Anyone who has traveled across multiple time zones has undoubtedly experienced jet lag. The extreme daytime fatigue and feeling wired at night can wreak havoc on your body and brain, especially when you’re unfamiliar with how jet lag works and feel unprepared for it.

Fortunately, jet lag is health scenario that you can prepare for and should. In this video, we’re going to discuss:

• What is jet lag?
• How it affects physical and cognitive performance?
• What you can do to best avoid it?
• And how you can overcome it quickly.

We’re going to talk about light exposure, naps, caffeine, nutrition and more.

It’s time to get performance ready. Lets dive in.

Jet Lag – Symptoms and Causes

Jet lag is a recognized sleep disorder that is experienced after rapid travel across multiple time zones (also known as transmeridian travel). The American Academy of Sleep Medicine defines jet lag as a syndrome involving insomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness following travel across at least 2 time zones.

The symptoms that are most common include:

• Daytime fatigue
• Difficulty concentrating or functioning at your usual level
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Moodiness and agitation
• Disturbed sleep
• Just generally not feeling well

These symptoms happen because your body’s circadian rhythm is no longer being synchronized to the local time. The internal sleep-wake cycle is out of phase with the local light-dark cycle, causing drowsiness or arousal at “inappropriate” times.

For example, if you leave New York on a flight at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, and arrive in Paris at 7:00 a.m. Wednesday, your internal clock still thinks it’s 1:00 a.m. That means you’re ready for bed just as everyone around you in Paris is waking up.

Your sleep schedule is primarily modulated by exposure to light and secretion of melatonin, which is secreted in the pineal gland for 10-12 hours in the evening and helps to induce sleep. Light inhibits secretion of melatonin and stimulates arousal. This is controlled  by the “master clock” in your brain that uses light exposure to coordinate all the workings of organs. Interestingly enough, your organs also operate on their own clocks, which means this desynchronization affects more than just sleep, but also body temperature, blood pressure, hormone regulation, hunger levels and hunger times.

Generally speaking, jet lag symptoms usually persists for 1 day for each time zone crossed until the body realigns its circadian clock. Symptoms are likely to get worse or last longer the more time zones that you’ve crossed.

Yet not all travel is created equal.

Traveling west is easier on our body than traveling east. For example, if you travel west across nine time zones, it would take approximately 8 days to recover. However, if you cross nine time zones going east, the recovery would take more than 13 days.

This happens because your circadian rhythm runs on a slightly longer than 24-hour cycle. It’s about 24 hours and 15 minutes to be exact and your body has an easier time lengthening the day versus shortening it.

What kind of sleeper you are may also affect how severe jet lag symptoms are for you. If you’re a morning-type person that prefers to wake up early, you may have less difficulty flying eastward, while “evening-type people,” who prefer to wake up late, have less difficulty flying westward (3)

High performers with rigid sleeping habits may also experience greater symptoms than those who are more flexible with sleep. Being so dependent on your routine, means you’re going to have a harder time adjusting and must really plan ahead.

How Jet Lag  Affects Physical Performance?

So let’s see how jet lag actually affects physical performance?

Jet lag has been shown to cause a decrease in:

• Peak muscle force
• Anaerobic power output
• Vertical jump
• Heart rate variability
• Ventilation
• Muscle recovery

In a study by Northwestern University, researchers looked at Major League Baseball data from more than 40,000 games over the course of 20 years. What they found was that traveling more than two time zones affected player performance in subtle but detectable ways. During games where a team traveled from West-East, there was a calculable difference in hitting, running, and pitching performance.

When it comes to sports, west coast teams consistently beat east coast teams during evening games.

Cognitively, jet lag has a profound impact. Mood and complex mental performance tasks deteriorate almost immediately with sudden changes in circadian rhythm. Travelers will experience a general loss of motivation, mental clouding and feelings of agitation. Which coincides with an increase in cortisol levels after long flights. It’s even been known to cause lapses in memory and learning because of possible hippocampal deficits.

What is Social Jet Lag?

You may have heard of the term social jet lag. It shouldn’t be confused with “standard” jet lag. Social jet lag is not caused by traveling. It is actually a more severe type of sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s circadian rhythm is not in sync with our normal social time. For instance, time that should traditionally be spent being active or sleeping does not align with the biological clock of the affected person. People who are struggling with this particular condition actually have delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSWPD) or advanced sleep-wake phase disorder (ASWPD). Symptoms of these disorders are similar to jet lag. The patients regularly feel tired, sleepy, and have problems with focusing. Social jet lag can also happen to people who work almost every day of the week.

