10 RULES for golden slumber
No napping. No lie-ins. No mobile phones. But you CAN have an occasional glass of red
by these devices are too low to seriously reduce the production of sleep-inducing melatonin.
The real reason they are disruptive is because using electronic devices excites the brain just at the point where you need everything around you to be calm and relaxed.
5 FEED YOUR ‘SLEEPY BIOME’
FORGET those old wives’ tales of hot cocoa before bed or eating slices of turkey or cheese.
It turns out that eating fewer late-night sugary snacks — and eating more legumes and fibre during the day — is one of the most effective ways to boost your levels of deep sleep and improve your mood.
That’s, in part, because fibrerich foods feed the ‘good’ bacteria that live in your gut, which in turn produce chemicals that have been shown to reduce stress and anxiety — and also to bolster your immunity.
A mediterranean-style diet that includes fermented ‘gut-boosting’ foods is one of the simplest ways to aid your sleep.
6 LOSE THAT WEIGHT
RAPID weight loss will not only reduce your risk of life-threatening complications if you do contract Covid-19, it can help you — and your partner! — get better sleep if you snore or suffer from a condition called sleep apnoea. This is a condition where your breathing stops and starts while you are sleeping. It might sound harsh, but the main reason most people snore is that they are overweight and as we get older and fatter, we snore more. That’s because our throat gets narrower, our throat muscles get weaker and our uvula, which is that finger-like bit of tissue that hangs down at the back of our throat, gets floppier. When I was an overweight diabetic, I slept terribly, at least in part because I snored so much. Back in 2012, I put myself on the 5:2 diet and lost 20lb (9kg). I also lost an inch of fat around my neck, and the snoring stopped. Completely.
By switching to a low-carb mediterranean diet, as recommended by my FAsT AsLeeP programme (details at thefast800.com), you can expect to lose a lot of weight (about 22lb (10kg), on average, in 12 weeks) and you will certainly improve your health and sleep.
7 SAY NO TO THE NIGHT CAP
ALMOST all the experts I’ve consulted advise against drinking alcohol at night because while a few drinks might help you drop off, it will also lead to snoring and more fragmented sleep later on.
Although that may be true for heavy drinkers, I did find some interesting research that points to potential benefits for light drinkers. A study by Israeli scientists found a medium-sized glass (150ml) of red wine before bed triggered significant improvements in cholesterol and blood sugar levels, as well as better-quality sleep than people drinking water or white wine.
I personally find that one glass of red wine with dinner has little effect on my sleep, but a couple of glasses makes it measurably worse. If you drink every night and suffer from insomnia, do try giving up.
8 BE ACTIVE DURING THE DAY
NOT ONLY is exercise very good for almost every aspect of your health —including your immunity — it also helps boost sleep quality and duration partly because it reduces stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms which could be keeping you awake at night.
Before lockdown I was a regular at an exercise class in the local park (one of the only men there!). Although that is no longer allowed, I still walk the dog daily and run two to three times a week, both of which are great for relaxation, too.
9 NO MORE BEDTIME COCOA
TO MAXIMISE your chances of deep sleep, you should finish your last meal of the day three hours before you go to bed. That is what I was recently advised by Dr satchin Panda, a professor at the salk Institute in the U.s. and a world expert in chronobiology and circadian clock research.
A cup of hot chocolate or a bowl of cereal just before bed may sound soothing but Professor Panda says it is a bad idea.
That’s because your pancreas (which produces insulin) will have closed down for the night. so it won’t be ready for the big sugar hit that cereal or cocoa will deliver. This will cause your blood sugars to rise and keep on rising into the night, which is bad for sleep as well as for your body.
Any fatty food you eat will also cause fat levels in your blood to rise further and faster than they would earlier in the day and take longer to come down.
A late-night snack will also trigger the digestive process which can interfere with your sleep. When the food hits your stomach, your gut has to spring into action to break down and absorb the food.
This increase in gut activity means your core body temperature will remain high, just when you want it to go down.
If you have a sensitive stomach then a late-night nibble or glass of milk, which contains protein, will make your stomach release acid. And if you suffer from acid reflux, drink only water in the two hours running up to bedtime.
10 BREATHE DEEPLY
LEARN to use breathing exercises to slow your heart rate and distract your thoughts.
Whenever I am unable to sleep I find I can manage stressful thoughts through mindfulness and breathing exercises.
I am a fan of a one called 4:2:4. You breathe in through your nose to a count of four, hold your breath to a count of two, then breathe out to a count of four. Do this for a few minutes, and you should start to feel very sleepy indeed.
■ Fast asleep by Michael Mosley is published by short Books at £9.99. © 2020 Michael Mosley