The Science Behind Sleep and How to Improve It

“Don’t it always seem to go… that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?” – Joni Mitchell

If you’ve lost the ability to get a good night’s sleep, you can attest to this (Joni Mitchell never lies). No one appreciates sleep more than someone who is having trouble getting it.

The reasons behind your lack of sleep may be internal or external, but the good news is that we have solutions for both.

Why sleep is so crucial

When you think of all the important things you have to do in a day, sleep probably doesn’t even make the cut. It’s nothing more than a time when we recharge our batteries, so we can start over and tackle another day. But what if someone told you that sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health?

All the other stuff –eating right, exercising and avoiding bad habits—is important too, but your body would be in serious trouble without sleep.

While you’re sleeping, the brain is busy forming new pathways to get you ready to learn, remember and function the next day. Your body is healing and repairing the heart and blood vessels and helping to maintain a healthy balance of hormones that control your eating and immune system. You’ll notice this when you start getting more colds throughout the year. 

The science of sleep

When you drift off to dreamland, you’re in a state of REM sleep. But you don’t get there immediately.

First, you enter the type of sleep scientists call non-REM sleep. Non-REM sleep actually consists of four stages.

  • Stage 1 happens right when you first start drifting off to sleep. This is usually when someone nudges you and you swear you weren’t sleeping.
  • Stage 2 is when your heart rate and breathing slow and your body temperature drops.
  • Stages 3 and 4 of non-REM sleep are a form of deep sleep.

You may have heard that REM sleep is where it’s at, but scientists have since learned that non-REM sleep is even more important than REM sleep for learning and memory.

REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is the type of sleep where you dream. This is a period of deep sleep where your eyes move rapidly behind closed lids and your brainwaves are almost as active as when you’re awake. During REM sleep, your breathing quickens and the body becomes paralyzed as you dream.

On any given night, you’ll cycle between non-REM and REM sleep about 4 to 5 times.

How to get more sleep

There are two kinds of major sleep disturbances: internal and external. You may only be dealing with one kind, or you may suffer from a combination. Either way, these tips can help you get a better rest.

External sleep disturbances

We’ve all had sleepless nights because someone was making too much of a racket, whether it was your child, a construction crew or an inconsiderate neighbor. And while there’s usually little you can do about the source of these issues, there are some things you can do to help yourself get as much sleep as possible.

  • Get some good earplugs – Of course, this isn’t recommended if your child is the one keeping you up, but in almost any other case, earplugs can help dull the external noise enough for you to get some rest.
  • Use room darkening curtains – If you have to sleep at off hours, you may benefit from getting room darkening shades or curtains. These will help trick your body into thinking it’s supposed to be sleeping.
  • Go to sleep earlier – If you know something is going to disturb your sleep, like a crying baby, get to sleep earlier to make up for the lost sleep. It’s not the same as sleeping through the night in one stretch, but it’s a good temporary solution.

Internal sleep disturbances

You spend all day longing for your bed, but then you get your first big burst of energy as your head hits the pillow. Again. Or you fall straight to sleep only to wake up at 3 a.m. every night – like clockwork.

These things could be happening for a myriad of reasons, but they are signs that you need to take better care of your body during the day. Here are some tips to help take care of yourself, so you can get better sleep.

  • Cut back on alcohol – You may think that glass of wine is helping you sleep, but it could be doing the opposite. If you drink a lot of alcohol right before bed, it will almost certainly lead to a restless sleep. In fact, the more you drink, the less likely you are to get a deep REM sleep.
  • Spend 30 minutes to an hour on relaxation – The National Sleep Foundation recommends that you read a non-work-related book or magazine, spend a few minutes journaling, perform a hygiene ritual and/or meditate before bed.
  • Get a massage – As if you needed an excuse to get a massage, the National Institutes of Health advises that massage therapy can reduce fatigue and improve sleep, specifically, it can help you get more of that restorative deep sleep you’re after.
  • Exercise daily – Try to get at least thirty minutes of exercise daily, and make sure some of it is vigorous. Maybe add a sprint to your jog or take a spinning class each week. Just get that heart rate up during the day and you should benefit from better sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
  • Eat more leafy greens – Insomnia is a common symptom of magnesium deficiency. This mineral works by increasing GABA which encourages relaxation and sleep. If you’re not getting enough magnesium in your diet, magnesium deficiency may be causing your insomnia. Green leafies are high in magnesium, but if you’re not a fan, you can also up your intake of figs, avocados, bananas, nuts and seeds, black beans, brussels sprouts, green beans, and seafood.

If you’re reading this article after pulling another unintentional all-nighter, know that there’s an end in sight. Follow the tips outlined here and you should be able to improve your quality and quantity of sleep over time. If you’re still having trouble sleeping, talk to your doctor about potential causes. Together, you should be able to get to the bottom of the issue, so you can get back to sleep.

The Science Behind How Yoga Reduces Stress

Many people have heard that yoga reduces stress, but there’s real science behind it.