Jet Lag Prevention Tips

Now you can’t avoid jet lag completely, but you can make things easier on yourself by not fighting it.

The best ways to do this are typically behavioral versus pharmacological, and when done correctly can save you precious time and energy at your new destination.

• As soon as you can, begin shifting your circadian rhythm to the new destination. You can start this process in the days leading up to your trip through a combination of timed sleep, light exposure, caffeine intake, and meals. To do this, simply look at the time difference between your home and where you’re traveling to and begin shifting your daily activities toward it.
• Since light is the primary cue for your internal body clocks, you want to be aware of when you’re getting exposure to bright light and for how long. You can advance your body clock with bright light exposure in the morning, which is useful for eastward travel, while exposure in the late evening will delay it, which is useful for westward travel.
• This includes the light from your devices too. You’ll want restrict blue light exposure at night by using f.lux on your computer, wearing blue blocking glasses, using night mode on your cell phone.
• Does figuring this out sound like a lot to do? Outsource the decision making with jet lag busting apps.Our favorite is Timeshifter App. Developed by a Harvard professor, this app helps elite athletes, CEOs and even astronauts combat jet lag through a personalized algorithm. You’ll receive a custom plan to time your sleep, caffeine intake, naps, and light exposure.
• While in the air, live according to the new time zone. If you should be sleeping during your flight to arrive in the morning, then ignore movies and entertainment, and just sleep as much as you can. If you will arrive in the evening and should stay awake while traveling, make sure you have activities, entertainment, caffeine, etc., to keep yourself awake during the flight.
• Although it may be tempting to grab an energy drink or coffee before your flight, it’s typically recommended to avoid stimulating unless it’s in the morning of your final destination. Once you’ve arrived, caffeine may be a helpful way to increase alertness and physical performance, but just be careful of how much you consume and when. Caffeine after 2 PM will interfere with sleep no matter what, but may be even more severe for those experiencing jet lag. Again, do what makes sense for your destination not for how your body feels.
• Another strategy is the correct and careful use of melatonin. Doses of 0.3 – 1 mg will produce an effect closest to natural melatonin spikes. For more information about this sleep supplement, check out our other videos.
• A more advanced tip is to consider fasting. New research suggests that not eating can help reset your body’s circadian rhythm, because the timing and content of meals does influence your internal clocks. By fasting, you can reboot the feeding cycle and help decrease the time warp. Overall, though, be sure to drink plenty of fresh water and eat healthy meals to keep your gut, body and mind working well.
• Strategic napping has also been discussed as a potential method to mitigate the symptoms of jet lag. Long naps during times when you should be alert may interfere with adaption to the new time zone. It’s generally recommended to nap during the nighttime in your new destination or in the morning. Power naps about 20 minutes long may help decrease daytime sleepiness, just be careful they’re not timed too close to when you should be going to bed.
• If you’re able to, try traveling a few days prior to a competition, race, big meeting or event. This will give you time to adjust before needing to be performance ready. If you need to train or go into performance-mode immediately, schedule around your sleep-wake cycle to take advantage of the jet lag. If you’re traveling west, you’ll probably wake up extra early, so get your training and meetings in early. If you’re traveling east, you’ll probably be more wired at night, so plan events for later in the evening.

Wrapping Up

As  mentioned, it’s not possible to totally beat jet lag, especially with large time differences, but with proper preparation you can minimize it’s effects and even use it to your advantage.

If you find this video useful, share it with someone who is planning a long distance trip soon and tell us what you think in the comment section below. 

Also, check out the references used to create this article.

References

•   https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/36/1/54.full.pdf
•   https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bd7d/3455a8f033693bbc8e7b9851ded3e9325f11.pdf
•   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3435929/
•   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8945751/
•   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12070640/
•   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3906341/
• https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Heinz_Lohrer/publication/11203968_Jet_lag_in_athletes_after_eastward_and_westward_time-zone_transition/links/00b495167a5a328f63000000/Jet-lag-in-athletes-after-eastward-and-westward-time-zone-transition.pdf

Your workout routine and diet are perfect, and even your heart is in the right place. Still, no matter how hard you work to lose weight, you struggle with the process and can’t get the body you desire.

The worst thing is that someone else who follows the same program GETS the desired results.

When you talk, you find out that both of you share a common approach to weight loss:

• You eat meals that focus on lean protein and vegetables.
• You exercise at least 3 times per week, focusing on both weights and cardio.
• You know which foods are truly healthy and which you need to limit—and you really do so.

