I think are important to health and fitness. Because these topics are important to your health, I'm going to try to break them down a little bit, if they're complicated, and help you apply them to your daily life. We're always going to give you some practical applications. Again, I'm your host, health coach Shea. I'm a master trainer and a holistic health coach. So just a few disclaimers so we don't get off to the wrong start. My information is not meant to prescribe or be taken in lieu of a discussion with your doctor or healthcare professional. You should always speak to your healthcare professional before making any nutrition or fitness changes. I'm a health coach and I'm making recommendations only in that capacity. So just a little bit about COVID, although it's more prevalent here in California, I think cases are on the rise. I'm not going to really talk too much about it unless it's applicable to the situation we're discussing. I may suggest that you read an article in case there is any kind of crossover. So let's get started with our topic for today. So this is part two about your sleep, specifically about circadian rhythms, how they work, how disruptions in these rhythms can lead to mental health issues like depression or anxiety, and we're going to take a deep dive into some of the specifics about your mental health in this episode, which is part two of a three-part series that I'm doing on circadian rhythms. So we're going to do a little review in case you caught this episode in the middle and you didn't catch episode one.

Speaker 1:

The definition of a circadian rhythm is a natural internal process that regulates sleep wake cycles, and they repeat every 24 hours. These rhythms are driven by your biological clock, located, of course, in the brain. The primary clock, known as SCN, is located in the hypothalamus. This clock coordinates all the body's circadian rhythms. Your rhythms are influenced by various bodily functions, including hormone release, eating habits, digestion and body temperature. They are most famously known for regulating our sleep patterns. So all of that eating habits, digestion, body temperature and those pesky hormones so that makes me nervous when you say that, if I was just thinking about this and I hadn't read through everything that I'm going to talk about, because, think about it, all of that stuff gets messed up on a daily basis by one thing or another. Your eating habits can fluctuate if you're not on a schedule which messes with your digestion, if you're not on a schedule which messes with your body temperature Because, as we know, when we begin to digest an internal body function, your body temperature escalates, it goes up. So think about that as we start to talk about this.

Speaker 1:

So let's talk a little bit about how circadian rhythms work. Right, our circadian rhythms are primarily influenced by the light and dark cycle. Intrinsicating rhythms are primarily influenced by the light and dark cycle. Exposure to natural light helps synchronize the SCN within a 24-hour day. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain. It helps regulate sleep by increasing in the evening when it gets dark and decreases in the morning when it gets light. So let me pause there for a moment. A lot of folks talk about oh my gosh, you know they take extra melatonin, so their melatonin can Start working for them, so they can get some sleep at night.

Speaker 1:

Light and dark cycle. You've probably seen a gabillion articles at this point how your phone looking at your tablet, all those things late at night can mess with your light and dark cycle. That messes with your circadian rhythm, keeping you from producing melatonin so you can't get to sleep. So just think about all of those little things that you do that might mess with this internal clock that you have and rhythmically trying to put you to sleep at a certain hour. Now let's talk about a couple of other things that messes with that rhythm your cortisol, and we know a lot about that. Cortisol is the hormone associated with stress. How many of us lay down in the bed thinking of the stressful day, or thinking of the next day that's going to be stressful, or just still not over the stress of the day that we've had? So this follows a daily rhythm as well. So you want to try to do things to help you. So your cortisol peaks in the morning to help you wake up and it decreases throughout the day depending on your life right.

Speaker 1:

Genes and proteins also play a role in maintaining your circadian rhythm. The clock genes produce proteins that interact in feedback loops to regulate the timing of your rhythms. So all of this stuff, you know, is review from what we talked about before, and it is some very interesting things to think about. You know, I hate to say that we do wrong, but what we don't do or don't or do do to do self-care to get our rest. We have to make sure that we get some sort of rest. Now, everybody is different. Some people need six hours of sleep, some people need seven hours of sleep, some people need eight, some people need 10. It increases and decreases depending upon who you are and likely how old you are. Right, that can change with age as well. My grandparents rest in peace didn't sleep very much. They stayed up a little late maybe 10 or 11, and they were up at 4 o'clock in the morning in the garden. So it's a very interesting scene that happens to you, depending on what stage of life you're in, what kind of shape you're in and all of that kind of stuff.

Speaker 1:

So let's talk about the disruptions on your mental health. When our circadian rhythms are disrupted, it can lead to a variety of mental health issues. Let's look at this in more detail. So this is sort of the meat, the bread and butter of this sort of situation. Here. Depression is one of those big ones. I've known people who have been sleep deprived and just were overwhelmed because of it.

Speaker 1:

Research has shown that disruptions in your circadian rhythm can lead to depression. This can happen due to irregular sleep patterns, lack of exposure to natural light or even chronic jet. If you're one of those people who traveled, you know hither and yon quite a bit. The misalignment, the misalignment of the body's internal clock can affect the production of the neurotransmitters like serotonin, which plays a crucial role in mood regulation. So you know, let's talk about that, let's break that up a little bit.

