By: Dr. Tamara Kung, ND
Sleep is a foundational human function that takes a big hit when our routines get disrupted. Fortunately, the holidays can be an opportunity to dial in and experiment with a new routine before we get caught up with the rat race of busy work and school schedules again.
Dim the lights down
Let your environment cue your body and mind for sleep. Melatonin is our mighty sleep hormone and it becomes activated by dimming light and darkness. For those who have dimmable lighting and can schedule it, set your lights to dim 2 hours before bed.
Candlelight is another way to signal melatonin release. One of my favourite ways to signal sleep is to brush my teeth and shower in candlelight. You may need a couple candles depending on your preference, but the feeling and tone it sets for the rest of your night makes harsh blue light screens feel like an unwelcome intruder!
Cool down your core
Experts like Matthew Walker have been studying the exact physiological requirements to initiate and sustain quality sleep. They have tracked the optimal temperature our bodies and brain needs for sleep. Our core temperature needs to drop about 1-2°F to get good sleep.
A hot shower or bath really works! When we heat up the surface of our bodies, our blood vessels dilate and release heat from our core body. Another lovely routine is to try saunas. Saunas are like a forced break or a little haven from our business and electronics which has the double benefit of helping our minds wind down!
Keep your sleeping space cooler, aiming for 18°C by cracking a window open or setting your thermostat on a schedule to this temperature 1-2 hours before bed.
Winding down anchors
Just because you are resting doesn’t mean it’s a passive process. Just like everything else you achieve, it takes intentional action. We don’t achieve anything meaningful by being passive about it. Winding down and sleeping is the same. Many of us use the TV or scrolling on our phones to wind down because we can passively sit on the couch and simply do nothing, and sometimes it’s SO nice to do nothing. But this also does nothing to initiate quality sleep either.
Give your mind a break from jittery, scattered attention, and let it rest quietly on one thing. Maybe your thing is reading, stretching, breathing practice, journaling, sauna-ing, taking a bath, doing your skincare routine to candlelight… whichever one thing sounds good, and feels good, go for it!
For those struggling with sleep, remember that these are experiments to try. Earnestly try a new routine continuously for a week to see if it works for you. If not, adjust it and be patient as you find the sequence of rituals that works best for you. Aim to incorporate each evening anchor to be something that you actually enjoy and look forward to.
For a deeper dive on why we sleep and how to improve it, read our previous article here.