ODX Optimal Guide to Healthy Sleep Patterns

Sleep is essential to health. It gives our body the chance to rest and repair. Chronic lack or loss of sleep can contribute to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, mood disorders, altered cognition, decreased productivity, and overuse of sleep aids.

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Factors that can negatively affect sleep include stress, nightshift work, travel, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and medication side effects. It is also essential to rule out or address possible comorbidities, including obstructive sleep apnea, severe insomnia, and addiction.

Lack of restorative sleep, especially fewer than 6 hours, can have negative impacts on:

• Appetite
• Athletic performance
• Carbohydrate metabolism and glucose regulation
• Cognition
• Hormone balance  
• Immune function
• Inflammation
• Learning
• Memory
• Mood
• Pain sensitivity
• Protein synthesis
• Weight

Lifestyle

Positive lifestyle changes can improve sleep and overall health.

General Sleep Hygiene

• You should keep a regular sleep schedule and try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day.
• Get exposed to bright morning sunlight soon after awakening.
• Relax before bedtime with deep breathing, meditation, gentle stretching, a warm shower, or an aromatherapy bath.
• Avoid bright lights, blue light, and screen time before bedtime.
• Keep the room dark and wear a sleep mask if needed.
• Don’t watch TV or eat in bed.
• Keep the room at a comfortable temperature for you.
• Limit noise exposure and wear earplugs if needed.
• Limit excess fluid intake before bedtime.
• Avoid stimulants at night, including caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol (also a sedative).
• Exercise regularly, especially earlier in the day if nighttime exercise disrupts your sleep routine.
• Catching a catnap can help you catch up on lost sleep and increase alertness and productivity. However, prolonged naps may disrupt your nighttime sleep.

Mind-Body Therapies

• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Deep breathing
• Meditation
• Progressive relaxation
• Stress management
• Tai chi
• Yoga

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Nutrition

Healthy nutrition habits affect overall health as well as sleep quality.

• Consume enough calories to meet your needs, as calorie deprivation can negatively affect sleep.
• A healthy high-carbohydrate meal or snack can increase tryptophan in the brain. Tryptophan is converted to serotonin and then melatonin, which can help you sleep well.
• A high-fat diet may negatively affect sleep, especially late at night.
• Eating too much too close to bedtime may disrupt sleep for some.
• Some foods, including kiwi fruit, cherries, other fruits, vegetables, milk, and fatty fish, may help promote sleep. Interestingly, milking cows at night may increase the tryptophan and melatonin content of their milk.
• Melatonin from natural sources, including raspberries, tart cherry juice, goji berries, almonds, walnuts, and tomatoes, may help support sleep.
• Nutrient deficiencies increase susceptibility to stress, depression, and disrupted sleep. These include vitamin D, B6, B12, folate, niacin, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Supplements to Support Healthy Sleep

• Chamomile
• Glycine
• Lavender (aromatherapy)
• Magnesium
• Tryptophan
• Valerian

Optimal Takeaways

• Sleep is a key factor in reducing the risk of chronic disease and improving or maintaining memory, learning, mood, immune function, and physical performance.
• Good sleep hygiene is important and includes going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day, and avoiding bright lights, screen time, large or high-fat meals, caffeine, excess fluid, and stress before bedtime.
• A high-carbohydrate snack or meal 4 hours before bedtime may improve sleep.
• Some foods and supplements, including tart cherry juice, kiwi, almonds, walnuts, vegetables, fatty fish, and milk from cows milked at night, may improve sleep.
• Identify and address any nutrient insufficiencies, especially vitamin D, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids.
• Try deep breathing, gentle stretching, or a lavender aromatherapy bath before bedtime.

References

Geiker, N R W et al. “Does stress influence sleep patterns, food intake, weight gain, abdominal obesity and weight loss interventions and vice versa?.” Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity vol. 19,1 (2018): 81-97. doi:10.1111/obr.12603

Halson, Shona L. “Sleep in elite athletes and nutritional interventions to enhance sleep.” Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) vol. 44 Suppl 1,Suppl 1 (2014): S13-23. doi:10.1007/s40279-014-0147-0

Lillehei, Angela Smith et al. “Effect of Inhaled Lavender and Sleep Hygiene on Self-Reported Sleep Issues: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) vol. 21,7 (2015): 430-8. doi:10.1089/acm.2014.0327

St-Onge, Marie-Pierre et al. “Effects of Diet on Sleep Quality.” Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) vol. 7,5 938-49. 15 Sep. 2016, doi:10.3945/an.116.012336

Vitale, Kenneth C et al. “Sleep Hygiene for Optimizing Recovery in Athletes: Review and Recommendations.” International journal of sports medicine vol. 40,8 (2019): 535-543. doi:10.1055/a-0905-3103

Zhou, Eric S et al. “Integrative Medicine for Insomnia.” The Medical clinics of North America vol. 101,5 (2017): 865-879. doi:10.1016/j.mcna.2017.04.005