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.