Yet, there is a difference between you two. You are the one that continues to struggle. You can’t maintain your focus. You have a hard time controlling your hunger, always crave sweets, and despite your biggest efforts in the gym, you don’t achieve the same results as someone else following the same fitness and dietary plan.

What is the problem? Why isn’t your exercise working?

Maybe you don’t know how to train properly. Maybe you lack the willpower or maybe it’s genetics and there is nothing you can do about it.

There is definitely an answer to your question, and there is definitely a solution for your problem.

Most likely, your problem is lack of sleep.

Studies show that if you’re trying to lose weight, the amount of sleep you get may be just as important as your diet and exercise. Keep watching this video to find out how exactly lack of sleep undoes your exercising efforts.

How Does Sleep Control Your Diet?

Most people who are trying to lose weight believe that a healthy weight loss revolves around eating and movement. Simply put, to look better you need to eat less and move more. However, that’s not so easy to do, and also not the most important thing.

Between living your life, working, and exercising, you’re probably forgetting to sleep enough. Or even worse, you don’t realize that sleep is the key to being rewarded for your diet and fitness efforts. Let’s take a look at some epidemiological research that found the link between sleep and weight gain.

Several studies have been conducted looking at the correlation (degree of association) between body fat and sleep. The results of the research indicate an inverse correlation – less sleep is being associated with more body fat[1], and that is further associated with more fat mass gain over time.[2]

According to the study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, sleeping less than 7 hours per night can reduce or even undo the benefits of dieting.[3] When our bodies receive less than adequate rest, the amount of fat loss is cut in half. Due to hormonal imbalance, you also become hungrier, feel less satisfied after meals, and lack energy to exercise.

You may be thinking this is correlation research, and therefore it’s not conclusive. However, there is also a persistent relationship between less sleep time and greater fat mass. The link persists even after controlling the possible confounding factors.

For example, in a study published in the Journal Sleep Medicine, researchers have excluded the possible confounding agents, and concluded that the association between lack of sleep and weight gain persists even after controlling demographic, lifestyle, work and health related factors.[4]

We should also mention that researchers have found out that shorter sleep increases expression of genetic risks for high body weight. At the same time, longer sleep duration may suppress genetic influences on body weight.[5]

How Sleep Deprivation Affects Weight Loss

So, how exactly sleep deprivation affects weight loss? Try to remember how you feel when waking up after a bad night of sleep. Do you feel exhausted, dazed, and even confused? Maybe a bit grumpy? If you do, you should know that your brain is not the only one – your metabolism and especially fat cells feel the same way too.

When you are sleep deprived, your body experiences “metabolic grogginess”. The researchers from the University of Chicago came up with this term after observing that due to lack of sleep, the body’s ability to properly use insulin becomes completely disrupted.[6]

Epidemiological research shows a strong correlation between abnormal sleep patterns and metabolic syndrome.[7] Lack of sleep over time leads to insulin resistance, hypertension, diabetes type 2 and obesity.[8]

Reducing sleep for only 2 hours daily can lead to a state of insulin resistance in otherwise healthy persons within a week.[9] Reducing your sleep time for 4 hours affects your metabolism so severe that insulin resistance can be developed only after one single night.[10]

So, why is insulin important for weight loss?

Insulin is a peptide hormone that regulates your body’s ability to process food into energy. Insulin resistance is a very bad thing for weight loss, because when insulin is functioning well, fat cells remove fatty acids and lipids from your blood stream and prevent fat storage. If you are insulin resistant, the lipids will circulate in your blood stream, which leads to producing more insulin. Eventually, the excess insulin will start storing fat instead of using it. This is how you not only become fat, but also increase your chances of getting diabetes.

Apart from insulin, sleep deprivation affects 3 other hormones related to weight gain:

• Ghrelin, the hunger hormone which tells your brain when it’s hungry and when to eat.
• Leptin, the satiety hormone which tells your brain when it’s full.
• Cortisol, a stress hormone that activates upon waking and conserves energy as fat reserves to use as fuel during the day.

The mentioned hormones are disrupted due to lack of sleep which results in making you feel constantly hungry and therefore hindering your weight loss efforts. Here is how.

Hunger is controlled by two hormones: leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is a hormone that is produced in your fat cells, and which tells your brain when you are full. Ghrelin is known as the hunger hormone and the more you produce it, the more you stimulate hunger while at the same time reducing the amount of calories you burn and increasing the amount of fat you store. To successfully lose weight, you need to control leptin and ghrelin, and as almost every other hormone in your body, these two are also significantly influenced by sleep.

