Regulating the Sleep Cycle

Health Tips

By Tots Reyes

Sleep can be elusive to many people so that it has become a luxury instead of a necessity. Who hasn’t experienced being sleep deprived because of working or studying late hours, job stress, having a newborn or having a night out with friends? However, to have optimum health, you need to be well rested. It’s not enough to have good diet and exercise. If you don’t get enough sleep, your ability to concentrate will be compromised, you may get headaches or migraines, your immunity gets lower and you will experience drowsiness during the daytime.

A restful night’s sleep is comprised of several sleep cycles that is regulated by your internal body clock. The preliminary stage begins by feeling drowsy and can last about ten minutes. It is followed by the second stage, light sleep, wherein the heart rate slows down, the body temperature drops. This is when you actually fall asleep. Stage three and four is Deep Sleep, which is highly restorative. Deep sleep is the most important stage because your body rebuilds itself at this time. If someone wakes you up during this stage, you may feel groggy and less alert immediately after. For me, the grogginess usually manifests in grumpiness, crabbiness, and a woe-betide-you forecast on the person doing the waking.
In a 6-8 hour sleep cycle, a person will go through the different cycles about three to four times. However, in today’s busy world, especially for people who work in call centers, some people don’t even reach REM or the Deep sleep stage. Back when I was still studying, and especially during exam week, I knew plenty of people who went for days without sleep. It worked for the beginning days of the exams, but after the first three days, they’d be so tired that they couldn’t continue reviewing at all.

I especially envy people who manage to reach sleep-like-the-dead (aka the third and fourth stage) status unaided in a matter of minutes (Yes, I’m looking at you, dad. Snore away). But not being one of these lucky few, I understand that there are some things that can help my sleep cycle get back on track.

First, establishing a regular sleep pattern, and going to bed around the same time every night. The earlier, the better (not so easy to do, I know). Try and avoid staying up late to watch a TV program, record it instead and watch during the weekends or in the daytime (ouch).

Make sure your sleep environment is as conducive to rest as much as possible. Ideally, your bedroom should only be used for sleep and *ahem* sex, so don’t place your home office desk in your room. Buy the best mattress and the highest thread count sheets you can afford. Your room should be comfortable, so if you need an airconditioner to fall asleep, go ahead and just use a timer if the thought of your sky high Meralco bill is adding to your stress. Play some soft meditative music, like a spa to block out the noise outside. Personally, I’ve found that counting sheep just make me crave burgers, but if that works for you, go ahead.

Avoid using sleeping pills. These can be highly addictive. As an alternative option, try Melatonin. These small tablets can be purchased at health food stores and are found naturally in your body. It’s great for people who travel and need to recover from jet lag, or if you work the graveyard shift and need some help.

Avoid eating heavy meals during dinner, and try to avoid taking caffeine or chocolate (ouch) after 2pm or you’ll stay up at night. Save the buffet for lunch and go light for dinner.

Prepare yourself for sleep by having a routine. You can have a glass of water or take a warm bath before sleeping. You can also try aromatherapy sprays and bath products such as Lavander and Chamomille.

Avoid discussing issues and stressful things before going to bed. After all, you might end up dreaming about them (ugh), as they’re the last thing on your mind before you close your eyes. Say a prayer or spend a few minutes meditating to quiet your mind. Go to the bathroom before you sleep so you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night.

If you still find yourself tossing and turning, don’t get up. Just lie still and release all thoughts of stress and anxiety. When I have trouble sleeping, I try not to look at the clock and see how long I’ve been lying there, as I feel that this pressures me more into falling asleep, which in turn actually keeps me from getting any sleep. I’ve found that if I let my body do what it needs to do and I get there eventually.