YOUR 2024 BRAIN BRAWN MINI RESOLUTION SLEEP BETTER: WEEK 4

Originally published April 1, 2024

Balance Your Sleep Spreadsheet and Stay Out of Sleep Debt
 
Happy Monday and welcome to another month of our sleep mini resolution! We hope it is a good morning for you and that you are sleeping better! Once again, here is our list of sleep tips:

CCP's Curated Sleep Tips

Sleep debt is the difference between hours of sleep needed and the hours actually slept. Everyone has different requirements for sleep. It is unique to the individual and genetically determined—it's the sweet spot of sleep where you awaken refreshed and have energy throughout the day. Your individual need for sleep is best determined in a time and place where you can fall asleep when tired and awaken without an alarm (much like camping under the stars as we recommended in Week 2).
 
Let’s say for example, your requirement for sleep is 7 hours, but you get 6 hours of sleep. That means you are in sleep debt for one hour. Research has shown that it can take FOUR days to recover from one hour of sleep debt!

Can you get out of sleep debt?

 
Recent research says “sort of...” If you have had a night of lost sleep, your best strategy is to go to bed a little earlier each evening. In theory this should be doable because your sleep pressure should be high. However, it is not advisable to rely on “sleep bulimia” where your “binge and purge” on sleep (discussed last week) as your regular practice. The distinction is between a pattern of daily reliance use vs. occasional use.

 
Can naps help us recover from sleep debt?

 Yes, a nap might help but it is the same rationale: occasional use vs. a detrimental habit. If you are in sleep debt and need an occasional nap, here are a few things to consider:
 
Nap duration: in general, a nap should not run longer than 90 minutes.
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• A catnap, or simply closing the eyes and laying still, runs about 7-11 minutes and can be effective for a quick refresher
• A power nap will allow you to drift into some light sleep for roughly 20 minutes
• There’s also the 45-90-minute nap, about the duration of one complete sleep cycle (cycles to be discussed next week!) and is considered “poly-phasic sleep.” This sleep strategy is useful in limited circumstances and will be discussed in greater detail in Week 5

 
Nap timing: according to our Circadian Rhythm, the best time for a nap is roughly 5-7 hours after waking for the day.
 
Shaking off the nap: upon rising from a nap, just like in the morning, getting some daylight will help you to get going.

 
What habits increase your sleep debt exponentially?

 
Wrong light, wrong times. Blue light after sunset will delay your ability to fall asleep (latency) keeping you tossing and turning under the covers because it keeps you alert and delays melatonin release. (From Week 2)

Not exercising. As discussed last week, this adversely affects latency and efficiency by reducing sleep pressure

Alcohol consumption. While a nightcap may help you conk out faster, alcohol will likely prevent you from entering the deeper/later stages of sleep, waking you in the middle of the night, increasing sleep debt.

Alcohol needs time to be metabolized at an approximate rate of 0.016% per hour. If you choose to imbibe before bed, try calculating the time it will take for your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to drop to negligible amounts. (Please note: we are not encouraging alcohol consumption.)

Seeing is believing! Below is an image of Coach Michele’s sleep tracker on one night with consuming alcohol and the other night without. The stress response is measured by respiration, heart rate and heart rate variability.

PRO TIP: The best habits for minimizing sleep debt are increasing sleep pressure and honoring your circadian rhythm.

GLOSSARY OF SLEEP-RELATED TERMS

Circadian Rhythm. The 24-hour life cycle of an organism. It is most affected by lightness and darkness and impacts physical, mental and behavioral changes within the organism.
 
Sleep Pressure. The pressure to sleep. It is lowest in the morning upon rising and builds throughout the day to be highest at night.
 
Adenosine. A neurotransmitter that promotes sleep pressure. High amounts of adenosine promote sleep pressure.
 
Sleep Efficiency. The ratio between time spent sleeping vs. time spent in bed. Sleep efficiency of 85% or greater is considered ideal.
 
Sleep Latency. The time it takes a person to fall asleep. Less than 20 minutes is ideal.
 
Sleep Architecture. The basic pattern of normal sleep, divided into REM and non-REM sleep.
 
Glymphatic System. The waste clearance system for the central nervous system. It is most active at night during sleep.
 
Sleep Debt. The difference between the amount of sleep needed and the amount of sleep achieved.

Use the calendar to log your time in bed. If you have a sleep tracker, log actual hours slept. Note that the benefits of each resolution build upon the others, and the habits we develop are meant to stay with us well beyond the month the resolution is held. We will continue to log meals without sugar alongside our sleep progress.

Feel free to email your Motivated Mondays Coach Michele at [email protected] with your individual questions.

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS: YOUR MINI RESOLUTION TO SLEEP BETTER

Log how many hours you've slept each day, and record which sleep tip you followed from the above link. Click to view and download the log.