Last week in Part 7, I went through some practical strategies of dos and don’ts to make your night sleep more restful. I explained how slow wave sleep makes your body repair cells, tissue, muscles, wounds, and injuries in order to live healthfully and recover more speedily from illness. On the other hand, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep makes your brain reorganize itself, classify information, reinforce learning, and strengthen memory. I also discussed how sleep deprivation at the eve of vaccination could affect the production of antibodies, which eventually protect us against the virus. The other points I covered were strategies to keep regular bedtime and to make the sleeping environment, bedroom, bed, mattress, sheets, pillows, and sleeping attires and positions as pleasant, comfortable, and sleep-friendly as possible.

Now, I shall continue elaborating on the other approaches recommended by sleep experts.

Sleep scientists recommend an ambient temperature in the bedroom, which should be well aired and smelling fresh and clean without the use of commercial air fresheners. Most of them agree on cooler temperatures in order to have restful deep sleep, as warmer conditions tend to disturb sleep through sweating and stickiness, making falling asleep harder to come by. If you are too hot and sweaty, deep sleep becomes difficult to achieve, leaving you awake, tossing and turning, and stressed out. You may have noticed that sleep is deeper and longer in winter; certain animals go into hibernation in very cold regions, whereas sleep in warmer climates is lighter and lasts shorter hours. If you are too hot and sweaty, a warm shower should lower your core body temperature. According to Dr. Michael Decker, spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a drop in body temperature signals to the brain to start shutting down for sleep.

Experts find the ideal range of temperature for sound sleep should be around 18 to 21 degrees Celsius (65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit). Of course, the agreeable temperature also varies from one person to another. Hence, it is recommended to keep the bedroom cool in order to fall asleep more easily. Air-conditioners work a miracle by giving us the ambient temperature our bodies need for maintaining good sleep. Moreover, they provide the “white noise” to muffle disturbing sounds. According to Dr. Decker, “we have our most intense sleep in the very early hours of the morning when our core body temperature is at its lowest.”

A wide range of people was asked to rate the important factors in their sleeping environment. Though a large number in the polls stressed that a clean bedroom was necessary for good sleep, along with a well-done bed with clean bed sheets, most of them rated a cool temperature as the most important aspect, as it made the sleeping environment more welcoming. These two factors were followed by:

• Fresh, allergen-free air

• A dark room

• A quiet room

• Clutter-free sleeping surrounding

• Sleep-friendly environment.

To add to that, I suggest leaving a glass of water next to your bed; it helps to drink to lower body temperature and hydrate in the middle of the night. It is also important to avoid heavy, big meals very high in proteins and fats in the evening. They take longer to digest, raise body temperature, and give indigestion at night. Refrain from caffeine, alcohol, and spicy food; they deter restful sleep.

Your sleeping attire should also be comfortable, loose, and of soft light fabric. It should not come in the way of your sleeping position.

The bedroom should be inviting for sleep; it should be noise-free and clutter-free. The door should close tightly to shut out disturbing sounds. The windows should be tight enough to block traffic and other street noises. The sleeping environment should not be messy with stuff all over the place or furniture badly arranged that discourage sleep.

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese art of arranging and making furniture harmonize to look and feel balanced in the sleeping surrounding to allow the flow of energy. It is the art of placing furniture, mirrors, doors, and windows in the right places. Colors should mix well and please the eye. The lighting well placed. Minimum mess should be in the bedroom in order to be in compliance with Feng Shui principles, which give comfort, calmness, relaxation, and pleasure to the person to make the sleeping quarters sleep-friendly, pleasant and peaceful.

Another important aspect that gives comfort and restful sleep is soft lighting in the bedroom. The dimmer the light the more inviting it is for sleep, making the brain release melatonin for sound deep sleep. The bedroom should become totally dark, when the lights are off in order to make sleep more healthy and profound. No light should penetrate the room through cracks and windows or pass beneath doors. Streetlights can interfere with a good sleep. Light sends signals to the brain to inhibit the release of melatonin, arousing the person from deep sleep. Blackouts or shutters should block outside light. When the room is dark it is easier to go back to sleep if woken up in the middle of the night. In order to see the way to the bathroom, a tiny red bulb plugged in the electrical socket should suffice.

Put telephones off before retiring to bed. Mobiles should be kept out of the room or in the locked bathroom. The radiation emitting from the phone could be dangerous to the brain and organs exposed to it. Anyway, you don’t want to be woken up by a silly call from the best of sleep. Going back to sleep becomes difficult and you will wake up tired in the morning, feeling sleep-deprived unnecessarily.

Dr. Michael Breus and other sleep experts pointed out that “the condition of your bedroom really matters, for the quality of your sleep as well as your intimate life and your health.” He recommends investing in your sleep equipment and not depriving yourself of comfort, good sleep, and the benefits that come with them.

Exercise and physical activity are not only part of a healthy lifestyle program. It is a healthy practice to keep the heart pumping to enhance the blood flow through the body and brain; expedite nutrients to the brain, organs, and various systems; improve the mood, memory, and mental health; increase oxygen in the cells, heart, body, and brain; invigorate energy; build muscles and bones; boost stamina; bolster the immune system; consolidate learning and memory; and more. That is not all, it also has an important role in improving the quality of sleep and inducing sleep more easily when you begin to shut down at night. By exercising sufficiently during the day, you will find it easier to sleep smoothly and profoundly. With age, people tend to have disturbed and insufficient sleep. Studies show that fit and active seniors get to sleep well, whereas sedentary adults do not fare as well.

Next week, there will be more on sleep and how to achieve quality sleep that helps repair your cells, tissues, muscles, injuries, and wounds; consolidate learning and memory; reorganize data in your brain; stabilize your mood; maintain health; and increase productivity. All these will improve the performance of your body and brain, which will reflect on the quality of your life.

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