Of course, any time you increase the heart rate (like with a few chaturangas), your body releases endorphins, which is the driving force behind that famed “runner’s high and a natural stress reducer. However, yoga taps into stress relief on a much deeper level. By incorporating techniques like pranayama (breath control) and meditation, yoga can help manage and reduce stress.

Pranayama

Pranayama is an umbrella term for breath control. There are a number of pranayama practices within yoga as outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Pranayama can decrease injury, cleanse the body, and relax/de-stress. The vast majority of people are shallow upper chest breathers. If you pull in a deep breath and fill your lungs to capacity, then fully release until there’s truly nothing left, it can feel like a workout—it is. The lungs aren’t used to being fully utilized, and the ribs/intercostal muscles (muscles between the ribs) aren’t used to being so fully worked. Be careful with pranayama, because it can be overwhelming for newcomers. The best way to practice early on is in a class setting with a teacher skilled in pranayama.

Pranayama is effective for stress reduction because it calms the body’s sympathetic nervous system. Otherwise known as the fight or flight instinct, this nervous symptom gushes adrenaline into the body when you’re excited or scared. Adrenaline raises the heartbeat and surges stress hormones into the body. It’s an critical defense tool when you’re really in trouble, but North Americans have a tendency to being adrenaline junkies. We’re constantly stimulating ourselves with technology, and this has led to a veritable breakdown of the sympathetic nervous system. In some ways, your body gets used to all that adrenaline and stress hormones, but at what cost? We’re in a constant state of fight or flight, and all those stress hormones build up over time. It’s part of the reason why heart disease is the number one killer of American women.

With certain types of pranayama (those designed for relaxation), you can reduce the stress response of the body and nestle into recuperation. When the parasympathetic nervous system, known as “rest and digest,”  is given a time out, your body returns to its natural, restful state and can recover. That’s why it’s so important to practice pranayama and/or meditation daily, particularly first thing in the morning and before bed. Otherwise, you might be in stress mode 24/7 (especially if you suffer from insomnia).

As previously mentioned, there are many types of pranayama exercises, and it’s always best to have a trusted in-person instructor when beginning pranayama practice. However, one of the safest and most effective pranayama is the simple counted breath. Begin by inhaling for a count of five, exhaling for a count of five. If you can stay calm, hold the breath for five counts after the inhale. If you still feel calm, there’s the option to add retention after the exhale, too.

Another simple pranayama practice is two-part breath with legs up the wall. It’s popular before bedtime because the inversion (heart above head) is naturally relaxing. Two-part breath is the same as four-part breath but without the holds. You can choose any equal number to inhale and exhale with, as long as you completely fill and empty the lungs. If you can, putting weight (such as a bolster or heavy pillow) on the feet when they’re up the wall can provide an added sense of security. It’s normal for the legs to go numb or tingly in this position. For beginners, do not hold this pose longer than five minutes and practice caution when exiting the pose because dizziness can occur.

The counting of breaths and/or the ticking of the clock help to ensure you’re not focused on anything but breath. You might find that you tire easily, which is common for those just starting their practice. While in pranayama, your sympathetic nervous system is is pacified. Without having to focus on “fight or flight,” the amount of stress hormones released is reduced.

The Inner Voice

Stress comes at us in various ways. Triggers for stress come in many forms, both external and internal. Stress can also be a bit addictive. Even though we know technology usage often leads to higher stress levels—with social media usage linked to loneliness—we can’t get enough of it. Adrenaline can be a bit addictive in itself. Learning to balance our lives can start with literally balancing ourselves. It’s one of the core foundations of yoga and is prioritized in asanas and pranayama.

Hypnotherapists such as Marisa Peer have said that “rewriting the bad programs” we’ve downloaded can be corrected by hypnotic mantras. A popular option is “Hare Krishna, Hare Krisha. Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare.” Chanting in the alpha brainwave state, which can be achieved through meditative practices, helps us to get rid of the negative influences we hold within. The stress we carry with us isn’t permanently ingrained, but it does take some work to release it.

Our inner voice (or subconscious mind) operates like a kind of hard disk of our bodily computer. Stress causes the subconscious to download negative programs that can clog up normal function. This can lead to pain, chronic disease, and poor relationships. Our overly stimulated lives cause many of us to develop an inner voice that’s our worst critic. We’re encouraged to practice modesty, many times at a false level (i.e. always downplaying successes or brushing them aside instead of celebrating them) and self-deprecation. Overly done, this kind of denigrative thinking can have damaging effects. Cognitive reconditioning, or learning to speak nicely to ourselves, can be amplified with yoga for stress reduction.

Yoga and Self-Awareness

Yoga forces us to consider our breath and our movement, two things we rarely pay much attention to. It gives us the tools we need to slow down and to focus. The “white noise” of controlling our breath or fluid movements keeps the barrage of our inner voice at bay. We concentrate and we focus on safely stretching the body a touch beyond its limits with yoga. It’s not usually a high-intensity workout through the entire practice, but rather a means of returning to our center. That’s at the core of what stress reduction requires, and a first step in being kinder to ourselves.