Research shows that lack of sleep increases hunger, and particularly depresses leptin while at the same time increases the amount of ghrelin you produce on a daily basis.[11]

Poor sleep is also linked to changes in serotonin levels – a hormone that significantly influences your appetite. Lack of sleep increases the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and activates the reward centers in your brain that trigger a need for serotonin. Serotonin is often released by consuming fat and carbs, so this is why you may be constantly craving for sweets and junk food.

So, briefly explained, cortisol makes you want food more, while sleep loss also causes your body to produce more ghrelin. A combination of high ghrelin and cortisol basically shuts down the areas of your brain that leave you feeling satisfied after a meal, meaning you feel hungry all the time—even if you just ate a big and heavy meal.

The hormonal imbalances caused by lack of sleep we just mentioned above, result in an internal battle that makes it almost impossible to lose weight even if you do everything the right way.

How Sleep Loss Sabotages Your Exercising Efforts

As everything we mentioned isn’t enough, sleep loss also sabotages your gym time. No matter whether you want to lose weight or gain muscle, in order to lose fat, you need muscles. Why? Because muscles are the enemy of fat, and they help to burn it.

However, lack of sleep is the enemy of muscle, and studies have shown that sleep deprivation reduces protein synthesis (your body’s ability to make muscles) and causes muscle loss.[12]

Even short term deprivation may completely undo your exercising efforts. According to research, long-term sleep deprivation, may result in higher fat mass gains (due to insulin resistance), while short term sleep deprivation appears to hinder fat loss attempts by reducing the percentage of weight loss that is actually fat mass.

In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2010, sleep deprivation adversely affects nutrient partitioning during weight loss. Nutrient partitioning is all about where the energy from the nutrients you take in goes, and whether the calories from those nutrients are burned as fuel, stored as fat, or taken up by muscle tissue to build new muscles. The degree to which each takes place depends on a variety of factors, including genetics and hormonal influences, particularly insulin.

If you are on a weight loss diet, reducing your sleep by 3 hours will result in a rather unfavorable nutrient partitioning effect or simply explained, you will be losing more weight from lean mass than fat mass.[13]

Lack of sleep will also make your body harder to recover from exercise. In order to repair your muscles, your body needs to produce growth hormones and growth hormones are particularly produced in slow wave sleep. Studies show that, in case of sleep deprivation, the body compensates for the lack of GH during the day, and that overall daily exposure to GH is left not significantly different.[14] However, that’s when cortisol comes in to mess things up even more.

Cortisol (which is triggered by sleep deprivation) also slows down the production of growth hormones.[15] So, when you are sleep deprived, the already reduced production of growth hormone is further slowed down by high cortisol levels in your body. When you’re suffering from slept debt, this makes everything you do more challenging, especially your workouts. So, if you’re someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy exercising, this will make it almost unbearable.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, the connection between sleep and weight gain is very hard to ignore, and getting proper night’s rest is equally as sticking to your workout routine and diet.

With our hectic schedules and lifestyles, it may be very hard to get the recommended 8 hours of sleep per night. However, the least you can do is to make sure that one night of bad sleep isn’t followed by a few more. It doesn’t seem like much, but you’re at least off to a good start. Take a look at the resources we found to create this article and let us know your experience in the comments below!

Resources

[1] Yi S, Nakagawa T, Yamamoto S, Mizoue T, Takahashi Y, Noda M, Matsushita Y, Short sleep duration in association with CT-scanned abdominal fat areas: the Hitachi Health Study. International Journal of Obesity, 2013. available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22349574 “Shorter sleep duration is associated with higher BMI, WC and SFA in men”

[2] Hairston KG, Bryer-Ash M, Norris JM, Haffner S, Bowden DW, Wagenknecht LE, Sleep duration and five-year abdominal fat accumulation in a minority cohort: the IRAS family study. Journal Sleep, 2010. available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20337186 “In this minority cohort, extremes of sleep duration are related to increases in BMI, SAT, and VAT in persons younger than 40 years old.”

[3] Insufficient Sleep, Diet, and Obesity. Ann Intern Med. ;153:I–28. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-153-7-201010050-00002 available at https://annals.org/aim/fullarticle/746253/insufficient-sleep-diet-obesity

[4] Di Milia L, Vandelanotte C, Duncan MJ. The association between short sleep and obesity after controlling for demographic, lifestyle, work and health related factors. Sleep Medicine, 2013. available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23419528 “After adjustment of several confounding variables, a significant association between short sleep and obesity was obtained, but there was no association between short sleep and being overweight.”

