What you do and don’t do during the day, including how you breathe, will have a significant impact on your sleep during the night. Lifestyle factors can easily disrupt your circadian rhythm and cause over-stimulation, resulting in a lack of restorative sleep. And we all know how quickly lack of sleep negatively impacts our vitality. Not only that, lack of quality sleep can lead to long term chronic health issues such as obesity, anxiety, poorer mental wellbeing including depression, diabetes, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, heart disease, and autoimmune diseases.
In this article we will dive into practical sleep hygiene biohacks that can be easily implemented, often without any cost, as well as looking at the research around breathing practices that will help you improve your overall wellbeing and longevity by helping you get a better night’s sleep.
Skip through to experience this Breathwork Practice for a Good Night’s Sleep HERE.
Almost any discussion of sleep, and what disrupts sleep, will make mention of circadian rhythms. So, what are circadian rhythms and how can understanding what disrupts them help us to sleep better?
Circadian rhythms exist throughout all of the natural world, and are natural cycles that occur across a rough 24-hour time span in all of life, including in all animal and plant life. In humans, circadian rhythms are ‘biological body clocks’ that cause physical and mental changes in your body, including feelings of wakefulness and sleep as well as regulating other functions such as your hormonal activity, body temperature, digestion and immune function. The 24-hour sleep-wake cycle is one of the most widely recognised circadian rhythms in humans.
Did you know that nearly every tissue and organ in your body contains its own biological clock? These biological clocks are the result of certain proteins interacting with cells in your body, instructing them to be more active or to slow down.
Your body has one master clock that controls all of these individual clocks. It’s a structure called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which contains about 20,000 nerve cells and notably receives direct input from the eyes.
As your eyes perceive the bright light of day or the darkness of night, the SCN picks up on this information, telling your cells to act accordingly. Light keeps the circadian rhythm in sync with a 24-hour day. In addition to reactions in the cells themselves, chemicals in the brain adjust in response to the cycles of the day. Melatonin is the hormone produced by the brain that induces sleep as daylight begins to fade. As it becomes darker, melatonin production increases until it peaks at around 2am.
“Light is the major external factor controlling your body’s circadian rhythms.”
We are a part of nature and our bodies are designed to be in alignment with natural cycles. The natural cycles of light and dark, day and night, keep your circadian rhythm in sync with the Earth’s natural 24-hour cycle, and as such you tend to become tired at night and feel more awake during the day. You are meant to sleep for roughly 8 hours and be awake for 16 hours of the 24-hour cycle and most people’s internal body clock roughly follows the patterns of the sun.
Indigenous peoples and those living closer to nature, which would have included our early cave-dwelling ancestors, tend to sleep when night falls and wake on daybreak.
Access to electricity and artificial light, at the flick of a switch, has made it easier for modern city dwelling humans to break with natural circadian rhythms and stay awake all night on a whim if desired.
Evolutionary biologists tell us that not all modern conveniences have been to our benefit, in fact it’s quite the opposite in many cases and especially with artificial light, screen time and electronic devices that emit blue wavelength light, that studies show are causing much harm.
Exposure to artificial light outside of daytime hours can disrupt your circadian rhythm and, in turn, your sleep drive. As we just learned, when it becomes darker as evening begins, melatonin production increases, however, blue light from screens suppresses this natural circadian cycle. If you have trouble sleeping then it’s important to avoid blue (and white) lights during sensitive periods of the day, such as 2 hours before bed, as this light input can make it difficult for you to fall asleep or stay asleep.
Artificial blue light can overstimulate your brain and mess with your melatonin production and circadian rhythms. So, start to dim your house lights so that your melatonin production increases and to be more in line with nature when the sun starts to go down.
It’s vital to have a break from your electronic screens like TV, computer, phones and other devices at least an hour and preferably 2 hours before bed as blue light damages and overstimulates the brain and sabotages melatonin production. It may be time to ditch your Kindle or iPad at bedtime and think about reading a paper book instead.
