Sleep can be difficult to come by, despite the fact that we spend around one-third of our lives doing it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one-third of Americans sleep less than the recommended seven to nine hours per night. According to a 2020 YouGov poll in the UK, 18% of Brits sleep less than six hours per day, which experts define as "insufficient and unhealthy".
The impact of insufficient sleep extends beyond individual health concerns. A study published in the Journal of Sleep Research found that sleep deprivation costs the U.S. economy up to $411 billion annually due to reduced productivity and increased healthcare expenses. This staggering figure underscores the societal importance of addressing sleep issues and promoting healthy sleep habits.
This shortage has major health implications. According to Dr. Alaina Tiani, a clinical health psychologist and associate staff member in behavioral sleep medicine at the Cleveland Clinic sleep disorders center, poor sleep has been linked to a decreased ability to focus, poor concentration, memory impairments, feelings of depression and irritability, as well as a variety of physical ailments such as a weakened immune system and disruption in hormone function.
Recent research has also highlighted the connection between sleep and cognitive health. A groundbreaking study published in Nature Neuroscience revealed that during sleep, the brain undergoes a "cleaning" process, removing toxic proteins that are linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. This discovery emphasizes the critical role of quality sleep in maintaining long-term brain health and potentially reducing the risk of cognitive decline.
Some of this is out of people's control. "There are social factors that impact people's sleep," says Dr. Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, a psychiatry and behavioral health professor at Penn State College of Medicine. He notes that people who live in high-violence neighborhoods, as well as those who work several jobs or encounter more racial and gender discrimination, sleep worse. "Any social determinant of health affects sleep," Fernandez-Mendoza explains.
We do, however, have some influence over certain factors. Below, we've outlined some of the most common sleep blunders and how to avoid them.
Mistake No. 1: Not knowing how much sleep you really need.
"People tend to underestimate the amount of sleep they need," says Dr. Kenneth Lee, medical director of the University of Chicago's Sleep Disorders Center.
Experts generally recommend that individuals get seven to nine hours of sleep per night. However, this is a basic guideline, and individual sleep demands vary greatly, according to Lee. Margaret Thatcher was reportedly believed to sleep only four hours a night, and actor Dakota Johnson once stated that she is "not functional" if she sleeps fewer than ten hours per night.
Lee recommends paying attention to your mood and performance to determine whether you're getting adequate sleep. Are you irritable? Having trouble focusing on tasks? Nodding off during the day? You'd probably benefit from a longer sleep.
Mistake No. 2: Eating too much—or too little
Sleep management has a Goldilocks-like character, especially when it comes to eating.
Eating too much too soon before bedtime can cause pain, indigestion, and heartburn, all of which impair one's ability to fall and remain asleep. Similarly, eating too little before bed can make you feel hungry, disrupting your sleep.
Fernandez-Mendoza explains that, like our sleep cycles, our hunger follows a daily routine. We can better manage our hunger and sleep by eating three meals every day around the same time.
Emerging research in the field of chrononutrition, which explores the relationship between meal timing and our internal body clock, suggests that aligning our eating patterns with our circadian rhythms can significantly improve sleep quality. A study published in the journal Nutrients found that individuals who consumed their last meal at least 3 hours before bedtime experienced better sleep efficiency and fewer nighttime awakenings compared to those who ate closer to bedtime.
Mistake No. 3: Screens before bedtime
One of the most prevalent sleep faults is gazing at a screen before bedtime. According to Dr. Patricio Escalante, a pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic, the blue light emitted by cellphones, laptops, and televisions might increase attentiveness and hence "potentially delay our sleep initiation".
There is substantial dispute over how disturbing blue light is to sleep. Aside from the light, the stuff we consume on screens is often extremely stimulating, such as fascinating TV episodes or your nemesis' social media posts, making it difficult to sleep.
Mistake #4: Not winding down.
According to Fernandez-Mendoza, many people do not spend enough time relaxing and unwinding before going to bed. After supper, people may work longer, engage in strenuous exercise, or socialize, "and then go straight to bed, as if our brain works like a TV that can be turned off," he explains.
Tiani recommends having a calming routine at the end of the day. "It is important to have at least 30 to 60 minutes to wind down and do something non-productive before transitioning to your sleep time," according to her.
Escalante suggests jotting down what you need to remember for the next day to decrease concern and rumination, followed by "some boring content" to help you fall asleep.
Mistake 5: Taking too many naps.
Napping can be an excellent technique to swiftly rest and recharge during the day. But only if they act quickly. Napping for too long can influence how much sleep your body requires at night, interrupting your regular sleep routine.
"Shortening naps to half an hour is ideal," adds Escalante.
Mistake number six: spending too much time awake in bed.
Winston Churchill worked from bed. Marcel Proust wrote much of In Search of Lost Time while lying in bed. Frida Kahlo painted on her bed. I occasionally order pizza in bed. Despite these tremendous bed-related advances, experts advise us to keep our mattresses for sleep and sex only.
"The more time you spend in bed not sleeping, the more your body gets used to that," Lee tells me.
Even if you wake up in the middle of the night and struggle to go back asleep, Lee recommends getting out of bed and doing something calming and non-stimulating until you feel ready to sleep again. He discusses one of his patients who saves her clothing to fold when she has trouble going asleep. "You're really trying to create that association of: bed equals sleep," adds the man.
Mistake number 7: Not getting enough sleep on weeknights.
Many of us have cut back on sleep during the week because we believe we can make up for it on the weekend. However, Fernandez-Mendoza explains that this is not how it works.
"You accumulate a sleep debt" when you receive insufficient or interrupted sleep on a regular basis, he says. While taking a nap or sleeping in on Sundays may assist, it is unlikely to cover everything.
According to a 2022 study published in the journal Trends in Neuroscience, after one to two weeks of sleep restriction (less than seven hours of sleep), subjective deficits such as fatigue and mood "typically normalized with 1-2 nights of recovery sleep". Other capabilities, like vigilance, were impaired even after two to three nights of recovery sleep.
Mistake No. 8: Maintaining an erratic sleep schedule.
The more we change our sleep and waking times, the more difficult it is for our bodies to adjust.
"Focus on keeping a consistent wake time every morning," Tiani suggests. Ideally, this wake time is consistent on weekends and non-working days.
Sleeping for an hour or so on weekends will not disrupt your body's pattern. However, if you wake up two or more hours later than usual, you may unintentionally induce what Fernandez-Mendoza refers to as "social jet lag".
"You feel the consequences when, on Sunday night, you cannot fall asleep," according to him.
The concept of "social jet lag" has gained significant attention in sleep research circles. A study published in the journal Sleep Medicine found that individuals with greater social jet lag were more likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety. This highlights the importance of maintaining a consistent sleep schedule not just for physical health, but for mental well-being as well.
Mistake No. 9: Consuming excessive caffeine and alcohol.
According to Escalante, both caffeine and alcohol can cause sleep disturbances. "Caffeine takes eight hours to metabolize," he explains. That means that 3 p.m. coffee may still be keeping you awake at 10 p.m.
And, while alcohol can make you drowsy, it does not promote deep sleep. A 2014 study discovered that consuming substantial amounts of alcohol before bed altered sleep cycles, resulting in fragmented, low quality sleep.
Mistake No. 10: Stressing about sleep.
If all of these suggestions seem daunting, don't worry. Seriously. Worrying over your sleep is one of the worst things you can do, according to experts."It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy," says Fernandez. "If you spend the day worrying that you're going to sleep poorly, odds are that you will. So, try to relax. And perhaps fold some laundry."
