As A Light Sleeper Who Is Always Tired, I Asked Experts To Help Me Figure Out How To Get Better Sleep — Here’s What I Learned Along The Way
Hi! My name is Fabiana and I'm a person who is always looking for ways to feel less tired and get more sleep. Aren't we all, though? I've shared in a previous post my journey of trying different methods to develop an earlier bedtime. While I'm naturally an early riser, I could never get to bed at a decent hour. Since then, I've improved my nighttime routine, but now I'm ready to improve my quality of sleep.
Unless I have a cold or my menstrual cycle causes me to sleep like a rock from exhaustion, for the most part, I consider myself a light sleeper and one who never really feels well-rested. I wake up from any sound — whether it be the wind outside or my dog scurrying around in the middle of the night to find his next sleeping spot. As a result of this, I've noticed that when I have these interrupted nights, the next day I can be irritable, and sometimes it can be tough for me to focus on one thing at a time.
Disney / Via giphy.com
Frustrated as ever with my current sleep pattern, I decided to do some research to hopefully find some a solution for myself.
In addition to my own Google research, I spoke with a few sleep experts to get their thoughts on the different methods I was trying, as well as what other habits they suggest I implement into my bedtime routine for a better sleep.
They are:
? Dr. Rebecca Robbins, Ph.D., instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and sleep scientist at Brigham & Women's Hospital
? Dr. Carleara Weiss, Ph.D. in nursing, with a focus on behavioral sleep medicine and circadian rhythms
? Dr. Olivia Audrey, naturopathic doctor
I was ready and eager to try out different sleep methods to find what works for me. Here's how it went!
Note: During this time of trying the different methods, I went to bed and woke up at the same time every day. Keep in mind, what works or does not work for me can vary from person to person. Sleep is an individual thing.
METHOD ONE: I went for a walk shortly after waking up to expose my body to sunshine first thing in the morning.
I recently heard on a podcast that getting sunshine first thing in the morning can lead to better sleep — because exposing the body to sunlight as soon as it wakes up can help regulate the secretion of melatonin. And according to a 2017 study, those who got sunlight early in their day felt less stressed and depressed compared to those who didn't expose themselves to the morning sun.
Dr. Weiss further stressed how crucial morning sun exposure is for the circadian rhythm. "Our circadian rhythms are regulated by a master clock in the brain and support sleep, metabolism, hormones, immune function, among other physiological mechanisms," Dr. Weiss told BuzzFeed.
"This 'biological clock' uses light and other behavioral cues such as time of meals, social interaction, and exercise to determine the time of the day and set the stage for metabolism, sleep, and other functions." Dr. Weiss said starting the day with light communicates that it is daytime which helps train our minds and bodies to know that it's time for sleep when it's dark out.
This was all I needed to hear to get motivated to bundle up with a coat and scarf and get my steps in soon after waking up. I walked around my neighborhood and listened to music this particular morning — which was honestly one of the nicest ways to start my day. I'm usually a person who gets up and hits the gym first thing in the morning so this was a nice change of pace.
Was this method effective for me?
I slept well the night of my walk. I didn't wake up at all (which was atypical for me) and by the time my alarm went off the next morning, I didn't angrily hit snooze. Instead, I got up right away and got going with my morning. The day after my sunshine walk, I felt well-rested, was in an overall better mood, and felt content with how my day went.
METHOD TWO: I took a CBD calming night gummy before bed.
As many can probably relate, winding down before bed is a challenging task. So when I learned about CBD gummies for sleep, I was intrigued. I've never really dabbled in CBD, but since I'm not a fan of relying solely on melatonin supplements for a night of deep sleep, I figured I'd give these a try.
I specifically tried Highline Wellness CBD Night Gummies. The brand combines a dosage of CBD with a little bit of melatonin to "encourage a calm state of mind to help you fall asleep."
Dr. Audrey said in addition to taking CBD before bed, practicing meditation and using mindfulness can really be a great combination to help clear the mind and body for a good night's sleep.
