We’ve all heard over and over again that sleep is important. We have heard some of the standard benefits and we’ve experienced first hand what tiredness and lack of sleep can do to a person. Some people don’t even know what it’s like to feel rested, how awful right? Work, stress, kids, pets, etc. are always getting in the way of getting to bed on time or getting enough hours. But I think it’s safe to say that we are fully in control of altering our schedule to make time for sleep. If work is a top priority for you, sleep should be equal to or even more important! Without optimal sleep, we cannot feel rested, maintain good health or even think clearly. Getting quality sleep will actually improve your work performance which could result in a promotion or pay raise! Now with that thought in mind, let me tell you just how important sleep is.

Why is sleep important?

Sleep allows us to reset our ability to focus, stay alert and remain emotionally stable in our wakeful period. I'm sure you’ve heard different ranges of how many hours of sleep are the most beneficial. What truly matters is the quality of your sleep. Each person requires a different amount of hours of sleep, so to give a set time for optimal sleep isn’t substantial. We also want to take into consideration what we do while we are awake.

Sleep and wakefulness intertwine. What we do while we are awake determines whether we fall asleep, stay asleep, how well we sleep and how we feel when we wake the next day. 

Circadian Force: Our Internal Clock

We have this thing called the Circadian Force which is our “Internal Clock”. This governs when you sleep and when you are awake. Circadian means “about a day” or “about 24 hrs”. This internal clock in our brains determines when we want to be sleepy and when we want to be awake. Our sleep tends to be in a 6-10 hour block and this block is governed by LIGHT. Especially sunlight!

How light affects sleep & wakefulness

When you wake, you open your eyes allowing light in. We have a particular set of cells in our eyes that perceive a particular type of light that sends a signal to the cells in our bodies letting us know we are awake. 

Viewing Light Upon Waking

Viewing sunlight early in the day is key for establishing health sleep rhythms and allowing you to sleep easily at night. This is the foundation of proper sleep and circadian health.

If we are in a dark room when we open our eyes, there isn't enough light to trigger the rhythms of cortisol and melatonin. Cortisol is your primary stress hormone or your “built-in alarm system”. Cortisol alerts the whole system of the body to increase heart rate, stimulate muscles and start moving about. Melatonin is another hormone made in the body which makes you sleepy. 

Cortisol = wakefulness signal      Melatonin = sleepiness signal

.The neurons in our eyes that set the circadian clock respond best to a particular quality and amount of light. This is sunlight. When the sun is low in the sky, it has a contrast of yellows and blues that triggers the activation of these cells. You want to get sunlight in your eyes as close to waking as possible. Once the sun is in the sky, the quality changes which is less optimal for setting the circadian clock. A late shifted cortisol pulse is one of the links to a lot of anxiety and depression disorders. 

What if I wake up after sunrise? If you wake up later than sunrise, you still want to get outside and view sunlight. The key is to get sunlight energy into your eyes. 

How long should I view light? An optimal amount of time to view sunlight is 2-10 minutes. For those of you who live in darker conditions such as Scandinavia where the sunlight isn't always available, stay out and view whatever light is available for longer periods of time even if there is cloud coverage.

What about artificial light and light from devices? Artificial lights will not have the same effect on the retina in your eyes as natural light. Devices such as phones, computers, tablets, and TV’s give off Blue Light. Blue light is beneficial during the day, but we want to avoid it in the evening after the sun has set. 

Viewing Light in the Evening

Later in the afternoon and into the evening, we tend to start getting sleepy. Our Circadian Clock has a timer to release Melatonin (sleepy signal) based upon when you woke up and the Cortisol (wakeful signal) was released. Again, we want that Cortisol signal early in the day (morning) so that the Melatonin signal is released at a proper time in the evening. 

Once the sun has set, we want to avoid as much bright or blue light as possible. Viewing these types of light will set off our wakeful signal, making it harder to fall asleep when we need to, which results in staying up late. 

What type of light is best to view at night? Softer yellow, dim lights are best because they do not activate the retinas. Place lights used in the evening low as opposed to overhead lights. Candle light and fireplaces (natural light) do not activate the wakeful signal. Blue blocker glasses can be a useful tool for blocking blue light from devices, but it is highly recommended to shut down devices at least 20 minutes before bed to allow the mind to rest and get ready for sleep. Be mindful of viewing light in the middle of the night. Viewing light, even artificial or blue light can activate the wakeful signal. 

Sleep Aids 

Sleep aids have become very common and popular to help people fall asleep. The most popular being Melatonin. Our body naturally creates the hormone melatonin. If you supplement melatonin, it is then released multiple times throughout the day which has been known to suppress the onset of puberty. If supplementing with melatonin after hitting puberty, it can cause issues with other hormones in the body. Melatonin will help you fall asleep, but will not help you to stay asleep throughout the night. 

Melatonin purchased over the counter: The amount of melatonin can range from 15% of what is listed on the bottle or up to 400 times more than what is listed on the bottle. Very unregulated. 

Overview

We have covered quite a bit about sleep! The importance of sleep, how to utilize light to optimize sleep and sleep supplementation. If there is one thing to take away from this, it is the power of light and how it affects your sleep positively and negatively. If you are looking to get better sleep and wake up more alert, start by setting up a consistent sleep schedule. Then make it a point to view sunlight right when you wake up and view less, to no bright light in the evening. Put the devices away before bed and grab a book to read instead! 

Better sleep will benefit all aspects of your life. You will feel more alert and clear headed, more productive, better organ function, stronger in the gym and happier in your relationships!