The more I learn about it, the more I am fascinated by sleep, and particularly by the science behind what it is, how it works in within the cycles of the functioning body, and the incredible impact that sleep plays in the quality of our lives.
In 2023, I attended a live talk by Dr. Greg Wells. He is a physiologist and a performance and wellness expert. Dr. Wells is very skilled at taking complex research digestible and actionable. He has a talent for helping us understand the incredible possibilities in the human body and mind, and advocates for optimizing our health and wellness for peak performance.
At this talk, Dr. Wells spoke about the importance of sleep. He explained that our brains actually shrink while we are sleeping, and they cleanse and are washed out every single night. During this cleansing, our brain heals, repairs, and recovers. He explained that adults need five complete sleep cycles (90 mins each) for a good night of rest and repair. He is a huge advocate of what he calls "protecting your last hour" which means, no screen time 1-hour before you go to bed, with a consistent bedtime routine that includes relaxing activities, such as reading fiction, nightly.
Dr. Wells also asserts on his blog that sleep is a cornerstone for mental well-being and has a clear association with a longer lifespan. The two big factors that he shares are the consistency of our bedtime and getting that solid 7-8 hours of sleep each night. He shares 5 evidence-based scientific tactics to improve sleep, which I encourage you to read here. Not surprisingly, his recommendations for adult sleep are very similar to what we use to set the stage for great sleep for our kiddos, too!
So, if you find yourself having any of your own sleep challenges, you may want to try implementing a relaxing bedtime routine, and avoiding light (and screen time) at least 1-hour before bed.
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