Speaker 1:

So if you don't get some natural light exposure, some sunlight on your face, we're all humans, human animals, and we need some sunlight on our face. That puts me in the mind of Superman. You remember how in the movie, he would fly all the way up to the sun and all of a sudden, everything that was might might've been wrong is all fixed. Um, I liken us all to that. Right, we have to get out in the sun. We have to get out, breathe in fresh air, get in the sun. It, it, it. It gives you, it invigorates you.

Speaker 1:

Um, the time zone switch switches, which I thought was interesting when I was doing this research. So, chronic jet lag if you have a job where you're bouncing from one time zone to the other and your body just doesn't know when to sleep, that can mess you up. I mean, if you do it for work, you have to think about getting some sleep, even though it might not be time for you to get some sleep. And that can be very tough. If you flip over time zones, right, if I go to Europe or the complete opposite time zone, whereas it's nighttime in America and it's daytime in that other time zone and I need to flip over, that can be a very difficult thing to do and it mostly has to do with your body's internal clock is like wait a minute, where are we, you know? So just keep that in mind and try to pad your time when you do that, to give yourself some sleep. Okay, so let's go a little further.

Speaker 1:

Anxiety Anxiety disorders are also linked to circadian rhythm disruptions. Irregular sleep can exacerbate anxiety symptoms, leading to a vicious cycle where poor sleep increases anxiety and anxiety further disrupts sleep. The imbalance of stress hormones like cortisol can contribute to this cycle. So we can unpack that one for hours. Right, it's a cycle you get into, so you miss some sleep. You get up the next morning, you're anxious because you don't feel like you're ready to do your best, and then you don't do your best. So you come, you know you have a stressful day and it takes you quite some time to come down from that stress. So your angst is again. So I think that that's what they're. You know, that's what the research is saying about that. The cycle is vicious. You continue until you get that break in time to catch up on that sleep and let your body completely relax or learn to self-soothe, do some sort of relaxing type thing to break the cycle of stress.

Speaker 1:

You will suffer from some imbalanced hormones, too high cortisol when you're trying to sleep, and that anxiety and or that depression can stick with you, or that depression can stick with you. And I do have, I do understand that process because that cycle has happened to me before where I've just been so tired and so stressful and I was afraid that I was missing something the next day. And it's just an awful conundrum to be in. And we all have to recognize I mean, I don't know where you work or how your life is structured, but I force myself when I have those situations. You know that mental health day is the same as a sick day to me. I don't care, I will take a break because I need it. So we can go a little bit further here and talk a little bit about bipolar disorder.

Speaker 1:

People with bipolar disorder often experience disruptions in their circadian rhythm. These disruptions can trigger mood episodes, with mania or hypomania, often linked to the reduced need for sleep, and depressive episodes linked to hyperinsomnia or insomnia. I don't have any experience with this, but the research says that if you have bipolar disorder and your sleep is interrupted and you're constantly having problems with getting your proper rest, you will make yourself stressed out and that will mess up the rhythm you're trying to get in to keep your disorder under control. So just think about that if you happen to be listening to this, and I would urge you to discuss that with your doctors immediately. There's another one I want to just cover real quick as well Seasonal effect disorder.

Speaker 1:

Sad is a type of depression that occurs at a specific time of the year, usually in winter, when daylight hours are shorter. The lack of sunlight can disrupt circadian rhythms, leading to symptoms of depression. Now I probably I understand this. I did meet someone once that was on medication for SAD and I think that's just rough. I mean I don't like it myself when the days get shorter. That's just rough. I mean, I don't like it myself when the days get shorter. I don't mind winter, but I do find myself feeling a little glum when it's gloomy all the time, like when, I mean, we've had a couple of seasons here where it's rained for so long that you're just like bummer right Forever. You know you, just you've had it right, and so I can see where that can be really disruptive to a person's circadian rhythm and if they already have some depression or they have this situation where it can really affect them and they are not able to control it, as some of us may be able to do.

Speaker 1:

So think about all these little things and the things that happen to you when you are not getting your proper rest. You have to have to pay attention to your body. We like to go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, and think that our body is just going to catch up without any self-care, and that's just not true. So I want to make sure that we all think about our rhythms and how to. I mean this is really, really an important part of our self-care getting our proper rest and not just laying there. You know, making a concerted effort to do the things that help you get good rest. So let's talk about a few of those as well.