If you’re really attached to your devices and can’t imagine not using them in the evening, then wearing glasses like these by Gilded, that have specially fitted lenses to block 100% of the damaging blue light from screens. Using them in the day can also help reduce headaches, fatigue and eye strain.
We are hardwired to wind down and relax for sleep via the warm golden glow of a campfire, a throwback to our cave dwelling days. The white and blue light of daytime stimulates us to wake and become alert and active, and the warm soft golden light of sunset, wood fires and evening time naturally draws us to become relaxed and sleepy.
As we have discovered already, our brains are still primitive in many ways and certain colours of light disrupt our circadian rhythms, so blue and white light at night is a big no-no if we want to stay in tune and sleep well. The CDC notes that blue light has the strongest negative impact on sleep out of all light colours.
So, think about using only soft, warm coloured light in the evening and avoiding harsh light in your living spaces and bedroom. Swapping out your regular light bulbs for sleep promoting light bulbs that don’t emit blue light at night, is a simple sleep hack that is easy to do. For a rundown of the best of what’s available on the market click here.
In addition to light, other environmental cues may help synchronise your circadian rhythm, including your food intake and activity level. However, many things can disrupt this natural process as we will soon discover below such as EMF radiation and electrical interference.
The link between EMF exposure and sleep is a very well investigated area of research. There are thousands of peer-reviewed scientific studies linking electromagnetic Radiation Frequency (EMF) radiation to adverse health effects like sleep disruption, cancer, suppression of your immune system and infertility.
In 2018, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), under the World Health Organization (WHO), classified EMF radiation as a Class 2B carcinogen. EMF disrupts your production of melatonin and your circadian rhythm, so the simplest solution to reduce your exposure is to turn off your WiFi router when you’re not using it and especially at night.
Turn off your phone, iPad and other devices and place them as far away from where you are going to sleep as possible, and at least 2 metres away from your bed. If you can’t turn them off then enable ‘flight mode’. EMF radiation emitted from these devices interferes with your body’s electrical field and circadian rhythm – we are electrical beings.
The same goes for power points. Try to avoid having power points or outlets next to your bed. If you do and you can’t move them or change the position of your bed, at minimum turn them off when not in use as EMF from these will interfere with your ability to sleep.
“What you do and don’t do during the day will have a significant impact on your sleep during the night. Lifestyle factors can easily cause over-stimulation!”
How much and when you eat and drink, when you exercise and what type of exercise you do, and how you schedule your days as well as how you spend your evenings can impact the quality of your sleep. Slight changes can influence whether you sleep soundly or are restless during the night.
Drink a cup of sleep-inducing herbal tea and have a small snack that contains complex carbs and protein (go heavier on the carbs and lighter on the protein) like a small stick of celery or half a banana with almond butter. A small snack can encourage your body into rest and digest mode, but don’t overdo it, rich foods that sit heavily in the stomach can cause indigestion and make it harder to sleep.
Eating citrus fruits, spicy foods are stimulating, and fatty and fried food can cause indigestion, as can eating too much, which can make it hard to sleep. Keep in mind that your stomach needs 3-4 hours to empty, so don’t eat too close to bedtime.
Stay away from stimulants like tea, coffee and chocolate at least 6 hours before bed and limit your intake to 400 mg/day. Nicotine, amphetamines, and some medications will affect your sleep.
Regular exercise is important for healthy sleep but scheduling it in the evening can release stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline which are stimulating and counterproductive to sleep. Try to exercise in the morning, and at least 3 hours before bedtime. Restorative yoga in the evening or a calming breathwork practice is a good option.
Sleep habits, such as staying up too late and having an irregular sleep schedule, can play a part in poor sleep. Napping later in the day can lead to trouble sleeping as well, because afternoon naps will decrease your homeostatic sleep drive, making it harder to drift off. It’s important to go to bed and wake up at the same time (+ – 20 minutes) even on weekends and holidays.