[5] Watson NF, Harden KP, Buchwald D, Vitiello MV, Pack AI, Weigle DS, Goldberg J., Sleep duration and body mass index in twins: a gene-environment interaction. Journal Sleep 2012. available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22547885 “Shorter sleep duration is associated with increased BMI and increased genetic influences on BMI, suggesting that shorter sleep duration increases expression of genetic risks for high body weight. At the same time, longer sleep duration may suppress genetic influences on body weight.”

[6] Kristen L. Knutson, PhD,1Karine Spiegel, PhD, Plamen Penev, MD, PhD, and Eve Van Cauter, PhD, The Metabolic Consequences of Sleep Deprivation, Sleep Med. Rev. 2007 available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1991337/ “…chronic partial sleep loss may increase the risk of obesity and diabetes via multiple pathways, including an adverse effect on parameters of glucose regulation, including insulin resistance, a dysregulation of the neuroendocrine control of appetite leading to excessive food intake and decreased energy expenditure.”

[7] Najafian J, Toghianifar N, Mohammadifard N, Nouri F, Association between sleep duration and metabolic syndrome in a population-based study: Isfahan Healthy Heart Program. Journal of research in medical sciences: the official journal of Isfahan university of Medical sciences, 2011 available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22091310

[8] Knutson KL, Sleep duration and cardiometabolic risk: a review of the epidemiologic evidence. Best practice & research. Clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2010. available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21112022

[9] Broussard JL, Ehrmann DA, Van Cauter E, Tasali E, Brady MJ, Impaired insulin signaling in human adipocytes after experimental sleep restriction: a randomized, crossover study. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2012 available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23070488 “Sleep restriction results in an insulin-resistant state in human adipocytes. Sleep may be an important regulator of energy metabolism in peripheral tissues.”

[10] Robertson MD, Russell-Jones D, Umpleby AM, Dijk DJ, Effects of three weeks of mild sleep restriction implemented in the home environment on multiple metabolic and endocrine markers in healthy young men. Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, 2013 available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22985906

[11] Benedict C, Brooks SJ, O’Daly OG, Almèn MS, Morell A, Åberg K, Gingnell M, Schultes B, Hallschmid M, Broman JE, Larsson EM, Schiöth HB, Acute sleep deprivation enhances the brain’s response to hedonic food stimuli: an fMRI study. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinoloy and Metabolism, 2012. available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22259064%20%20 “…acute sleep loss enhances hedonic stimulus processing in the brain underlying the drive to consume food… These findings highlight a potentially important mechanism contributing to the growing levels of obesity in Western society.”

[12] Janne Grønli, Jonathan Soulé, and Clive R. Bramham, Sleep and protein synthesis-dependent synaptic plasticity: impacts of sleep loss and stress, Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 2013 available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3896837/

[13] Nedeltcheva AV, Kilkus JM, Imperial J, Schoeller DA, Penev PD, Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity. Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity 2010 available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20921542 “The amount of human sleep contributes to the maintenance of fat-free body mass at times of decreased energy intake. Lack of sufficient sleep may compromise the efficacy of typical dietary interventions for weight loss and related metabolic risk reduction.”

[14] Spiegel K, Leproult R, Colecchia EF, L’Hermite-Balériaux M, Nie Z, Copinschi G, Van Cauter E., Adaptation of the 24-h growth hormone profile to a state of sleep debt. American Journal of Physiology. Regulative, integrative and comparative physiology, 2000 available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10956244

[15] Madhusmita Misra, Miriam A. Bredella, Patrika Tsai, Nara Mendes, Karen K. Miller and Anne Klibanski, Lower growth hormone and higher cortisol are associated with greater visceral adiposity, intramyocellular lipids, and insulin resistance in overweight girls, American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2008 available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2519763/

Sleeping Positions for Staying Healthy – Sleeping on the Side

Your sleep quality is affected by multiple factors – it isn’t just how dark and quiet your room is or what music you listen to before you hit the hay – it’s how you lay your body down, too.

So, is there such thing like the best sleep position? According to science, the answer is sleeping on your side. In many ways, side sleepers have it better than others with different sleep positions. However, the benefits of side sleep actually depend on which side you prefer. Watch this video and check out our infographic to find out how side sleeping benefits your health.

Side Sleeping Benefits

Benefits of sleeping on your side are directly related to your physiology.

Sleeping on the side allows your spine to remain in its natural and neutral position while particularly sleeping on the left is recommended if you are pregnant, snore or struggle with health conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea. This sleep position is beneficial for snoring and OSA because it helps to open up a crowded oropharynx. Side sleeping is recommended if you have carpal tunnel syndrome because it protects your wrists from pressure during sleep. It also elongates the spine which helps to alleviate neck and back pain.

