INTHEBLACK Mental Health 2021 - Magazine - Page 24
Mental Health and Resilience
W O R K S M A R T // S E L F - C A R E
OPEN VIDEO IN A NEW WINDOW
SELF-CARE IN
YOUR SLEEP
The power of a good night’s
sleep is often underestimated,
and this situation has grown
worse during the pandemic.
Sleep scientist Professor Matthew
Walker explains the importance
of sleep in self-care and how
room temperature, lighting and
other factors can set the stage
for a better night’s rest. “We
can think of sleep almost as a
life-support system,” Walker says.
In fact, some may even call it a
superpower.”
Here are Walker’s six tips for
better sleep.
Set a bedtime
Our brains have an inbuilt master
24-hour clock, says Walker.
“It expects regularity and
works best under the conditions
24 ITB October 2021
of regularity, including the
control of your sleep-wake
schedule.”
Keep it cool
In order to initiate sleep and then
stay asleep, our bodies need to
drop their core temperature by
about one degree Celsius or one
to two degrees Fahrenheit.
The current recommendation,
according to Walker, is to “aim
for a bedroom temperature of
about 65°F, or a little over 18°C.
It sounds cold, but cold it must
be.”
Darken your surroundings
“We are a dark-deprived society,”
Walker says, explaining the
importance of darkness in
triggering the release of the
sleep hormone melatonin.
“In the last hour before bed,
try to stay away from all of those
computer screens and tablets
and phones. Dim down half
the lights in your house. You’d
actually be quite surprised at
how sleepy that can make you
feel. If you’d like, you can wear
an eye mask or you can have
blackout shades.”
Walk it out
Staying awake in bed for
long periods of time can
be counterproductive to
a good night’s sleep.
The reason, according to
Walker, is that “the brain has
learned the association that
the bed is this trigger of
wakefulness”.
If you have been trying to fall
asleep for more than 25 minutes,
get out of bed and do something
different, and only return to bed
when you are sleepy.
“In that way, gradually, your
brain will relearn the
association that your bed is this
place of sound and consistent
sleep,” Walker says.
Avoid caffeine in the evening
Walker is an outspoken critic of
the impact of alcohol and caffeine
on sleep patterns and recommends
staying away from caffeine in the
afternoon and evening, and to avoid
falling into a routine of daily alcohol
consumption.
Have a wind-down routine
Sound sleep depends on a series
of signals that can come from the
routine we follow in the lead-up
to bedtime. As a physiological
process, falling asleep is similar
to landing a plane.
“It takes time for your brain to
gradually descend into the firm
bedrock of good sleep,” Walker says.
In the last 20 minutes before
bed or the last half an hour, even
the last hour, disengage from your
computer and your phone and
try to do something relaxing. Find
out whatever works for you and,
when you have found it, stick to
that routine.”