Sleep: Rest to Thrive

Jan 222 min read

Everyday we juggle with different responsibilities, often sacrificing what’s essential to us: sleep. Pulling all-nighters or cannot function without a cup of coffee? If this sounds familiar to you, this post may provide some insights on why sleep is crucial for our well-being.

Brain Plasticity: In order for our brain to build neural connections, it occurs during sleep. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize and adapt itself as we learn new information everyday. This helps our brain to grow in response to learning, experiences as well as environmental changes.

Memory Consolidation: The REM stage of sleep is often associated with dreaming but also involves some memory consolidation processes. Information that you learn earlier in the day could be consolidated and stored into your long-term memory. This allows you to retrieve them better when it is needed in the future.

Mental Health Impact: Having too little or too much sleep could also be detrimental for our health. Sleep deprivation is linked with various disorders such as depression, anxiety, and even cognitive distortions. Therefore, maintaining balance is important to enhance our sleep quality so that we wake up not feeling weary.

Practical tips to improve sleep:

Circadian rhythms: Prioritizing circadian rhythms could help to maintain a consistent sleeping schedule. These rhythms regulate sleep-wake cycle whereby levels of melatonin are suppressed during daytime, and when light diminishes it rises signaling us for bedtime. Circadian rhythms can be disrupted by irregular schedules which leads to fatigue. Thus, aligning our sleep with natural light-dark cycles help us achieve sleep consistency and improve our overall well-being.
Practice sleep hygiene: Expose our body to sunlight during the day and stay active. This can also help strengthen our circadian rhythm and regulate sleep-wake cycle. When we feel the need to take a nap, limit it to an hour. To complete the sleep cycle, it is advised to aim for at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. (Tip: get enough sleep before sitting for an exam instead of pulling an all-nighter as the brain consolidates memory for better retrieval).
Avoid stimulants: Reduce screen time an hour before going to sleep like scrolling through TikTok on bed in hopes to make you sleepy which will actually distract yourself even more. This is because we are exposed to blue light from our gadgets reducing the production of melatonin and as a result, delaying sleep onset.
Sleep-friendly environment: Set your room temperature to what you are comfortable with and listening to white noise may increase the ability to fall asleep. Engage in relaxing activities before bed such as reading or meditation that induces a calm state. Use your bed for sleep and avoid studying or working on your bed as the brain will learn to associate these activities with your bed.

Sleep is essential to health, focus, and growth. Prioritize rest with consistent sleep, a calm environment, and healthy habits. Consider consulting with a professional if sleep problems remain as issues like sleep apnea or insomnia could arise which needs further specialized treatment. By practicing these tips you may experience improvements in your sleep and wake up feeling satisfied and refreshed.