We don’t need research to tell us how important quality sleep is for our health - although the research is there if you want to read it! With daylight saving happening in just a few weeks, our clocks will go back an hour at 3am and we’ll wake up feeling a little disorientated that Sunday morning. If you’re someone who has a pretty sturdy sleep-wake cycle, you might find it takes a few days to restore your nights of quality sleep.
We’ll let you know how you can reset your body clock after daylight saving, but first, let’s unpack why sleep quality is as crucial as it is.
Sleep and our immune system:
It’s true that getting enough sleep can protect you from those sneaky ills and chills.
When our bodies rest, so do our muscles and rate of breathing. In other words, when we sleep, it allows room for our immune system to take charge. Immune system parameters such as T cells, as well our pro-inflammatory cytokines, are also at their peak function when our bodies are asleep.
Reduced stress and improved mood:
Did you know that sleep significantly reduces stress? And getting those all important z’s can improve our mood, cognitive function and also allows us to focus better. But, why is that?
Sleep and stress hormones, specifically cortisol, have a very close relationship. When we don’t catch up on sleep, the autonomic nervous system sends signals to increase cortisol levels as well as adrenaline and norepinephrine.
Our body is clever and it loves routine so when our usual circadian rhythm is thrown off balance; our emotional, interpersonal and motor function can also be interrupted. This can have an impact on our mood and well-being due to the disruption of these neural processes.
Appetite and metabolic health:
When we are well rested, we are protecting our body from detrimental effects on our metabolic health. We’ve mentioned cortisol and its role in regulating our stress levels, but did you know cortisol is also partially responsible for conserving energy and holding onto fat stores? When our body is experiencing stress caused by sleep deprivation, our stress hormone - cortisol - sends signals to our body to hold onto fat stores. This is done with good intention to protect us, but instead, this can trigger our body to crave carbohydrates and burn muscle mass in exchange for more energy.
We have two very clever appetite hormones known as ghrelin and leptin - ghrelin is an appetite stimulant, the hormone that lets us know it’s time to put food in our bellies. Leptin is the hormone that lets us know our tummies are well fed and satiated. When we do not get enough sleep, the function of ghrelin and leptin becomes impaired, often causing us to eat more than necessary and maybe not enough of the good stuff!
How can we master the end of daylight saving?
We can hope that our body will adjust to the extra hour on its own but this might take a few days of feeling groggy. Instead, we have made a list of tips and tricks to support quality sleep so that when that clock does go backwards we will hardly notice the difference.
Meditation:
Meditation can be a huge help before bedtime, not only for mental tranquillity but also systematic relaxation. Meditation is a well known relaxation technique known to quieten busy minds and promote a sense of peacefulness and mental restoration. Meditation lowers our stress hormones such as cortisol (which has been known to trump the activation of melatonin) and activates our parasympathetic nervous system - all pretty important processes that prepare us for a night of rest.
Nurture a night time ritual that doesn’t include looking at a screen:
Our circadian rhythm LOVES routine and there are some pretty relaxing practises you can add to your nightly wind down. Put a hold on responding to work emails and watching adrenaline-spiking TV shows; instead, partake in calming practices that will allow your mind to slow down, such as reading in dim light, listening to calming music, journaling or taking a warm bath. Research also suggests that drinking herbal tea such as chamomile, magnolia and lavender tea all have sedative effects.
Focus on consuming sleep-inducing nutrients:
Did you know that there are certain nutrients that aid relaxation and sleep? Foods such as nuts, legumes and avocados contain minerals such as magnesium that are known to support sleep. There are also foods and nutrients that contain melatonin such as walnuts, cherries and tomatoes. It may be beneficial to add a few of these foods to your dishes as the end of daylight savings inch closer. To get some extras of these properties we have curated our Deep Sleep supplement and Magnesium Restore for a little helping hand.
Exposure to sunlight in the morning:
Yes, we’re about to bring up our circadian rhythm once again. Can you blame us? It’s clearly pretty important! We can imagine that the change in time can throw our energy levels off a wee bit. Research suggests that getting 15 minutes of direct sunlight first thing in the morning will allow your body to reset its “sleep cycle”. Sunlight also stimulates the production of melatonin later in the day as well as serotonin for those happy, feel-good chemicals. Sounds pretty good to us!
Having a sleeping routine that serves you is pretty important and as the clock makes some changes in the coming month, we hope these tips and tricks will help you hack that bedtime routine to give you the quality sleep you deserve.