A recent study shows that the benefits of side sleeping go beyond expected and may boost your brain health.

A study performed at Stony Brook University in New York and published in The Journal of Neuroscience investigated how body posture during sleep affects brain waste removal in mice. The results suggest that sleeping on your side help the brain’s glymphatic system clear waste more effectively than sleeping on the back or stomach.

In order to understand this, we have to explain what the brain’s glymphatic system is, and how our body posture affects it.

The glymphatic system consists of a brain wide pathway that facilitates the exchange of spinal fluid with interstitial fluid, and has the role of clearing interstitial waste from the brain parenchyma. When this waste isn’t cleared properly, we become more prone to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia. The interstitial waste from the brain parenchyma moves into the perivenous pathways and ultimately gets cleared out via cervical lymphatic vessels.

As you know by now, our brain is active the most during sleep and this is the time when the process of brain waste removal occurs. Side sleeping position elongates the spine and allows faster waste clearance. Other sleep positions may slow down this process or result in brain waste retention.

Therefore, by improving the functioning of the brain’s glymphatic system, we can reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia.

It’s important to mention that side sleeping also comes with some downsides such as unwanted skin aging. Studies show that constantly placing one side of your face on the pillow can cause wrinkles, or even lead to saggy breasts. You’re also more likely to disrupt circulation in your arm, because of the pressure of your body, and wake up with an uncomfortable, tingling pins and needles feeling (also known as paresthesia). Side sleepers typically toss and turn in sleep more often than back sleepers, which may lead to less restful sleep.

Sleep on Which Side is Better, Left or Right?

As mentioned, sleeping on the left or right side has its advantages and disadvantages.

Left side sleeping

Left side sleeping is recommended for:

• Acid reflux – studies show acid reflux is worse when people lie on their right side.
• Pregnant women – are advised to sleep on their left side, to help circulation and blood flow to the placenta. Expecting mothers, especially those entering their 6 month of pregnancy, should avoid sleeping on their backs as this may cause the heavy uterus to press on major blood vessels (such as the inferior vena cava that has the role to return blood to the heart) which could lead to a drop in the blood pressure.
• Digestion – studies confirm that left-side sleeping helps digestion. Your stomach’s and pancreas’ natural position is on your left side. This position allows both organs to make sure the body keeps creating stomach juices and pancreatic enzymes that help with the process of digestion.
• Sleep-related breathing disorders – people who snore or have obstructive sleep apnea are encouraged to sleep on the left side in order to open up a crowded oropharynx.
• Vagus nerve arrhythmias – the vagus nerve connects the heart, brain, and the gut, and due to this unique connection, it may be one of the essential causes of arrhythmia. When vagus nerve is stimulated, parasympathetic activity gets increased which is the opposite of sympathetic stimulation also known as the fight or flight response. So, to quiet your vagus nerve at night, studies suggest that you may want to try sleeping on your left side.
• Bradycardia – If you have slow heart rate at night, sleeping on your left side could stimulate a sympathetic response and increase your heart rate.

However, left side sleeping may put a strain on your internal organs like the pancreas, kidney and spleen, along with the heart. When sleeping on the left, the internal organs in the thorax can shift, and the lungs may weigh heavily on the heart. This increased pressure may impact the heart’s function, potentially worsening heart strain in heart failure. The heart may respond to the increased pressure by activating the kidneys, increasing urination at night.

Right side sleeping

Right side sleeping is especially recommended for heart health. Some scientists think the age-related preference for right-side sleeping is an instinctive, protective response for the heart, and studies show that people with heart failure tend to avoid sleeping on their left sides.

Based on the science, there are four major reasons why you may want to consider sleeping on the right.

• Shortness of breath – heart patients breathe better sleeping on their right side. Heart patients intuitively sleep on the right side. The reason for this isn’t entirely clear, but it’s probably connected with a better venous return and lower pressures within the heart and lungs.
• Optimum cardiac output – cardiac output may be better with right side sleeping for the same reasons as number one above.  As gravity pulls the heart toward the center of the chest it may help optimize cardiac performance.
• Alleviate palpitations – Palpitations can be described as the sensation of your heart not beating correctly.  When sleeping on the right side, the heart is in the center of your chest which may alleviate palpitations.  In contrast, when you are on your left side, the heart is pulled to the chest wall, and you may feel every irregular beat of your heart.

Patients with atrial fibrillation often report that they experience fewer arrhythmias when sleeping on the right side, however, there is still no research that could confirm this.