A single glass of alcohol before bedtime may not interfere with your ability to fall asleep, in fact it can be easier to fall asleep after a wee tipple due to feeling more relaxed. However, just one serving of alcohol can impair your sleep because alcohol interferes with the sleep cycle, especially the REM sleep that includes dreaming.
The result is that your rest will be fragmented and unrefreshing. This effect is even more prevalent with people with high alcohol use as it often goes hand-in-hand with insomnia.
Being awake in bed gets your brain associating wakefulness with bed. Research shows it’s important to use your bed for sleeping and sex only.
If you wake up in the night and can’t get back to sleep after 20 minutes, it’s important to get up and then try to sleep once you feel tired again.
If you’re awake more than 20 minutes, you should leave the bedroom and go to another room to engage in a relaxing activity, such as listening to music or reading, but keep lighting on the dim side. When you’re tired, go back to bed. The process can take an hour or more. What you don’t want is a negative association between your bed and not sleeping.
This breathwork practice can help you relax to get back to sleep again, so can Viparita Karani, a yoga pose that can help induce sleep, otherwise known as ‘legs up the wall pose’. Both activate the relaxation response (parasympathetic nervous system) and deactivate the stress response (sympathetic nervous system).
Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature, not too hot or too cold, and as quiet as possible. Cool temperatures signify that it’s time for bed. The Sleep Foundation and also this study recommend having your sleeping environment set at the temperature of 18 degrees Celsius (65F), as well as blocking out any light to encourage your body’s natural circadian rhythm.
A 2019 study suggests that humans may be sensitive to the Earth’s magnetic energy, and that sleeping in alignment with the Earth’s electromagnetic field could improve sleep quality. According to ancient traditions like vastu shastra, the best direction to sleep in is with your head toward the south and your feet pointed north. Another study backed this ancient wisdom when it concluded that those who slept in the north-south orientation had lower blood pressure, better sleep quality, and longer sleep overall compared to people who slept in an east-west direction for a period of three months.
Create a relaxing sleep ritual to train your brain to get ready for sleep. Try reading, restorative yoga, meditating, or taking a warm bath to begin the relaxation process rather than watching TV or being on social media. Doing the same thing regularly will teach your body that it’s time to unwind and can have a cumulative effect.
Excess worry and fear make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night. Sleep deprivation can worsen anxiety, spurring a negative cycle involving insomnia and anxiety disorders. A state of mental hyperarousal, frequently marked by worry, has been identified as a key factor behind insomnia. People with anxiety disorders are inclined to have higher sleep reactivity, which means they are much more likely to have sleeping problems when facing stress.
Anxiety disorder and poor breathing patterns go hand-in-hand and breathwork practices can help with anxiety and sleep disorders by teaching you how to breathe correctly.
Try incorporating this simple Breathwork Practice for Good Night’s Sleep into your evening routine. It will help you to relax and release worry, fear, stress and tension that may be preventing you from getting the sleep you need.
Get ready for bed so you can drift off if you are ready to at the end of this practice. Do everything you need such as brushing your teeth, preparing what you need for the following morning etc so that you can relax into it, and so that your mind feels less busy and more spacious.
Studies have found that breathwork practices that focus on regulating breathing and awareness of the present moment are highly effective in fighting insomnia and improving sleep; and breathwork techniques that specifically increase your tolerance to the gas carbon dioxide can increase your resilience to stress, making sleep easier.
When a hyper-aroused state (overactive sympathetic nervous system) is the culprit of sleepless nights, learning techniques to ground yourself, decompress from activity, relax and be present can positively impact your ability to fall asleep and to sleep well.
If this sounds like you, then you may also benefit from checking out this Masterclass from, Breathless Expeditions and FREE online 21 Day Master Your Breath Program, or attending a BREATHLESS BREATHWORK IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE
By Anya Brand, Breathwork Instructor/Yoga Teacher
Experiences, expeditions and education to unlock your potential, open your heart and let your breath set you free.
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