How to get better sleep in 2 weeks
Getting a good nights sleep is important for the brain.
Your mind is like those old hard-drives on computers. We too need to be de-fragmented so we don’t get clunky, move slower, and break down. Sleep is your body’s way of de-fragmenting the mind.
If you feel like your sleep could be better, this article will explain what’s normal, what causes poor sleep, and what you can do to improve sleep in as little as two weeks.
Step 1: What is normal?
Before talking about “improving” something, it’s important to know what the “normal” is that you’re aiming for.
The sweet spot for sleep is 7-8 hours a night, based on the latest Canadian Movement guidelines (read here). We definitely don’t want less than 6 or more than 9.
However, as we get older it is absolutely normal to:
Spend less time in deep sleep
Have more frequent nighttime awakenings
Go to bed earlier and wake up earlier in the morning as a result
It is normal and okay to go to bed at 9pm and wake up at 5am. You are still getting 8 hours of sleep!
Their body is working exactly as it should, keeping their total sleep time in a normal range.
If you’re interested in learning how your brain makes you sleep, check out this article.
Going to bed early and waking up for the sunrise isn’t abnormal - it can be a good way to live.
Step 2: What causes poor sleep?
If you find that you are not getting 7-8 hours of sleep at night, there can be a few reasons that are triggering this change.
To happen well, sleep requires 3 things:
A calm mind
A comfortable body
A quiet environment
Because lists are boring, we’ve organized these things into a story about a bear getting ready for a long winter’s nap. Why not add some fun to learning?
1) A calm mind
A bear snuggling down for a nap will find it hard to sleep if he is:
worried or anxious
ruminating on past events
taking medications that activate, rather than relax, his mind (he’ll need to talk to his pharmacist to review his medication list).
going to bed at odd times which has disrupted his natural circadian rhythm (i.e. his “internal clock”).
Feeling worried, sad, discombobulated from a disrupted internal (circadian) clock, or being on certain medications can make it hard for bear to sleep.
2) Comfortable body
Our bear needs to be comfortable at night, so that his body can relax and his brain can follow suite. He might struggle to sleep if he is:
not breathing well due to sleep apnea, lung disease, or heart failure
in pain, related to sore joints or other pains
needs to urinate frequently overnight
has restless legs (cramps or jerking movements)
Trouble breathing, join pain, frequent urination, or restless legs can all keep our bear up at night.
3) Quiet environment
Finding the perfect cave to fall asleep in is a must! Bear will struggle to sleep if there is:
too much light
too much noise
too much heat or cold
not enough softness or firmness of his pillows and bed
a bed-partner who kicks, snores, or moves around a lot!
Bear has a hard time not leaving his winter roommate when they wake him up... for the 4th time in a row.
Step 3: Simple fixes
The good news is that there are many simple fixes that we can make to address each of the sleep problems outlined above.
Read the following list and see if any options sound like a good idea to you.
What’s a bear to do?
Calm the mind by:
Avoiding screen-time 2 hours before bed
Keeping the same bedtime every night
Limiting naps to 20 minutes once a day
Writing down worries before bedtime (or during the night) in a bedside journal
Asking your pharmacist to switch the timing of any pills that are “activating” to the morning
Comfortable body by:
Exercising 10-20 minutes a day to keep limber
NOT exercising within 6 hours of bedtime.
Having a good dinner to avoid going to bed hungry
NOT drinking liquids 6 hours before bedtime to cut down on frequent urination
Talking to your doctor about restless leg symptoms (and ask them to check iron and magnesium levels)
Asking to be tested for sleep apnea if you snore loudly or wake up not feeling rested
Taking one tablet of regular Tylenol 500mg before bedtime for pain
Quiet environment by:
Getting blackout curtains
Setting the thermostat automatically to go higher or lower at bedtime
Wearing an eye mask and ear plugs
Having a big enough bed to not be awoken by your bed-mate
Successful steps to help bear sleep all winter long.
Step 4: What about sleeping pills?
Okay, back to serious things. Are there medications that can help you sleep?
Yes… and no. As outlined below, melatonin is the only one that is largely recognized as safe by most physicians. Other pills, like ativan, trazodone, zopiclone, etc can cause other problems (see this article).
Melatonin
Melatonin is made in our brains naturally. In some people, the amount of melatonin goes down as we get older. Giving back some melatonin with this supplement can help some people sleep better.
Here’s what you need to know:
Getting it: You do not need a prescription. You can simply buy it in the vitamin section of most pharmacies.
Dose: you only need 1-3mg a night. More doesn’t provide any benefit, and in fact might cause less sleep. (Less is more here!).
When: take it 30-60 minutes before you plan to go to bed.
How long: Give it a good go for a full 2 weeks. You can keep taking it for as long as you want.
Side effects: there are no significant side effects, as long as you are taking it at <10mg (and remember, 1-3mg is the ideal dose).
Other Sleeping Pills
Most other sleeping pills (like lorazepam, clonazpepam, temazepam, trazodone, zopiclone, etc) come with risks.
Studies have also shown that people who take these medications are 5x more likely to have memory problems.
If you’re currently taking one, and are interested in reducing your dose, check out this article for a helpful guide.
Natural remedies like melatonin tend to be safer than prescription pills when it comes to sleep.
In closing…
There are lots of simple and safe things you can do to improve your sleep, outlined in Step 3 above.
Take a look at the list and write down the ones that sound most applicable to you.
Pick 2 that you want to try for the next 1-2 weeks
Keep the other items for later - you might fix your problem with just 2 simple tips, as long as you stay consistent!
Good luck, and happy slumbering!
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