Mastering Deep Sleep in 2024 and Beyond
In line with my theme of winter hibernation, I’m going to suggest committing to a sleep hygiene routine as a New Year’s resolution that will have a tremendous impact on your health and well-being.
When it comes to synching up with the seasons, many of the typical New Year’s resolutions people choose such as intense fitness routines, detoxing, or learning a new skill are not suited to what our body truly needs in winter, which is gentleness, rest, and taking things off our plate. This is why most people’s New Years resolutions don’t stick - the activities they have chosen are countering our natural seasonal cycles, and are better suited as spring equinox commitments when our bodies are waking up from hibernation and kicking back into gear.
I cannot overemphasize the necessity and value of regularly getting 7 to 9 hours of natural, uninterrupted sleep per night, as well as the very serious health and mental health impacts of chronic sleep deprivation. High-quality sleep is one of the four foundational cornerstones of well-being, along with eating whole foods, staying hydrated, and exercising. Yet it’s astonishing how difficult it is for many of us to regularly sleep well (including myself, at times). Like so many other facets of wellness, the solutions to fixing our sleep lie in returning to the ways of our ancestors, by choosing simplicity and realigning with the natural rhythms that defined 99% of human evolution.
Below I’m offering a sleep hygiene regimen compiled from what I’ve learned from my brilliant friend, neuromuscular health and longevity coach Vienna Wilson, as well as sleep specialist Dr. Matt Walker, and my own trials and tribulations over the years.
YOUR EVENINGS
Go to sleep as early as possible to synch up with the sun as best as you can. I have seen many people fix serious sleep issues simply by being in bed around 9pm and waking up around 6am.
Go to sleep at the same time every night, even on weekends.
Dim the lights around the house 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. Himalayan salt lamps and candles create a very relaxing atmosphere.
Try diffusing some lavender essential oil or applying it directly to your wrists and neck as a part of your wind-down routine.
Stop looking at screens 1.5 to 2 hours before bed. The blue light emitted by televisions and phones confuses our brains into thinking it’s the middle of the day, and the rapid movement of on-screen visuals is overstimulating to the brain and body.
Instead choose a relaxing wind-down activity such as taking a shower or bath, reading a book, physical intimacy, or meditation.
Unplug the wifi and keep phones in airplane mode to reduce EMF pollution.
YOUR BEDROOM
The ideal bedroom temperature for deep sleep is on the cooler end: 65 degrees F, 18 degrees C.
Silence is very beneficial, with the help of earplugs if necessary. Alternatively, play relaxing sleep music or white noise to mask disruptive sounds.
Total darkness is required for deep sleep, whether achieved via blackout curtains or a sleep mask.
It’s important that our brain associates our bed with two things only: sleep and physical intimacy. Ideally we are not working, using the phone, or watching TV in the bedroom, and especially not in bed.
Research shows that people who sleep well love to sleep - so make your bed and bedroom feel cozy, relaxing, and comforting - a place that you love to be!
YOUR MORNINGS
Wake up at the same time every morning, even on weekends.
Regardless of the season or the weather, get outdoors and get daylight on your skin (even just your face) as close to waking as possible every morning. This will set your circadian rhythm, teaching your body to release cortisol during the days and melatonin in the evenings. Getting daylight through a window is not sufficient, as glass blocks the full spectrum of light emitted by the sun.
Postpone looking at your cell phone (and getting that dopamine hit) as long as you feasibly can, and ideally after you’ve partaken in some sort of healthy morning routine that centers you and sets you up for a good day.
Limit caffeine intake, and be sure to stop drinking caffeine before noon or even earlier, as it remains in your system in small amounts as long as 12 hours.
Photo by Kilarov Zaneit
SLEEP AIDS
Avoid sleeping pills, alcohol, and cannabis. They may help with falling asleep due to their sedative effects, but they disrupt natural sleep cycles throughout the entire night and thus cannot offer the high-quality, restorative sleep that natural sleep provides.
As an alternative to the above, I recommend a nutmeg latté 3 to 4 hours before bedtime. Nutmeg is classified as a nervine, a group of substances that calm, nourish, and balance the nervous system. In order for the potency to be adequate, it’s necessary to buy whole nutmeg and freshly grate it (a microplane grater seems to work best). Add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of grated nutmeg to warm plant milk such as coconut, almond, or cashew (no sugar added) and sweeten naturally with a tiny bit of honey or stevia. Or you can turn it into a golden milk latté by adding turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cardamon, and other warming spices of your choice. If you feel groggy the next morning, reduce the amount of nutmeg.
If your sleep is disrupted by bad dreams, the gotu kola plant (native to Southeast Asia) is known as a dream tonic with the potential to induce lucid dreaming, giving you the ability to direct your dreams. It’s also an adaptogen which provides some nervous system support, and a nootropic which enhances neuroconnectivity.
MIND-BODY PRACTICES
Practicing Tension/Trauma Release Exercises 3 to 4 nights a week has been central to my ability to sleep deeply. This sequence of exercises triggers a natural tremoring mechanism that causes the body to shake out tension and trauma on its own, the end result being a feeling of profound relaxation.
One of my favorite bedtime rituals is laying on an acupressure mat, which has thousands of small plastic spikes that stimulate pressure points all over the back. The light pain from the spikes triggers the release of endorphins, which induce a sense of well-being and sleepiness. I recommend the Shakti Mat, which is ethically and sustainably made with organic materials.
Practice meditation during the day, and practice it at night if you can’t sleep. Learn to become the witness, observing your thoughts rather than being swept up in them.
Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation practice that induces states of deep relaxation through scanning and relaxing different parts of the body, breathing mindfully, and visualizing calming imagery. Several studies have found Yoga Nidra to significantly improve sleep quality and reduce sleep disturbances in participants with chronic insomnia.
Have fulfilling days - it’s easier to let go of the day and surrender into deep sleep if you did something in your day (even for a short while) that felt purposeful, enlivening, or meaningful.
I realize this is a long list, but even if you can implement just 2 to 3 of the practices suggested above, you are likely to see some positive changes.
Please let me know if this helps you, or if you have any tips of your own to add. Wishing you long cozy winter nights of deep, restorative sleep!
Mia
Ongoing Offerings:
As always, I offer one-on-one sliding scale calls for individuals who are seeking support on the path of healing. I specialize in working with psychedelic plants, and other means of entering altered states of consciousness such as breathwork and shamanic journeying. I practice from an integrative perspective, considering the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of wellness. More info at www.miablack.com
My wife Azra offers weekly low-cost private and group Tension/Trauma Release Exercises, a somatic healing modality that discharges pent-up stress from the body and nervous system without needing to go into stories about the past. It’s a practice I do several times a week that is a cornerstone of my well-being.
Azra and I together offer free weekly group calls for women in the veteran community (veterans and family members of veterans) through The Hope Project, on Wednesdays at 11am PST/2pm EST.
Please reach out if you’d like more information.