On the flip side, Dr. Weiss said that taking CBD or melatonin supplements can be helpful to sleep better — especially on stressful days or if you are jet-lagged — but she also had a warning about them.
"Keep in mind to use CBD or melatonin sporadically rather than daily, and pay attention to the dose you are taking. The ideal dose of melatonin ranges from 0.3–5mg. Also, be careful when purchasing products that are not FDA-regulated, as they can compromise your health," she told BuzzFeed.
For a few consecutive nights, I took one CBD gummy about an hour before bed when I was washing my face and brushing my teeth. Each night that I had a gummy, about 30 minutes after taking it, I started to excessively yawn and felt a wave of tiredness take over my body. I didn't even feel the need to read before bed when trying the CBD gummies like I usually do, so instead, I turned off my lamp and got cozy under the covers.
Was this method effective for me?
By the time my alarm went off at 5:45 a.m. the morning after, I was shocked that I not only slept through the night, but that I didn't feel groggy the rest of the day. I also didn't feel the need to snooze my alarm which was a miracle in itself.
I paid close attention to my energy levels as the days went on, which to be honest remained high. By the time the afternoon slump hour rolled around, I felt just as awake as I did when I woke up and as a result, my days were focused and productive. I was also happy that I didn't feel any weird side effects like bad dreams or all-day grogginess the way I do when I take a melatonin supplement to help me sleep.
METHOD THREE: I wore yellow-tinted glasses before bed to block out the blue light from my electronics.
I'm very aware that we should avoid electronics and exposure of blue light before bed. And Dr. Audrey reminded me: "Excessive exposure to blue light —TV, phones, laptops — not only prevent people from fully decompressing, but it also affects the entire circadian rhythm."
"Studies have shown that blue light exposure blocks the body’s ability to produce melatonin, an essential hormone involved in sleep regulation," she told BuzzFeed.
In my opinion, it's much easier said than done to avoid all electronics before bed. As much as I love reading before I call it a night, some nights I just want to catch up on pop culture by reading an article online or sending funny memes and TikToks to my friends. Of course, this habit of using my phone or laptop before I go to sleep is not helping my current sleep issues so instead of depriving myself — I know, that's a dramatic word to use, but I'm a dramatic person — I decided to test out glasses that block out the harmful blue rays.
There are many brands out there that make glasses to block out the blue light but for this experiment, I tried the Ocusleep glasses. The lenses of the glasses are orange because this colored pigment is supposed to be "very relaxing when worn." The brand's site further claims, "Your eyes will quickly adapt to the color and your visual acuity will not be adversely impacted."
Ocusleep instructs its customers to wear the glasses two hours before bed so I did just that. I carried on as usual texting and laughing at TikToks before bed, just this time with my orange glasses on. I'm not a glasses-wearer and since it took some time to adjust to wearing something on my face, I wore the glasses for three nights in a row before bed to see if they made a difference in my sleep.
Was this method effective?
During one of the nights of testing the glasses, I woke up to the sound of my next-door neighbor shutting their car door, which was frustrating. (Also...why were they just getting home at midnight on a Tuesday?) I tossed and turned a bit after that which resulted in me feeling sleeping through my alarm the next morning and then the snowball effect of feeling tired all day suddenly came back. By the afternoon I felt myself craving caffeine and wanting to nap.
I continued wearing the glasses before bed and I have to admit that I slept better the next two nights. Although I didn't wake up in the middle of the night, my energy levels still felt kind of low the days after, and I felt the afternoon blues pretty hard which caused me to make a coffee or tea — a habit I've been trying to kick during this experiment.
METHOD FOUR: I downloaded a white noise app to block out any exterior sounds while I slept.
I mentioned that I'm a light sleeper and can hear a pin drop in the middle of the night, which can easily interrupt my sleep. Since I'm usually so fixated on finding silence when it's time to go to bed, I figured that I should really switch things up on myself and purposely sleep with sound on.
White noise machines are literally meant to drown out outside noises that cause disturbed sleep so, by night four, I was ready to find the best white noise app that I could download to my phone. I settled on the free White Noise Lite app, which has an extensive library of sounds that includes everything from an air conditioner blowing, to waves crashing, to the wind blowing. After getting into bed, I picked the waves crashing sound, set it to play all night, and tried my best to drift off into a restful night's sleep.