How Meditation Helped Me Through Addiction Recovery

Overcoming addiction is singlehandedly the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.

Through addiction and recovery, I learned more about myself than I ever thought possible. I learned that my mind was highly susceptible to outside influence, and that’s something I desperately needed to change.

My painful road to addiction

In the prime of my life, I was in a terrible car wreck. My friends and I were driving home from the beach on a beautiful sunny day in June. The world was at our feet. Or so we thought.

My friend John was driving along the long stretch of road that ran alongside the ocean. It was a beautiful drive, and he liked to drive fast.

I knew it was dangerous, but I didn’t want to seem uncool. So I sat there in silence.

As we were careening down that road, a white sedan attempted a u-turn into our lane. Either she didn’t see us or didn’t realize how fast we were going. The next thing I knew, I was in a hospital bed. I was recovering from many injuries, including a spinal fracture. Pain medications become a way of life.

I lost two friends that day, including John. And that’s a pain that no meds could cure.

I returned home from the hospital with a long list of care instructions and a prescription for OxyContin. The painkillers worked as advertised. They worked on the physical pain and even seemed to dull my emotional pain.

At first, I took my prescription as recommended. But it wasn’t long before I needed higher doses to relieve the same pain. I was amazed at how quickly my tolerance grew.

Prescription painkiller addiction

I don’t remember the exact moment when I realized I was addicted. I started to catch on when my doctor was reluctant to refill my prescription. But part of me believed he was overreacting. Part of me needed to believe that.

After my own doctor stopped prescribing pills, I found others who would. In addiction circles, we call this “doctor shopping.”

I guess I realized I had a problem when I was on my second or third doctor. Because I started having trouble getting refills, I had to go longer periods without “a fix.” Then I felt physical withdrawal symptoms, and I couldn’t ignore the problem any longer. I was an addict.

Addiction and brain chemistry

It’s a very humbling moment to realize you’ve become an addict. How did this happen?

From the outside, it’s easy to wonder why I wouldn’t get help at this point. The answer? I had a disease. The disease of addiction changes your brain chemistry so you lose your own free will.

The progression from prescription pills to heroin was much easier than I would have ever expected. And then came another level of shame. People think addicts don’t care about these things, but that’s not true. We care; we just can’t help it.

When I finally hit rock bottom, I was ready and willing to do whatever it took to get sober. I was motivated, but I didn’t fully understand what was in store for me.

Depression, anxiety, and recovery

I started at a typical rehab center where they helped me through the physical detoxification process. This is the part that includes some very ugly withdrawal symptoms.

But that wasn’t the worst of it by far.

They released me from the rehab shortly after my physical symptoms subsided. And then I met PAWS.

Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) is the stage of recovery that comes next. Because drugs alter your brain chemistry, it can take months or even years for your brain to relearn how to work without them. During this time, your brain struggles to supply the right amount of natural dopamine to keep you functioning normally. This is why depression and anxiety are such major parts of recovery.

I was struggling hard. I was even thinking about relapsing.

And then I met the person who would change everything.

How meditation helped me overcome addiction

On a particularly difficult day, I stopped for coffee on the way to work and ran into an old friend from rehab. He looked amazing!

Unlike me, he seemed confident and secure in his sobriety. I jokingly asked him his secret, as if there’s a magic pill or something. In reality, I was convinced that he was just a stronger person than I was.

When he told me what he was doing, I was skeptical.

Barry credited meditation for pulling him out of the depths of despair. That sounds dramatic, I know, but those depths are real. I was talking to Barry from my own despair pit on that very day.

When I got home, I began feverishly researching meditation. And then it all made sense.

What I learned that day was enough to drive me to start meditating straight away.

The meditation-recovery connection

As it turns out, meditation and drug abuse have something in common: Dopamine.

Dopamine is closely associated with pleasure-seeking activities, including addiction, but it also has other roles. It plays a part in memory, mood, learning, and sleep. If your body doesn’t have enough dopamine, you may become depressed. In the case of addiction, dopamine is partially responsible for the intense cravings that drive you to use drugs.

Interestingly enough, meditation also increases dopamine in the brain. In fact, Kjaer and colleagues (2002) found that meditation increased endogenous dopamine by 65 percent.

Through my practice, I’ve learned that meditation not only provides a natural dopamine boost, but it also helps strengthen the mind. When I finally gained some control over my negative thought patterns, I found it much easier to resist any cravings.

I’m not sure where I was headed on that day that I met Barry in the coffee shop, but my future wasn’t looking good. Today, I have a completely different outlook, and I feel like I have a new lease on life. It was still a difficult journey, but meditation helped me overcome the biggest struggle of my life.

Source:

Kjaer, T. W.; Bertelsen, C.; Piccini, P.; Brooks, D.; Alving, J.; Lou, H. C. Cognitive Brain Research 2002, 13 (2), 255–259.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11958969/