In Pursuit of Zzzzzs
Who here has a fitness tracker of some sort-a Fit Bit, Apple Watch, Garmin, Oura Ring? I received a new Fit Bit for Christmas this year and I’ve been exploring all the different ways it can help monitor one’s health. A function that I had previously skipped over with prior Fit Bits was Sleep monitoring. I’ve always been a pretty sound sleeper and generally haven’t had troubles getting to sleep or staying asleep, aside from those sporadic nights when my head is buzzing from too much later-evening scrolling (tsk tsk) or Mom worries about my kids. Even the over-50 issue of getting up to go use the loo in the middle of the night isn’t a huge disruptor when it happens. Needless to say, poor sleep really isn’t a concern of mine so I really hadn’t thought too deeply about it (and did I just jinx myself by saying that?).
However, in the spirit of truly understanding all the functions of this new fit tracker and also how it relates to my over-50 status, I thought I’d really key-in to it’s capabilities. Read the manual, spend a few minutes reading up what different screens actually do. To be honest, with technology and machines and appliances, I’ve always been a keep-the manual close by and simply consult it on a need-to-know basis kind of gal. Whether I’m in the minority or majority with kind of functioning, I have no idea, but I do know there are some people who love diving into manuals and gobbling up all of that teeny-print. I am not one of them. The fact that my iPhone came without a manual was reason to buy it based on that alone, as far as I was concerned.
Maybe it’s a sign of some maturity on my part, or a reckoning with my age and truly understanding these new phases in my life, but the FitBit has spurred me to, *gulp*, read the manual. Or at least the online app that explains stuff. So, hello sleep tracker mode. Turns out that when you wear the tracker at night (I hadn’t previously), you’ll get a sleep score the next morning. A little prize of information about yourself to go with your morning cup of joe. This is definitely life over 50, she laughs. I’m good with that though, honestly. Knowledge is power and it’s better than living in the dark (but sleeping in the dark, well…).
The Sleep Score is based on how many hours you sleep along with the sleep stages and how long you are in each, thus resulting in the actual quality of sleep you are getting. This has been one of those weird lightbulb, I-was-today-old-when-I-realized moments, about considering the quality and consistency and not just the quantity of the sleep you get. All of a sudden, a checklist beyond “I got into bed before 11pm” has grown considerably in the area of sleep health. Sleep score includes your periods of Awake, REM, Light and Deep sleep, along with the total hours you were in bed and lying down and the oxygen variations in your sleep, which relates to blood oxygen saturation and ultimate breathing issues. So while you could say that you were sleeping for 8 hours last night, in reality, the amount of real, deep, good sleep could be considerably less. On my Fit Bit, if I wanted to spring for some Premium features, I could also find out my sleeping heart rate and how much I toss and turn each night. Who knew? Talk about eye-opening (ironically).
In short, wearing this device has put a whole new slant on my awareness of sleep and the new goals of getting more quality sleep time. Something so Inherently simple is, in reality, a little more complex than we thought but happily, there are ways to stack the bed in our favor.
Moving forward toward bedtime…
Keep tvs and phones out of the bedroom
Determine your reaction to caffeine, since every body reacts differently to it. Knowing this info will impact when you should switch to non-caffeinated drinks in advance of your bedtime. Rough estimates say a minimum of 6 hours prior to sleeping.
Create a rhythm for your bedtime (just like so many things that are rhythmic in our day) and try to stick to it as much as possible. You’re basically trying to train your body to understand when you sleep and when you wake up.
Wind down before you hit the sheets. Read, listen to calming music, do a meditation, take a warm shower, whatever works for you to calm your brain and body.
Exercise and physical activity during the day generally leads to better sleep at night.
The darker and cooler the room, the better.
Stop eating approx. 2-3 hours before bedtime.
Refrain from alcoholic beverages right before bed. While you may think they help you get drowsy, they actually can lead to disrupted sleep.
Some other helpful aids for better sleep:
Yoga Nidra-Otherwise known as Yogic Sleep, this a really easy and effective yoga practice; lie down, listen to your downloaded Yoga Nidra meditation (apps: Insight Timer, Yoga Nidra: Relax & Meditate, Yoga International, Gaia and more) and let your body relax and enjoy the feel of truly powering down. Can last for 5 minute to an hour.
Hands on Heart & Belly: Breathe in, feeling the warmth of your hand over your heart and your other hand sitting softly on your belly. Feel your breaths as your chest rises and falls slowly, steadily and softly. Otherwise known as Diaphragmatic Breathing, this brings comfort, stillness and rhythm to help you fall asleep.
(Sugar-free, pure) Tart Cherries or Tart Cherry juice-some preliminary studies have shown that drinking a glass of Tart Cherry Juice in the evening to have a positive effect on regulating sleep, as it contains tryptophan and melatonin (www.sleepfoundation.org).
Weighted Blankets-creates a feeling of deep touch pressure, which help with relieving anxiety and improving sleep
Warm Milk-Unless you have a sensitivity or allergy to milk, a glass of warm milk before bedtime can help to send you off to dreamland, due to the tryptophan, which make you sleepy, and milk peptides (CTH) that relieve stress and enhance sleep (www.acs.org)