Was this method effective?
Honestly, I couldn't have picked a better night to experiment with this method because it completely blocked out the harsh winds and pouring rain that was crashing against my bedroom window all night — sounds that would normally keep me awake. I never thought I'd be a person who would rely on white noise for getting uninterrupted sleep but I'm officially a convert. The next day, I didn't feel tired at all and my energy levels stayed consistent throughout the day — something that definitely would not have been the case if I didn't use the app and let myself wake up from the night's weather.
I enjoyed the white noise app so much that I slept with it for the rest of the weekend and each night felt like a restful, "slept like a baby" sleep.
METHOD FIVE: I slept in pitch-black for the first time without my nightlight.
Yes, I sleep with a nightlight! I've been sleeping with one since I was a little girl and it's just become a part of who I am at this point. ?? However, I know sleep experts insist on sleeping in the dark because leaving a light on throughout the night makes it difficult for your brain to achieve deeper sleep.
Dr. Robbins added to that point by saying: "Our eyelids are among the thinnest pieces of skin on our bodies so it's important to make sure the bedroom is completely dark, as any source of light can really interfere with our ability to fall asleep."
Since I'm determined to improve my quality of sleep, I figured it was now or never that I ditched my nightlight for a night or two. To compromise, I kept my nightlight on right until it was time for bed. After setting my alarm, I turned off the little switch in the corner of my room, got into bed, and tried my best not to freak out over the darkness.
Was this method effective?
Both nights that I slept in the dark, I eventually fell asleep, although it did take me some time to adjust to a pitch-black room. I slept throughout the night and only tossed and turned once or twice when I heard my dog moving around. However, when my alarm went off both mornings, I felt very disoriented and my eyes really struggled to open because of how dark my room was. I lay in bed a few more minutes before dragging my tired self to my bathroom to get washed up.
I felt groggy the days after sleeping in the dark and despite the two cups of coffee I had, I couldn't stop myself from yawning throughout the day. Although this method wasn't the most successful for me to get a restful night's sleep since a dark room is a preferred environment to sleep in, I won't completely give up on it and will eventually give this method another try...in the faraway future. ??
THE RESULTS: Out of all of the methods I tried, the ones that worked best for me to get an uninterrupted and restful sleep were: exposing myself to sunlight first thing in the morning, taking a CBD supplement, and listening to white noise as I slept.
IKEA / Via giphy.com
I really loved the idea of getting outside every morning whether it's to go for a walk or even just to enjoy my coffee in the sunshine. I was surprised at how much it affected my sleep that night and my overall mood the following day.
I was happy that the CBD gummy didn't leave me feeling groggy the next day like traditional melatonin supplements have done for me in the past. I will start implementing CBD once in a while into my nighttime routine to help clear my mind and unwind for the night.
Sleeping with white noise was definitely a game changer — especially on nights when the weather outside is loud — and I truly wonder why it took me so long to try it out. It's a tried-and-true method for a reason.
Going forward, in addition to me going on walks in the morning, taking CBD occasionally, and sleeping with a white noise machine, Dr. Robbins and Dr. Weiss had two additional recommendations for me to implement into my sleep routine.
"If you toss and turn in the middle of the night, get out of bed and do something relaxing — such as reading a book, meditating, breathing exercises — and come back to bed when you are tired," Dr. Robbins told BuzzFeed. This will help relax the mind and body again to get back into sleep mode.
Dr. Weiss said that I should try setting the thermostat in my room at a specific temperature range to help me stay asleep. "Maintain the temperature around 65–67F to optimize your sleep experience," she advised. This range of temperature is said to help people maintain REM sleep.
I'm looking forward to continuing my quest for a good night's sleep by incorporating these different methods into my routine and I feel confident that I'm on the right path to less sleepy days ahead.
What are your favorite tips and tricks for getting a restful night's sleep? Tell me in the comments!
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