• Lower heart rate and less sympathetic nervous activity – the sympathetic nervous system is the body’s fight or flight response, and it often makes our heart rate and blood pressure go up. Sympathetic nervous system stimulation makes patients’ heart failure, chest pain, or arrhythmias worse.  

Right side sleeping is not recommended for:

• Heartburn –several studies have found that sleeping on the right side aggravates heartburn while sleeping on the left tends to calm it. The reason is not entirely clear. One hypothesis holds that right-side sleeping relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, between the stomach and the esophagus.
• Patients with pulmonary conditions – with gravity shifting the internal organs to the right, the heart will shift the mediastinum towards the right lung. This will reduce the volume of the lung, and this may be important in certain pulmonary conditions. Left side sleeping also constricts the ribcage, which causes the lungs to strain for oxygen.

If you are an overall healthy person, it’s healthier to sleep on your right side and avoid putting unnecessary strain on your major internal organs. Right side sleeping is also beneficial if you struggle with a heart condition. However, if you are sleeping for two, or struggle with OSA and GERD, left-side sleeping is more recommended.

Quick Tips for Sleeping on the Side

To minimize the disadvantages of side sleeping, it’s important to get a good pillow and a good mattress.

The ideal models are the ones that support the natural alignment of the body. When lying on your back, your body is properly aligned when an imaginary horizontal line that goes through your ear to the rest of your body is completely parallel. When you lie on your side, the horizontal line running through your nose should be in line with the rest of the body.

Once you have a good pillow and mattress, sleeping with some extra pillows may enhance the health benefits of sleeping on the side.

How to sleep with 3 pillows:

•    The first pillow goes under your head to ensure it doesn’t tilt down
•    The second pillow goes under your waist, so your stomach doesn’t curve down
•    The third pillow goes between your legs to ensure your spine stays in a neutral position during the entire night

So, why is this important? As a side sleeper, apart from keeping your spine properly aligned, you must also keep the right and left side of your body as symmetrical as possible.

For example, crossing the left upper leg over the right lower one is not recommended as it would cause the left upper knee to drop and the left hip to be rolled forward, causing your lower spine to twist which may result in lower back pain.

Instead, keep the legs bent at the knee, one on top of the other so that the lower leg can support the upper one. Putting a pillow between bent knees will re-center your body, and hugging a pillow will help to support the upper arm and leg. If you have large hips, and there is space between the waist and the bed when you lie on the side, put a rolled towel underneath to prevent your body from sagging downward.

Wrapping up

Side sleeping is one of the most popular sleep positions worldwide; however, if you prefer to snooze differently, you shouldn’t force yourself to sleep on the side. The same goes if you prefer right side over left and vice versa. Sleeping is a personal experience, and you will benefit the most from it if you snooze in a position you find most comfortable.

Now it’s your turn.

What do you notice about your health when you sleep in different positions? Comment below

Melatonin, an affordable and readily available over-the-counter remedy, appears to be the most straightforward and quickest fix for your sleeping problems. Additionally, it’s a natural product, which would imply it’s safe to use, correct? However, the reality is not always that straightforward.

In this video, I will help you understand all the ins and outs of melatonin, how it works in your body, and if taking its synthetic form can really help you sleep better. At the end of the video, I will recommend 3 natural and safer alternatives.

Watch this video before reaching for another melatonin pill!

What is Melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone that regulates our sleep-wake cycles. This hormone is naturally produced by the pineal gland. However, in its synthetic form, or as a medication, it is used for the short-term treatment of sleep issues such as insomnia, jet lag or shift work.

Evidence that melatonin supplements are beneficial for sleep is unclear. Despite claims by supplement manufacturers, melatonin has shown mixed results as a treatment for any disease. It is not recommended for children, for women trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding mothers.

Two studies conducted in 2017 showed that melatonin helps you to fall asleep only 6 minutes faster, and stay asleep only 7 minutes longer.  Total sleep time in some participants wasn’t affected by melatonin pills at all.

How does Melatonin work for Sleep?

Melatonin’s main job in the body is to regulate sleep-wake cycles. Whenever the sun goes down, and the temperature starts to decrease, your body begins producing more melatonin, which signals the body to prepare for sleep. Light decreases melatonin production and signals the body to prepare for being awake. The human body naturally produces enough melatonin for sleep on their own. As we age, and especially once we reach age 54, natural melatonin secretion significantly decreases.

Without melatonin, it would be impossible for us to sleep in a normal and healthy way. However, this doesn’t mean that putting melatonin in a bottle and selling it in a form of a pill will help you solve your sleep issues. On the contrary, if you use it for a prolonged time, it may hurt your sleep, rather than improve it.

