Restore Your Sleep To Restore Yourself

Tawnya & Scott Landis
Apr 10, 2023

The fast-paced modern lifestyle hardly allows for much rest and relaxation. There’s no point in denying that we've all experienced the unpleasant feeling of a sleepless night—feeling drowsy, irritable, low on energy, and sluggish. Our minds struggle to focus, causing us to make careless errors, and we just need copious amounts of coffee just to make it through the day. 

Although consistently getting a good night's sleep might seem like a distant dream, it's crucial for our health and well-being. Chronic sleep deprivation increases the risk of various diseases, including heart disease, insomnia, stroke, dementia, obesity, and more. However, there are ways to improve our sleep quality. 

Keep reading to learn how to restore your sleep so that you can restore yourself.


Why is having quality sleep important?

The importance of sleep quality cannot be overstated. Similar to eating and breathing, sleep is fundamental to human existence. It is crucial for feeling refreshed and energized, reducing daytime drowsiness, and maintaining physical and mental health. Furthermore, sleep also plays a pivotal role in growth and development, particularly for babies, children, and adolescents. Adequate sleep can prevent illness and aid in recovery from injury or sickness.

Conversely, poor sleep quality and sleep deprivation can have grave consequences, both physiologically and psychologically. They increase the likelihood of heart disease, hypertension, and stroke. At the same time, it also triggers anxiety, irritability, and depression. In addition, sleep deprivation also poses a significant risk to public safety, particularly when drivers become drowsy while driving and cause accidents on the road. Therefore, prioritizing quality sleep is crucial and highly important as it helps prevent the negative repercussions of sleep deprivation, and on the bright side, it improves your well-being.

Causes that Affect the Quality of Sleep

Several factors may contribute to the inability to have a good night's sleep. These include your daily activities, the environment in which you sleep, and disruptions to your regular routine due to stress, work, travel, sickness, and more. However, once you identify the underlying reason for your lack of sleep, you can already take the necessary measures to overcome the issue and give your body and mind the rest they require. 

Below are some of the typical causes that affect the quality of sleep:

Unregulated Stress
These days have been quite challenging for everyone, especially with the threat of recession, pandemic, and all the hate around the internet. As a result, a great number of us find ourselves worried about work, finances, and our own or our loved one's well-being. Throughout the day, other concerns can serve as a temporary diversion. Nevertheless, it is often only at night, when we are alone with our anxious thoughts, that we become bothered. So we end up ruminating about the things in the past or even of the uncertain future that we end up losing a few good amounts of hours that are intended for sleep, or worse, wake up in the middle of the night because of those bothersome thoughts.

Poor sleep environment or habits
Poor sleep or inadequate sleep quality at bedtime may originate from your activities during the day. Factors such as excessive caffeine intake, lack of physical activity, exposure to digital screens prior to bedtime, or an unsuitable sleep environment marked by high temperatures, glare, or noise, can all lead to poor sleep quality.

Sleep Disorders
The inability to obtain sufficient, high-quality sleep at night and consequent sleep deprivation can be caused by a sleep disorder like sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, or narcolepsy.

Irregular work schedule
Working in shifts can disturb your natural sleep-wake cycle, which works on a 24-hour pattern, making you feel lethargic and fatigued. If you have a routine of working in the night, early morning, or rotating shifts, your sleep quality may not be as satisfactory as compared to a regular daytime shift.

Medical Issues
Your sleep issues could stem from a medical condition such as heartburn, thyroid disease, or a mental ailment like depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. More so, those with dementia, particularly the elderly, may also suffer from disrupted sleep patterns. Furthermore, certain medications can have sleep-related side effects.


Substance Use
Although alcohol consumption may initially aid in quicker sleep, it can also impede sleep quality by excessive snoring, disturbing the beneficial REM sleep cycle, and inducing premature waking. Meanwhile, employing stimulants like cocaine or amphetamines can similarly impede restful sleep and lead to nocturnal wakefulness.


How to Restore Quality Sleep

Have a calm mind before sleeping
In the hour leading up to bedtime, it's best to steer clear of screens, work-related activities, and any conversations that may cause stress. Instead, establish a soothing bedtime routine that will help you unwind and quiet your mind. Consider indulging in a warm bath, listening to calming music or an audiobook, reading under soft lighting, or practicing relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, or progressive muscle relaxation.


Manage your stress and save your worrying for the following day
No matter what is causing your stress, it is possible to acquire healthy stress management techniques that can alleviate tension and anxiety and ultimately improve your quality of sleep. If you find yourself lying awake at night, consumed by worries, try jotting them down on paper and allow yourself to postpone any further worrying until the following day. After a restful night's sleep, you will be better equipped to face and address the issue at hand.


Improve your sleeping environment
To ensure a good night's sleep, it's important to create a comfortable environment in your bedroom. Keep the room cool, quiet, and dark, and reserve your bed solely for sleeping and sexual activities. Avoid using screens, doing work, or engaging in any stressful activities in bed.


Exercise regularly
Engaging in regular exercise not only helps to alleviate stress but can also enhance your mood and alleviate the symptoms of various sleep disorders. Strive for at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week, but be mindful not to exercise too close to bedtime as it may interfere with falling asleep.


Reduce the impact of working late shifts
By increasing your light exposure with bright lights while working and then decreasing your exposure to light when at home and preparing to sleep, you can regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Installing blackout shades or heavy curtains in your bedroom can also help to maintain a dark environment during the day, promoting better sleep.


Eat healthily
Consuming excessive amounts of sugary foods and beverages, alcohol, and caffeine throughout the day can interfere with your sleep at night. Eating a heavy meal near bedtime can also make it challenging to fall asleep while drinking too many fluids can disrupt your sleep by causing frequent awakenings. Thus, it is best for your sleep to avoid them before bedtime.


Seek professional help
If you suspect that a medical condition may be the underlying cause of your sleep deprivation, it is advisable to seek professional help. Discuss any chronic physical or mental health issues with your doctor, who can offer guidance on addressing them to improve your sleep quality. Additionally, your doctor can help you identify any prescription medications that may be contributing to your sleep problems and recommend changes as necessary.


Conclusion


If you consistently wake up feeling unrefreshed and tired throughout the day, it is crucial to take steps to address your sleep issues. Although it may be tempting to resort to sleeping pills when desperate for rest, there are numerous strategies you can implement to improve the quantity and quality of your sleep without relying on medication.

Although sleep aids or pills may provide temporary relief, they do not address the root causes of your sleep problems and may even exacerbate symptoms over time. Instead, making changes to your lifestyle and behavior can be effective in addressing sleep deprivation and restoring your sleep schedule. Also, you may listen to my podcast, where I interview sleep coach Talia Shapero, to get more tips on how to improve your sleeping habits.