Speaker 1:

So consistent sleep schedule, of course Right. So let's talk about a few of those as well. So, consistent sleep schedule? Of course right. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends. I'm not very good about that on the weekends, but sometimes I'm, you know. Sometimes I just wake up because I think there's my internal clock right. My internal clock is regulated to wake me up when I usually get up, so I get up, and so don't mess with that during the weekends. I mean, let your body tell you what it needs. Create a relaxing bedtime routine. Engage in calming activities before you go to bed, such as reading, meditating or taking a warm bath. This signals to your body that it's time to wind down.

Speaker 1:

So let's talk about reading for a minute, looking at your phone or any sort of equipment that where it can disrupt your sleep because of the type of light that's coming from the background of your equipment. Now they have it where you can set it. I mean, most of us don't read a paper book anymore, which is kind of interesting, right. Most of us don't do that. So we have to pay attention to what kind of light is coming off of our equipment and what we're looking at and make sure it is not something that we're trying to read to help us go to sleep, but we're reading on a piece of equipment that is giving off a backlight that is keeping us up. So make sure you're thinking about that when you're reading, because I know we all have Kindles, laptops, cell phones, everything to help us go to sleep, read until we get tired. Like I said, very rarely does a person pull out a book and then when you pull out a book, you got to pull out a book light, right, because you got to write, you got to have light to read. So be careful about that.

Speaker 1:

Optimize your sleep environment. Ensure your bedroom is cool, dark and quiet. Use blackout curtains, earplugs or white noise machine if necessary. So take a look at all that stuff and see what works for you right, I can get with the blackout curtains. I'm not using any earplugs. I don't live in an area where you need to completely tune out like that. I can go with cool, because I got you know. Keep the blankets on your on your bed. They keep you at your body at the right temperature.

Speaker 1:

I would also say pay attention to your mattress. We do not, you know, when I talk with friends and stuff. We do not pay attention to how old our mattresses are and all that kind of stuff. It is really important to sleep on a good bed, not a hand-me-down mattress, not a mattress that's old. They have about a 10-year lifespan if you pay decent money for one. And I'm not saying you got to go get the most expensive thing. I'm just saying get a comfortable bed.

Speaker 1:

Watch your diet. Avoid heavy meals, caffeine and alcohol use at bedtime. This can disrupt your sleep pattern. Now I definitely would recommend avoiding heavy meals. You're supposed to be approximately three hours out from bedtime eating. You definitely don't want to consume caffeine. I know that it is a habit to have a nightcap. I would suggest your nightcap is tea. Hot tea makes me go. It knocks me right out. A good chamomile or mint or whatever your taste buds prefer. Those things just make me go right to sleep. So I definitely think that is something you should really think about.

Speaker 1:

As far as physical activity is concerned, regular exercise can help you fall asleep faster and enjoy deeper sleep. Just don't avoid, just don't do vigorous exercise right before you go to bed. I mean I wouldn't go get on the treadmill a half hour before you are getting ready to go to bed. Even if you do take a warm bath or a hot shower, your heart rate getting up into the burn fat 140ss burn fat area, you know, an hour before you go to bed is not going to help. It come down to that nice 60, 70 beats per minute where you need to be to be relaxed. So I would say, be very, very mindful of that. You know, go exercise right after you eat dinner, which should be three hours from when you go to bed. Get plenty of natural light during the day, especially in the morning, and this helps regulate, this also helps regulate your circadian rhythm. As much as you can be outside, take breaks, take a walk, do all of those things to sort of, you know, give you some, some vigorous outside light and oxygen from outside.

Speaker 1:

I know there are people who may be listening, who might work late shift. I worked third shift for some time and I really did enjoy it. It was one of my favorite shifts, but I did work, I did keep that schedule as much as possible and I did adhere to quite a few of these other things, even if I was up at midnight, because that's third shift midnight to eight in the morning, which are prime sleep times, midnight to eight in the morning, which are prime sleep times. But I did, you know, did plenty of other things. I had definitely had the blackout curtains at that point and I really worked on making sure I had a peaceful environment to keep myself my rhythm correct, even though I was sleeping at odd hours. So let's do a recap.

Speaker 1:

So we took a look at the science of circadian rhythms and we looked at how they work and we looked at how those disruptions can lead to mental health issues and or exasperate the mental health issues that you currently have. We shared some practical tips to maintain healthy rhythms. So try to implement some of this stuff. Try to make sure that you're taking care of your wellbeing, because your sleep is a big part of it. Um, it is super important. It is one of the.

Speaker 1:

To me, it's like oxygen you breathe in. Your body needs to rest, to reset, to heal from the day's trauma, for everything. You need to take that time off to rest, and when you're not getting your proper rest, it certainly will mess with a whole lot of situations that you have going on, a whole lot of functions that you have going on in your body. So I just wanted to say thank you so much for listening. Again, this is Health Coach Shane. This is. This is sponsored by Sage Life Therapeutics. Check out my podcast, my other podcasts, the other episodes in my podcast. Please like love and and share them with people. Stay healthy and stay well and thanks again for listening.