How To Sleep Like A Pro

A whopping 40.6 million American adults – 30 percent of the population – are sleeping six or less hours per night, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sleep deprivation can lead to health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, anxiety and more.

So exactly how much sleep do you need? How do you ensure you are getting enough?

Allie Nowak is a Physician Assistant at Clinic Sofia, a women’s clinic known for providing full-circle healthcare in a welcoming, supportive environment. She shares some insight into how to get better sleep.

How Much Sleep Do I Need?

Most adults require between seven to nine hours of sleep. To begin, start by allowing eight hours for sleep. I encourage my patients to track their sleep duration every day over the course of a month. You will likely notice patterns indicating whether you need more or less sleep. If you’d like to be a bit more specific, try the following experiment:

1. Test your reflexes on humanbenchmark.com for the first three days.
2. Add 30-60 minutes of sleep for 30 days. You can do this by going to bed earlier (recommended if you tend to be a “night owl”) or waking up later.
3. Test your reflexes (again) on humanbenchmark.com to see if they have changed. If they’ve improved, you’re on the right track.
4. Check in with how you feel—do you feel better now that you’re getting more sleep? Probably! Track your symptoms as you go through the experiment to determine how you feel with extra sleep.

How Do I Get Better Sleep?

In addition to adequate sleep duration, pay extra-close attention to the following factors that improve sleep quality and may be standing in your way to a more restful night—primarily controlling your exposure to light.

Light is the primary driver of our circadian rhythm and sleep/wake cycle. Controlling our exposure to light is a powerful way to regulate sleep. The first step is reducing your exposure to light at night by:

• Avoiding or minimizing the use of computers, TVs, tablets and phones two hours before bedtime. Use programs like F.lux to reduce blue light emitted from these devices.
• Cover alarm clocks or anything that emits light in your bedroom;
• Use blackout shades and/or an eye mask to make your bedroom as dark as possible;
• Wear orange glasses at night to block blue light and reduce exposure.

The second step is increasing your exposure to sunlight during the day. Consider:

• Taking a short walk when you wake up in the morning or over the lunch hour;
• Eating breakfast outside when spring finally arrives;
• Using a light machine.

If you are interested in talking with Allie about issues such as sleep challenges, pre-conception counseling, healthy pregnancy, digestive health and mood issues or other lifestyle issues, you can call Clinic Sofia at 952-922.7600 and note that you are interested in a functional medicine consultation. You do not need to be a current Clinic Sofia patient.

About Allie Nowak:

A Physician Assistant for Clinic Sofia in Edina and Maple Grove, Allie has completed hertraining with Kresser Institute, the only functional medicine and evolutionary health training company, and is an ADAPT Trained Practitioner.