0:00
and the first factor that we'll talk
0:01
about that regulates our sleep is our
0:03
circadian rhythm or our body's clock now
0:06
our body's clock is primarily regulated
0:08
by the light that we see so our body
0:11
perceives sources of light to mean that
0:13
it's daylight and that's not just
0:15
sunlight it's also our devices such as
0:18
our cell phones and our television
0:19
screens these stimuli essentially reduce
0:23
the release of a hormone called
0:25
melatonin and that hormone melatonin is
0:28
a hormone that prepares our body for
0:30
sleep so it's quite important to avoid
0:32
these sources of light through our
0:34
screens such as our cell phones about 2
0:37
to three hours before we're getting
0:38
ready to go to sleep additionally a
0:41
consistent sleep schedule is essential
0:43
for regulating our body's clock these
0:46
hormones such as melatonin are released
0:48
in cycles throughout the day and so they
0:51
need time to prepare so that we can
0:54
prepare ourselves for sleep so going to
0:56
bed at the same time will essentially
0:58
confirm that your body releases the
1:00
sleep hormones at the correct time to
1:02
prepare us for sleep now next is sleep
1:06
pressure so we've all felt this I'm sure
1:08
sleep pressure is the sensation that we
1:11
feel at the end of the day maybe we're
1:13
having a long conversation with our
1:14
colleagues or listening to a night
1:17
owling lesson let's say for instance and
1:19
we begin to feel a general groggginess
1:23
and part of the reason for this
1:24
groggginess is because there's a
1:25
neurochemical that's released in our
1:27
brain called adenosine and this really
1:30
is the sleep neurochemical that we feel
1:34
in a state of being tiredness and this
1:36
is actually the neurochemical that
1:38
caffeine is blocking that helps us stay
1:41
awake when we consume caffeine
1:44
it's another factor to consider when
1:47
we're talking about sleep pressure is
1:50
our amount of social and physical
1:53
activity that we're experiencing so
1:54
let's say we're talking to colleagues
1:56
too much or we're at a social event
1:59
that's beginning to exhaust us maybe
2:01
we're exercising for a long period of
2:03
time we actually also because of these
2:06
factors begin to experience sleep
2:07
pressure and feel the need to want to
2:09
progress towards sleep
2:12
so continuing forward here with just a
2:13
few more aspects of sleep overall and
2:16
the first aspect of sleep overall to be
2:18
considered here is our sleep environment
2:21
the environment we sleep in is essential
2:23
to our quality of sleep and the first
2:25
factor of our sleep environment to be
2:27
considered is the darkness of the room
2:29
so our body as I mentioned previously
2:32
perceives light to be a reason to be
2:34
awake now not just sunlight but also our
2:37
devices and so having a blackout curtain
2:40
over our window or even unplugging our
2:43
electronic devices that emit light can
2:45
help our body prepare for sleep
2:47
additionally dropping the temperature in
2:49
the room to facilitate a drop in body
2:51
temperature is an effective way to
2:53
improve our sleep quality reducing the
2:56
noise level overall in the home whether
2:58
that's through having a white noise
3:00
device that is emitting a cool even
3:03
sound or even a fan that's running in
3:05
the room so that we're not being woken
3:07
up by the changes in our soundsscape and
3:11
then as we all know comfortable bedding
3:13
is an essential part of sleeping
3:14
restfully having comfortable sheets and
3:18
comfortable pillows can really help us
3:20
relax and progress into sleep
3:23
now next our lifestyle and habits are
3:25
also factors to be considered for
3:27
restful sleep avoidance of caffeine and
3:30
alcohol anywhere from 8 to 10 hours
3:32
prior to going to sleep can help our
3:34
body get rid of those substances so that
3:36
we can feel the restful effects of the
3:39
initiation of sleep through adenosine
3:42
exercise is also something that helps us
3:44
feel that sleep pressure that I
3:46
mentioned in the previous slide that
3:48
we're actually tired and ready to
3:50
progress into stage one sleep and onward
3:53
our eating habits are also something to
3:55
be considered when we're sleeping so if
3:58
we have a large meal prior to going to
4:00
sleep that large meal actually takes
4:02
energy to digest and that digestion
4:06
increases our body temperature and that
4:08
increase in body temperature can
4:10
interfere with progression into later
4:11
stages of sleep and then as well our
4:15
ability to manage our stress maybe
4:17
through meditation or through breathing
4:19
factors right before we're about to go
4:21
to sleep can help us really begin that
4:24
stage one sleep where our heart rate
4:26
drops and our uh breathing rate drops
4:29
and we can progress forward into the
4:31
later
4:32
stages now lastly here health and
4:34
genetics are also a factor to be
4:36
considered with sleep so if we're
4:38
experiencing sleep issues such as
4:40
insomnia or sleep apnea or even mental
4:43
health issues such as anxiety and
4:45
depression we should be working with our
4:47
physicians our doctors to help optimize
4:50
our general health in those areas
4:53
overall and that optimization in those
4:55
areas can help facilitate our ability to
4:57
have restful sleep additionally as we
5:00
age our sleep quality decreases through
5:03
just general aging factors and so that's
5:05
something to be considered as we
5:07
progress in time overall and it's
5:10
something that can be optimized through
5:12
optimizing the factors we've talked
5:14
about here previously and then
5:16
additionally recent research has shown
5:19
that there is a genetic underpinning for
5:22
people being night owls or early birds
5:24
and so this is also something to be
5:26
considered we all know ourselves whether
5:28
we function best in the morning or in
5:30
the evening and considering that in our
5:32
body is preparation for sleep