Sleep: what's the big deal?

Last weekend, I got to hear from Australia's leading sleep expert, Olivia Arezzola. And this was my favourite seminar of the whole weekend! I know sleep is an issue for Wellspringers and I took detailed notes (the former lawyer in me) and I'd like to share what I learned. Any errors in this blog are my own and if you want to go to the source, go check out Home - Olivia Arezzolo, Australia's Leading Sleep Expert. Olivia is also on instagram and shares some great insights on her socials pages and in her book. Highly recommend checking it out.

Firstly, why do we need to sleep well? Some of the main reasons I noted at the seminar:

Emotional resilience

When we sleep well, our body has 37% less cortisol and 30% less anxiety. So, if you want to feel calmer and be able to handle what life throws at you, then maybe this blog will have some tips to help you sleep better!

More productive

When we get quality sleep, our productivity increases by 29%. What does this mean? If you sleep 8 hours rather than 5 hours then you can get the same amount of work done in much less time. Leaving more time to do other things in life.

More energy

I don't know about you but I am certainly on a quest to increase my energy levels. And when we get quality sleep, we are 94% less likely to burnout.

So, what can we do about our sleep? Here are 5 things I learned from Olivia's sleep talk.

1. Discover your chronotype

We have different sleep needs. Which means you need to figure out what your body actually wants. This was an eye-opening moment for me when Olivia talked about how much sleep people need. And it varies person to person. Olivia identifies three distinct sleep types:

Lion

The early riser (5am), this person needs less sleep than others.

Around 7 hours sleep

Ideal bedtime is 9-9.30pm

Most productive in the mornings

Wolf

The person who loves to stay up late. Ideal bedtime around 11.30pm.

Around 8 hours sleep

Ideal waking time is 8-8.30am

Most productive in the afternoons

Bear

Needs the most sleep. 9 hours minimum.

Ideal bedtime is 10pm, wake up at 7.30am

Most productive time is 10-2pm

If you want to know more about this, here is the link to Oliva's book (which I've put on my Christmas wishlist!) Bear, Lion, or Wolf – Discover Your Sleep Type for Better Sleep

2. Track your sleep

I know that I am a BEAR. And I have known this for a long time (but I didn't know it was called this). I know when I have 9-9.5 hours of sleep, my sleep score on my watch can be in the high 90s, if not 100. That means my body gets the right amount of rest, through all sleep cycles and honestly, I feel a million bucks. So, I want to know, what steps can I take to create this same sleep score every night?

Tracking your sleep can be a great start. I bought a Garmin watch last year and have tracked patterns in my sleep. This has helped me identify good habits to create successful sleep. I know that 1 glass of wine and my sleep score will not crack higher than 48. That's mostly likely because REM sleep is interrupted by alcohol.

Ideally, we want to aim for around 25% of our sleep in the REM phase and 20% of our sleep in the deep phase. The rest will be in a light sleep. You also want to prioritise going to bed early because deep sleep is frontloaded, at the start of the night.

3. Create your sleep sanctuary

Too much bright light can suppress melatonin production by 58% in one hour! Which means it's time to step away from the computer, laptop and phone at night. And turn off those overhead lights.

The best temperature to sleep in is 18 degrees (it sounds cold right!) But to produce melatonin, the sleep hormone, your body temperature needs to drop by 1 degree. Natural fibres on your bed are also essential - think linen, bamboo, silk pillowcases etc.

4. Bulletproof your bedtime regime

Setting yourself up for sleep success starts early. No screens 1 hour before bed. Even with blue light glasses, our brains are overstimulated by mobile phones. I'll say it again, step away from the mobile phone!

Try to shower one hour before bed. It helps cool the body and get it ready for sleeping.

About 30 minutes before bed, read a paper book. It's wonderful for our brains to have time to rest before going to sleep. Listening to white noise can also help to fall asleep faster.

Supplements can also have their role to play in improving sleep. Creatine, taken earlier in the day, can extend sleep time by 12%. Yet another reason to add creatine into our lives! And magnesium glycinate is another well-known supplement to assist in sleep.

5. Nutrition

We all know there are some red flags when it comes to sleep quality. And that afternoon coffee hit isn't helping you. Try to limit caffeine or switch to black tea if you must get that afternoon caffeine hit. Alcohol is another factor that impacts on sleep quality. I don't mind a few glasses of wine with friends but in recent months, I have tried to save this for social occasions. And I honestly have watched my sleep quality greatly improve.

Salmon is a great option to improve your sleep as it supports melatonin production. And a chamomile tea, just like our grandma used to have, is another great way to induce rest and relaxation before bed.

3am wakings

Now this is an issue I've heard a lot of clients talk about in the studio. Sometimes it can be age related, stress, menopause/peri-menopause or maybe there's no reason that you can pinpoint. Here are some tips from Olivia, a sleep expert, on dealing with those wake ups.

• get out of bed. You need to interrupt the pattern.

• go to your lounge or outside the bedroom.

• do not grab your phone or tv. No blue lights.

• sit and read a (paper) book or listen to white noise

• go back to bed when you are about to fall asleep.

I highly recommend following Olivia on socials, checking out her book or if you are lucky enough to see her speak in person - go and listen to her. An engaging and well respected expert on sleep, there is so much more we have to learn.

What bedtime rituals do you have, Wellspringers? I'd love to hear about them. Drop me a note below.

Till next time Wellspringers, sleep well,

Love Holly

xx