The Imperfect Guide to Sleep
The Imperfect Guide to Sleep
For Creativity and Career Optimization
I've had poor sleep most of my life and I've had more severe bouts of insomnia from 2015 onward. But through sleep therapy and medication I've found certain levels of consistency...and really, that's the best I can hope for.
What I'd like to do is share with you what I've learned as the foundation to getting good sleep that we as humans should all strive to do. As a DISCLAIMER, I am only sharing my experience and not prescribing you to take or do anything without consulting a medical professional first and foremost. Everyone is fairly unique and so what works for some may not work for others. The hope is to collect all I've experienced into one helpful entry for you to investigate for yourselves.
For this missive I thought an AI generated image was an effective choice. The bend of reality, the imperfect science that is understanding sleep rendered so clearly, provides a false sense of hope.
WHAT TYPE OF INSOMNIA DO YOU SUFFER FROM?
From what I understand there are two fairly common types. These are the types that can persists beyond a couple of nights. When it becomes chronic then you may need to take matters into your own hands.
TYPE 1: "I have trouble falling asleep, my mind can't shut off."
This type, which I'm not sure if there's a proper medical name for, is very common. I've even had this type a few times when my life has been in a high stress mode whether from work or personal relationships.
TYPE 2: "I fall asleep fine but when I wake up and I can't get back to sleep."
This is the insomnia that I deal with, even with the medication I'm taking. Apparently this has more to do with depression. I was in a situation where I didn't know if my lack of sleep caused depression or the other way around. Since my, what I'd personally call, successful therapy from 2019 would suggest, is that I am no longer saddled with depression that I've had since childhood. So why do I still wake up?
A little about me:
As of this writing I'm 53 years old. I work out 5-6 days a week. 1 or 2 of those days are about an hour of cardio (bike). I lift weights using dynamic movement and I do heavy bag work and parkour with my wife.
Generally, I go to bed between 10:30pm and 11:05pm. I wake up between 4:45am and 7:30am but on average around 6:00 am. I sleep alone while my wife sleeps in the guest bedroom. We've made that choice as we both have VERY DIFFERENT sleep patterns and rituals. She requires several pillows that change out through the night. She requires more covers, while I require less and like a colder room.
MEDICATIONS:
3 300mg of Gabapentin (given to epileptic patients to keep their seizures from acting up...I'm not epileptic but my body will "jerk" itself awake just as I'm falling asleep)
1 10mg Citalopram (anxiety)
1 Zinc supplement
1 Magnesium supplement (this helps with sore muscles and leg discomfort)
1 Magnesium L-Threonate
What I'm able to get out of this is generally a consistent 6-7 hours of sleep. Sometimes it's a rough night of tossing and turning but I more often than not am able to get through the day. Sometimes, on those rare occasions, I can't stay awake and I'll lie down for ten minutes which helps OR, if I had a really bad night of sleep and I'm lucky, I'll take an hour nap.
Naps as a whole can ruin any chance of me hitting my circadian rhythm when it's time for bed, so I have to be careful when I take them. Anything after 5pm is very risky and could throw a lot off for me.
If I get tired, I tried to get out for a walk or ride the bike a little bit to get the adrenaline up. I make sure I get plenty of water too as dehydration can really affect your wakefulness.
One caveat I'll add to the above medications is that sometimes I'll take a Naproxen Sodium anti-inflammatory if my workouts cause soreness. This, on average, has helped me sleep better. Inflammation increases as we age but taking NSAIDS too often are not good for your heart health. I'll speak more to anti-inflammatory alternatives later.
THE SETTINGS AND TOOLS FOR CLEAN SLEEP
I didn't even realize there was such a thing but when my first sleep therapist began working with me, I had to make some cognitive changes that I had been unaware of.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Where do you sleep and is it as comfortable as it could be?
Do you primarily sleep on your side? Your back? Or several positions?
Do you have the correct pillow for your pattern of sleep?
Do you or your partner snore?
Do you have sleep apnea and do you require a CPAP machine?
Is the room as dark as it could be or should you invest in blackout curtains?
Does your room have the right amount of air circulation? Even if you don't have a fan directly on you a fan might be helpful to keep the air moving around the room, even on low.
Is the room temperature right for sleeping? Ideally 65 degrees, thought a little cooler, is considered ideal for many
What is the noise-level in your home? Is it quiet enough? Could it be helped made better with tapestries, curtains, furniture or better yet, acoustic panels? OR another option is to consider white/brown noise.
Do you have pets or children that will interrupt your sleep? (This is an area I have no idea how to handle as I'm without both)
Do you have a television in the bedroom? If so, you really need to consider removing it altogether. PROTIP: Your BED should only be used for SLEEP, SICKNESS, & SEX! Not even reading in bed is recommended.
SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS
What follows is a list of protocols that I follow to insure that best possible night of sleep.
Walking first thing in the morning to engage the sunrise. This will sync your brain and body's natural cycle to wakefulness.
No caffeine after 1 pm if at all. For me, I am very sensitive to caffeine, even in chocolate, so I have to be very careful, even with green tea.
Dinner no less than 3 hours before bedtime.
Do not eat after 9pm.
Work out no less than 3 hours before bedtime. (Working out in the mornings helps jumpstart your metabolism and your dopamine levels. Working out in the evenings may help get you through the doldrums of being a little tired. The 3 hour window helps ensure that you'll slide into your natural circadian rhythm.
