For some people, trying to fall asleep is extremely difficult but staying asleep and not falling victim to sleep disruptors is even more challenging. In order to obtain the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep on a nightly basis, you would need to make sure your sleep schedule is consistent and accurate. A sleep schedule is when an individual goes to bed and wakes up every day. A consistent sleep schedule has many benefits such as having an easier time falling asleep and more energy during the day. It ensures that an individual gets the correct amount of sleep each night and can align systems in your body that signal when it’s time to go to bed and when it’s time to wake up.
Another issue that arises with sleeping, is an off balance with someone’s circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is your sleep-wake pattern over the course of a 24-hour day. Your circadian rhythm is influenced by light and dark and other important factors. Your brain receives environmental indicators that activate certain hormones, alter your body temperature, and regulate your metabolism to keep you alert or help you to sleep.
If your sleep schedule is set and your circadian rhythm is on track, then why can’t you stay asleep during the night? Even with those two issues managed, there are other factors that can disrupt your sleep but there are ways to fix those complications. Below is a breakdown of the complications and ways to improve the situation.
Sleep Disruptors: Achiness and Pain
Every minor ache or pain in any location in the body can interfere with your sleep. These pains may include back pain, headaches, neck pain, joint aches, and muscle spasms. While we feel these pains during the day, they tend to worsen through the night due to the hormones in the body. During the night, the production of the anti-inflammatory hormone cortisol is at its lowest. When discomfort is disrupting our sleep, it affects our ability to manage pain during the day. When there is a lack of quality sleep, sleep deprivation can arise which increases the release of proteins called cytokines which are involved in the body’s inflammatory response and makes people more sensitive to pain.
So how do we manage pain before bed? Stretching! Mindful meditation that incorporates gentle stretching (such as yoga) generally improves sleep quality. A study performed on older adults reported there was an improvement in sleep quality after performing low level physical and cognitive activity. Researchers found that gentle stretching resulted in better sleep than when the participants performed more strenuous exercises. Here are 10 stretched to try before bed:
- The bear hug
- Head rolls
- Spinal twists
- Kneeling back extension with Child’s Pose
- Seated forward bend
- Legs up the wall
- Butterfly
- Seated side stretch
- Knee to the chest and figure four
- Standing quadriceps stretch
Caffeine and Alcohol
Caffeine consumption can make you fall asleep later, sleep less hours overall, and make your sleep feel less satisfying. This sleep disruptor can also reduce the amount of deep, slow-wave sleep you get, which is a critical stage of sleep for feeling refreshed the next day. Caffeine affects the brain by blocking adenosine receptors. Adenosine is a sleep-promoting chemical that is produced in the brain during waking hours. Normally, adenosine builds up in the brain the longer you are awake and the more it builds up, the sleepier you become. When caffeine blocks this, you remain alert and vigilant which is what can cause sleep disruption.
Alcohol has sedative effects that can induce feelings of relaxation and sleepiness. However, after a person consumes alcohol, the liquid is absorbed into their bloodstream from the stomach and small intestine. Eventually, it gets metabolized, but this process is very slow so excess alcohol will continue to circulate throughout the body long after it is consumed. If you give your body enough time to metabolize the substance, it may reduce the negative effects during sleep.
There are many other beverages that can be consumed before bed. However, drinking an excessive amount of a liquid before bed is never suggested because then the urgency to urinate will take over your sleep cycle and disrupt the sleep. Here are three drinks you can try instead:
- Chamomile Tea
- Tart cherry juice
- Water
Blue Light and Lack of Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone that is produced in a tiny endocrine gland that is located in the center of the brain. The production of melatonin is influenced by the detection of light and dark by the retina of the eye. During the day, melatonin levels are low because the retina detects large amounts of light. The body can produce enough melatonin for general needs. However, evidence has proven that melatonin supplements promote sleep.
Blue light (which can be found in television screens, phones, laptops, and other technology) can cause a delay in falling asleep. While blue light reduces the creation and distribution of melatonin in the brain while the blue light is being used, it can also continue to decrease melatonin for a while after the blue light has been taken away.
If you need sound to fall asleep, try using a sound machine that does not use blue light. While using that sound machine, you can also increase the amount of melatonin with a natural sleep aid such as Relaxium Sleep.
Battling Sleep Disruptors with Relaxium Sleep
Relaxium uses a synergistic blend of ingredients. In this blend, one of the components is 5 mg of melatonin. This amount was chosen because it is just enough to trigger the body’s sleep cycle, but not too much that it leaves an individual feeling groggy the next day.
At Relaxium, we have a simple mission – to create affordable, safe, and effective supplements. Through extensive research, we created four life-enhancing supplements: Relaxium Sleep, Relaxium Calm, Relaxium Immune Defense, and Relaxium Focus Max. We use a perfect synergistic blend of ingredients in our products to ensure results. If you are interested in trying our Relaxium products, click here for more information!
To restful and healthy days ahead,
The Relaxium Team
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Do we feel pain more at night? – Harvard Health
Stretching before bed: Benefits and stretches to try (medicalnewstoday.com)
Caffeine’s Connection to Sleep Problems (sleepfoundation.org)