Getting A Good Night’s Rest
Dr. Rebecca Robbins shares sleep tips.
odds are they don’t even realize how much better they would feel if they slept for a few more hours.
AM: Are power naps beneficial?
DR. RR: Absolutely! A ‘power nap’ is a nap of 20 minutes. This is a great way to recover if you have to stay up late or have a hard time sleeping. Make sure to get up after 20 minutes or you may wake up groggy. One exception to this, however, is that power naps or naps of any kind are discouraged for individuals suffering from insomnia.
AM: What happens while we sleep beyond getting a good night's rest?
DR. RR: During sleep our brains, body, and skin go into deep repair mode. Sleep plays an important role in removing toxins from the brain and body. Sleep is also the time during the day when our blood pressure and body temperature, for instance, dip to their lowest points. Allowing our bodies to process through this complete and total repair and is what allows us to be optimally awake. This is actually something Beautyrest is focused on with the development of its mattresses. The brand believes that a great night’s rest can help you reach your full potential the next day which is why they are dedicated to using the latest in sleep technology and innovation.
AM: With Awards Season, how can we get great sleep and is there such a thing as a sleeping plan to ensure you are at your best?
DR. RR: A healthy sleep routine is a great idea all year long, but especially when you have an event and want to be fully awake and at your best. Unfortunately, we often make exercise and nutrition a priority during these periods but ignore sleep. You can certainly create a sleeping plan similar to a pre-event workout or nutrition plan to help you stay on-track. The best practices for maintaining any healthy
habit, such as keeping a journal or schedule, apply here as well.
AM: What are 3 things that we can do to be mindful of getting good sleep?
DR. RR: Tracking sleep is increasingly common among the population! According to our research, as many as 80% of people use a mobile or wearable device to track their sleep. A new, low profile way to track your sleep (which is a great way to increase your mindfulness) is with the Beautyrest Sleeptracker monitor, which lies seamlessly under your pillow, allowing you to wake up to a breadth of data and insights about your sleep!
Another way to be more mindful about sleep is to set a gentle alarm at night for your bedtime routine. Optimally, we all take time to unwind and unplug with a routine that is relaxing. Set a gentle alarm to go off about 30 minutes before you want to be slipping into bed as a peaceful cue to you that it is time to start to unplug from electronics, take a bath or do some reading.
Finally, enhanced mindfulness about sleep can be achieved with simple journaling about your alertness level the next day in a notebook or word document.
AM: What yoga moves are conducive to sleep?
DR. RR: Exercise that is high intensity is undesirable before bed, but restorative yoga or a gentle flow from up dog to down dog are optimal for relaxing and softening any tense muscles before bed.
AM: Is there such a thing that people can work on projects in their sleep and if so, is it healthy?
DR. RR: Sleep is a time when we actually rehearse events and things we learned from the day before, making sleep an essential component of ability to remember and recall. Thus, healthy sleep is a critical part of memory and cognition.
AM: How important is it to dream and to remember them?
DR. RR: Dreaming largely takes place during Rapid Eye Movement sleep. It is neither important or unimportant to remember dreams, but we do find that if you start to talk about dreams with a spouse or friend, or journal about them, your ability to recall dreams is enhanced.