Avoid consuming more than one alcoholic beverage after 6pm. Alcohol is an inflammatory and a depressant. While it can relax you, it's effects have minimal influence on quality sleep. There are other more sustainable approaches.
Lower lights after 5pm. This will be ensure that the body understands that night is coming and start to slow its metabolic processes.
Walk at sunset to watch the sun go down. This again will sync your brain and body's natural cycle to slow down and adjust for sleepfulness.
Keep television viewing to a minimum. The bright light from today's very large televisions cast a lot of BLUE LIGHT on us and causes wakefulness at the wrong time.
Allow time before bed to read something mundane. (a book on skill-building or personal growth sometimes works)
A hot bath or shower before bed. This works well if you live in a cold environment and helps make you sleepy.
Leave all electronic devices in another room. This may be a huge hurdle for you but this is your time to sleep.
Eliminate any extraneous light. This means covering alarm clocks or anything that casts light.
Use an EYEMASK if you don't have as much control over your lighting situation.
Practice BOX or FOUR SQUARE breathing for a count of ten or more. There are also other breathing methods including WIM HOFF's technique. There are also similar techniques that NAVY Seals use. Which if you can imagine, being in a combat zone is not the friendliest place to sleep. [NOTE: One thing to remember about breathing is that the outward breath activates the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS) which slows down the heart, decreases the blood flow and aids in digestion. The inward breath, or Sympathetic Nervous System (PNS) does the opposite of that by heightening the blood flow, elevating heart rate, increasing endocrine functions like sweating and saliva production. These are all part of the Autonomic Nervous System. That's why Buddhist and Yoga instruction centers so much around breathing techniques.]
If you have to get up to use the rest room try to maintain that low frequency mental fortitude. Tripping over into thinking, planning or catastrophizing is a slippery slope.
If you do wake up, get out of bed and read under low light. This may take an hour or until you can get back onto that circadian rhythm. Then try again. Don't chastise yourself for being awake. Remember, good self-talk is only going to be good for you. If need be put on an EYEMASK at this time to help get the sleep you need.
Try to wake up and go to bed at the same time every day 7 days a week. Don't change your routine because of the weekend or else it throws the balance off.
Consistency in following a protocol like the above is the main thing. Do this night after night for up to a month. Record your Bed Times and Awake Times and your General Sense of Restful Outcome each day if that helps you. Tracking this information is what I had to do for weeks at a time with my sleep therapist.
If you see no improvements, you may need to consider alternatives to better sleep practices. But at least if you've come this far, you know that you've done your personal best. The brain is a funny thing, and may require a different approach. Consider sleep therapy if it's available to you so that they can better understand what is going on for you. They do have a background in psychology and may suggest deeper work with a psychologist if there are untreated traumas that affect your sleep.
THOUGHTS ON SUPPLEMENTS AND OTHER PRODUCTS
Below I delve into a bevy a things that, through my own research that has helped in different ways. Obviously these are for adults, so keep that in mind and make adult decisions about whether they're right for you.
A friend of mine introduced me to FLORA HEMP SPIRITS. They're alcohol free but give you a very relaxed feel, even tiredness to combat what I call the TYPE 1 insomnia. 2 oz. mixed with a favorite flavored seltzer or low-sugar juice (my friend loves it with peach juice found at most Japanese markets). It's perfectly legal to receive but only requires an adult signature. The DELTA 8 is the one that you want. I haven't tried their other products but I can attest to this if your insomnia is infrequent and you don't want drink alcohol. This coupled with a hot shower will do a lot to put you at ease.
The same friend who has suffered from various ailments that cause him insomnia also recommended a two product protocol. The first starts a half hour before bed with WYLD ELDERBERRY GUMMIES. I'm not sure why it's the elderberry gummies but I'm not gonna argue with what works. One of these under the tongue will slowly dissolve until you're ready for the second protocol, which is the FAIRWINDS DEEP SLEEP tincture w/CBN. I don't know the science per se of why the CBN is more effective in this instance but it helps keep you asleep while the gummies are the things that make you drowsy. For me, this worked really well. Though not a cheap thing, it was nice to know that if I needed guaranteed rest and sleep that it could deliver.
I've tried a lot of other tinctures...some incredibly expensive ($125 a bottle) that did not work. However GREEN REVOLUTION is high in CBD 1000mg with the lesser psychoactive effects of THC at 50mg in easily the largest bottle of tincture available at 3.5oz. Â The cost varies but for it's size I think it may run about $89+ and last several months.
While you're at it, you might find these other resources to be of interest in learning more about the brain and sleep. It's not to be trifled with and could certainly benefit you and your ongoing years to get better at it.
If you haven't read Matthew Walker's WHY WE SLEEP book, it is a real education. It's also terribly haunting how lack of sleep endangers our future.
Also, Dr. Andrew Huberman, whose HUBERMAN PODCAST is all about the science of optimizing ourselves, is very deep and engaging. He has several podcasts on sleep where he reveals his "Sleep Cocktail" of supplements that he takes. I have yet to prescribe this to myself as I like to keep things simple. This specific episode is a great primer for sleep and can, I believe, give you a better idea of why Melatonin is NOT a good sleep aid. He does a far better job at it than I can...and he happens to be a neuro scientist. Go figure.
So thank you for sticking with me through this very long and hopefully informative entry. I may not have covered everything with a fine-toothed comb but I'm hoping it helps you find what you need to investigate further the things that are important to healthy sleep.
Remember, our days of being creatives on this planet are short, and eliminating all possible obstacles to make those our best days is ideal.
=s=