I’ve mentioned before that I wear a Whoop band which has been a great way to start taking more control of some of the habits that can affect my health as I get older – habits like sleep, protein intake, exercise, etc. Taking control of my sleep has been a real journey.
I enjoy reading and have always been a night owl. That was probably because I, like most of us, had busy days. Mid-to-late evening was my reading time unless I was on vacation. If you’re a reader, you know how it is with a great book. The “just one more chapter” syndrome kicks in and before you know it, it’s 1:00 am. If you watch movies, the same thing can happen.
Now that I’m a retired person, I thought I could stay up late whenever; but, believe me, the Whoop sleep coach let me know differently. I’m not very fond of being regulated. I’ve learned enough now to realize that a little regulation is a very good thing. This piece on sleep is a little longer than usual because it’s an important subject and very frustrating for those for whom it’s a problem.
The band tracks exactly what time I fall asleep and wake up, how many times I wake up during the night (turns out we awaken more than we realize), and how long I spend in each stage of sleep. I’m a very efficient sleeper, which is a good thing. Most nights I go to sleep quickly and move through the different stages – dozing off, light, deep, REM.
- Doze off – move from awake to sleep, eye movement slows, muscles relax, mind slows and heartbeat slows down.
- Light sleep – eye movement stops and body temp drops. In this stage you can be easily awakened by a noise.
- Deep sleep – breathing and heart rate at the lowest and brain waves slow. This stage is important because all the systems are very slow and give the body a chance for full restoration. It strengthens the bones and muscles and boosts the immune system and metabolism. Scientists think this is also when toxins are cleared from the brain.
- REM sleep – rapid eye movement sleep: Brain activity spikes along with breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. It’s when vivid dreams occur and the voluntary muscles of the arms and legs are temporarily paralyzed. Scientists think this is when memory and learning are consolidated. Good REM sleep has also been linked to creativity.
Most of that info I attribute to Prevention magazine and my Whoop sleep coach. I want you to have the above map of “sleep country” while I talk about what the current science is regarding sleep quality and why it’s important at any age and especially when we’re older.
These four stages of sleep follow each other in a cycle that repeats four to six times a night. As you read above, the 3rd and 4th stages do most of the work that protects our bodily health, memory, mental health, and they do more than that as it turns out. In most people the light stage of sleep takes up the most time. When I see mine charted, this stage 2 takes up most of the hours in the night. Deep sleep is heavier in the early cycles, and REM sleep, which is so beneficial, gets longer toward morning.
The problem with this for those of us who like to stay up late reading, watching movies, or socializing is that if you stay up late, and have to get up early before you’ve gotten all your sleep, then you cut off the most important part – usually the REM.
Sleep science now is showing that the CONSISTENCY with which you go to bed and wake up is just as important as the length of time you sleep. Consistency is the important word. What is normal for you may fall between seven and nine hours per night – occasionally more if you missed some the night before. It’s important to maintain that norm as much as possible, and the best way to do that is by going to bed about the same time every night and getting up about the same time each morning. A large 2026 study of nearly 75,000 middle-aged and older adults found that people with more regular sleep-wake patterns showed slower cognitive aging.
Why is it important? Because it’s linked to a longer life and better health as we age. Sleep/wake regularity is linked to a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Several large studies involving large numbers of people point the same way. One Mayo Clinic study that followed 2,750 adults (average age 70) found that people with long-term insomnia had about a 40% higher risk of memory decline or dementia.
Now, how do we achieve this state of regularity? That is the big question. Since I’m an efficient, if recalcitrant, sleeper, it has probably been easier for me than it might be for those of you who have sleep problems. I think that some of these suggestions may work or certainly help. Though efficient, just like everyone else, I have those nights when I wake up at three in the morning worrying about some family members or other life problems. That’s all it takes to derail a good night’s sleep. So, the job is to make going to sleep and going back to sleep a kind of process that you can turn to night after night.
It is a process, a kind of ritual, that over a little time your body recognizes. When recognized, the body begins to move toward sleepiness and sleep. I’ll describe my process which includes suggestions from the sleep coach. It looks like a lot of steps; I probably erred on the side of explanation. In practice, it’s simple.
- First is to work out the best schedule for you. (I fall into the 11:30 pm to 12:15 am zone for lights out.)
- Start keeping lights dimmer in the house a couple of hours before bedtime.
- Finish any heavy meals at least 2-3 hours before bedtime.
- I like a cup of herbal tea with a cookie though sugar is discouraged at bedtime.
- If you’re a meditator, this is a good time to do a short 5-15 minute one or do a short stretch routine (cat/cows, twists to each side while lying on your back, or legs up the wall). The stretching gets the kinks out and helps with lymphatic fluid drainage. The meditation helps clear your mind and seems to lengthen REM time.
- If you have the next day on your mind, have a pad handy and make note of a few details you want to take care of the next day. It helps get them off your mind.
- I try to be in bed by 10:30 but I read until I’m sleepy. It helps if you don’t choose something too exciting that keeps you awake. You might also listen to an audio book.
- Very important not to browse your phone during this time. I read on Kindle with dimmed light or from an actual book. Then lights out at the appointed time. For me, by 12:15 – earlier if my eyes are drooping and I’m yawning.
- When you get up the next morning, spend some time on the patio or in the window soaking up some light and taking it in. Drink your coffee in the light. This helps reset your body clock.
It is also important to cut off alcohol at an earlier time. Many think a drink relaxes them, and the science says it will help you go to sleep, but it interferes with that important REM sleep. The same goes for cannabis, which can also cause more wake-ups during the night.
So, that’s a routine and some info on what not to do. Find a routine that works for you. The series of actions is like any habit that says to your body, “this is what comes next.” You know how strong habits can be. In this case, use them toward good health.
If you remember only two things, make them these: keep the lights low in the evening, and get bright daylight within the first hour after you wake up. Along with going to bed and getting up at about the same time, those two signals do more than anything else to set your body clock.
If you really wake up during the night and have trouble going back to sleep, try cyclic sighing (two short breaths in through the nose, then a long, slow breath out through the mouth) or box breathing (breathe in for four counts, hold for four, breathe out for four, hold for four). If that doesn’t work, don’t just make yourself lie there. If wide awake, sometimes I have a warm caffeine-free drink, maybe a small cookie or cracker with it. You don’t want to get up and have cake and ice cream every night, so that your body thinks “oh, boy, it’s 3am – time for my snack.” Most of the time I just turn the light low and reach for my book and read. A book on the phone usually won’t disturb someone sleeping with you, and you can adjust the light on those. The usual problem is something on the mind that’s worrying you. It helps me to switch my mind to the book. That means you must keep an interesting book nearby but not one that keeps you reading on and on.
One other thing – some of you may take sleeping pills. If you’d love to move toward a more natural sleep routine, then talk to your doctor. Don’t just stop meds suddenly. My sleep coach suggested the gold standard is to pair the two – building the sleep routine while still taking meds, then gradually reduce meds. Check with your doctor on this. From what I read, most sleeping pills affect the stages of sleep. They sedate you. The good deep sleep and REM sleep get flattened.
Finally, we all have events that keep us up later. Many of us get caught up in some activity and stay up too late occasionally. That’s normal. The key is trying to keep to a regular pattern most of the time. That one more chapter one night can result in several nights getting back into the rhythm. As my Whoop coach says, “bed/wake efficiency and consistency predict health and cognition as strongly as hours in bed.”
I’ve linked a great, easy-to-watch video here. Dr. Matthew Walker also has a TED talk and other interviews on YouTube.
Good information, Tere. ❤️❤️