How much sleep is enough? Why does getting enough sleep matter? And some tips to improve your sleep quality.
One of the most important actions we can take to help our health is to sleep well.
How much sleep is enough?
Studies continually show that 8 hours of sleep is ideal for adults, no matter who you are. Even if you think you need less, you would do better in everything from mental sharpness to physical health and immune system strength if you sleep 8 hours per night.
Why Does Getting Enough Sleep Matter?
Immune system: Sleep deprivation has been shown to decrease our immune system’s ability to fight off the flu and other infections. Reduced sleep also alters our Central Nervous System processes and behavior during immune feedback to infections. This is relevant because a breakdown in communication delays your body’s ability to find and fight infections.
Physical health: Reduced sleep actually increases inflammation in our bodies, increasing systemic pain and reducing our body’s ability to heal from injuries.
Mental Health: It also impacts our mental health and can increase our feelings of anxiety and depression. Insufficient sleep can overwhelm and reduce our patience, mental sharpness, and coordination.
According to a study published in the Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, “15-30% of adults report sleep disorders, such as sleep onset latency, insufficient duration of sleep and frequently waking up at night. Low back pain has been identified as one of the main causes of poor sleep quality.” There is much literature and discourse on what kind of mattress is best to prevent onset of back pain and promote comfort and sleep quality that differs. This is why we recommend choosing a mattress with a long in-home trial period so that you can determine if the mattress is ideal for your individual needs and preferences.
Other factors to take into consideration are preferred sleep positions, body weight, temperature neutrality, and mattress lifespan. For example, did you know that the average lifespan of a mattress is only 7-years? How long have you had your mattress?
Not sure where to start? We recommend Intellibed which has a gel mattress. This is the same material on wheelchairs to prevent patients from getting sores. This means you can sleep in the same position all night without losing circulation. It also means you can avoid toxic chemicals that come with foam breakdown found in other mattresses. Intellibed’s focus is enhancing support for spinal alignment while also ensuring its soft properties give pressure point relief, minimizing the “toss and turn” feeling that causes some folks to wake up in the middle of the night. Check them out if you wish! We have no affiliation to Intellibed and this is not a sponsored post.
Tips!
Are you having trouble sleeping? Check out our tips below to help you fall asleep more easily and maximize your rest.
- Get Horizontal: Just lying down gives your body a break and an opportunity to recover. Get horizontal and rest those eyes, even if you don’t actually fall asleep.
- Keep it dark: The smallest amount of light creeping into your room can impact your sleep quality. Unplug all devices that give off a nightly glow, and use blackout curtains to cover your windows.
- Chill out: Set your bedroom to 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal sleep.
- Disconnect: Stop using electronic devices, phones, and TVs. Blue light from screens stimulates a receptor called melanopsin, which alerts the brain to think it’s daytime. Avoid blue light for at least an hour before you want to fall asleep. For an extra calming vibe, set the tone of your room by dimming the lights one hour before bed.
- Nightly ritual to wind down. Implement a nightly routine that helps you to calm down and get ready for sleep. Activities could include reading, journaling, calming breathwork, meditation, taking a bath, skincare routine, walking, light stretching, etc.
- Stay Active: Make sure you are physically active during the day. Movement helps to tire you out and regulate your hormones. Even a 10 min walk after dinner can help.
- Avoid Alcohol: While having a glass of wine might seem like it helps you get to sleep more quickly, in reality it is impairing your sleep quality for the worse. Alcohol has been shown to disrupt your sleep cycle, increase your cortisol levels, and put you into a sympathetic state (Fight or Flight Stress physiology).
- Avoid Eating Heavy Meals: Finish your last meal at least 2-3 hours before bedtime to avoid indigestion. This extra time between eating and lying down will ease you into falling asleep faster. Plus, a walk after dinner can help with digestion.
- Get Outside: Go outside upon waking to see the sun. This will help you to wake up, regulate your hormone levels, and thus help you to sleep better at night.
- Supplements for Sleep: Magnesium – On top of being an essential mineral to keeping your body running, Magnesium can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, helping you feel more refreshed when you get up. Magnesium acts as a muscle relaxer, ensures a proper balance of gamma-aminobutyric acid (a calming neurotransmitter) while regulating melatonin production.
- Pillow Check! What kind of pillow are you using? Flat, fluffy, firm, soft? The ideal sleeping position for proper spinal hygiene would be on your back and or side with a pillow that supports your normal spinal structure. Many pillows are too large or too small and push the head and neck into compromising positions, causing you to wake up throughout the night and long term spinal issues. Proper Pillow is a type of pillow we carry in the office which is specifically made to support your cervical spine while sleeping on your back and side. It helps to reduce the pressure on your neck, allowing for a more comfortable sleeping posture.
- Stay Under Regular Neuro-Structural Chiropractic Care: Getting regular adjustments helps regulate your Parasympathetic Nervous System (Rest, Relax, Digest, Heal). Every time you get an adjustment, your body gets out of the Sympathetic (Fight or Flight Stress physiology) and into a more Parasympathetic tone, making sleep easier.