Before I explain to you why taking melatonin is a bad idea, I have to mention that you can easily buy these pills over-the-counter in the US and Canada. However, in the UK it is a prescription-only medication, and it is not FDA-approved for any use. In Australia and Europe, online sources and some studies we found suggest that melatonin is approved as a sleep aid only for people over the age of 54. (Just a brief reminder, after the age of 54, our natural melatonin production significantly decreases) However, other online sources indicate that you can obtain melatonin over-the-counter in Australia and some European countries such as Hungary and Netherlands.

Shouldn’t we be worried about these tight regulations in other parts of the world? It’s definitely something to think about.

Now, back to our main topic – although sold as a supplement, you should never forget that melatonin is still a hormone. It cannot replace or help with natural production; on the contrary, it can only further inhibit it.

How exactly? We naturally produce only 0.25mg of melatonin, and melatonin pills come in doses of 3mg which is 12 times higher than normal. When we are overdosing our bodies with melatonin, our body has to react and somehow get rid of all that excess. That’s where SCN comes in.

The suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) is a tiny region of the brain in the hypothalamus responsible for controlling circadian rhythms. The SCN, functions as a master circadian pacemaker controlling the timing of the sleep-wake cycle and coordinating this with circadian rhythms in other brain areas and other tissues to enhance behavioral adaptation.

The suprachiasmatic nucleus contains a bunch of different neurons that circulate back and forth to the different areas of our brain. The SCN also has melatonin receptors that circulate back and forth to the pineal gland and help regulate melatonin secretion. Normally, the signals from the receptors would be sent to the pineal gland in response to the environmental light/dark cycle. However, when we take melatonin pills (remember the dose is 12x higher than natural production), we instantly trigger a reaction, because the melatonin receptors in the SCN become overloaded. So, what happens next is that the receptors will signal the pineal gland to stop producing melatonin because we already have enough of it.  

This is how melatonin supplements inhibit natural melatonin production, and this is how you become dependent on it. By continuing to use melatonin you put your body in a negative feedback loop.

You might be thinking, okay natural production is slowed down, but I can regulate it with pills. However, doing so, you are also throwing off balance other hormones in your body. Let’s see how.

Homeostasis

Our body and hormones work like a finely-tuned machine. Hormones are responsible for key homeostatic processes in the body such as control of blood glucose levels and control of blood pressure. Throwing off only one hormone out of balance (in our case melatonin), will mess up the entire body and normal regulation of the internal conditions within cells and organs. The body always has to be in perfect hormonal balance. For example, if your testosterone levels reduce, estrogen levels may increase to restore the balance. The same happens when you use melatonin. When it goes high, another one is needed to balance it all out somehow.

When you have higher doses of melatonin in your body than needed, this means your body will need much longer time to clear it out. This also explains why you have a hangover effect when you take it. The sad thing is that some people are so used to this effect, that they don’t even know anymore how their life looks without it.

Is falling asleep only 6 minutes longer and staying asleep 7 minutes more than usual really worth all these risks and effects? Really not.

Also, the point of the entire story is that taking melatonin to induce sleep when the sleeping problems are not caused by a lack of it creates an opposite reaction. When there is too much melatonin in the brain, the synapses will become less responsive, which will cause more sleeping problems. In that case the effect of melatonin will be minimal – on average, you will get 8 minutes more sleep per night, and fall asleep on average 7 minutes faster. To really solve your sleep problems, you have to know what is causing them and address those.

Now back to homeostasis.

How Melatonin Affects other Hormones?

Scientists are not sure how exactly melatonin affects other hormones in our body, but new studies, aiming to find out more, are being conducted every day — according to research, overdosing leads to drowsiness and reduced core body temperature. Very large doses have adverse effects on the performance of the human reproductive system.

In experiments conducted by Japanese researchers and the University of California, Berkeley, was found out that melatonin switches on a recently discovered hormone called gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH). GnIH has been found to have the opposite effect to the key hormone priming the body for sex – gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Over time, switching off GnRH causes the gonads – testes and ovary – to shrink.

The good news is that the results of the study were observed on birds, but it is not unlikely that it doesn’t affect humans. We should be concerned because if melatonin can do this to one neuropeptide system, chances are high it can do it to any other.

Alternatives to Melatonin

So, what should we use instead of melatonin? Is there some natural sleep aid that is safe, and that can really help us to sleep better? Out top 3 alternatives are magnesium, theanine, and glycine.

Magnesium

Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant that blocks the stress hormone cortisol in the brain, and as a result, produces a calming effect. On a chemical level, magnesium activates the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the system responsible for getting you calm and relaxed.

It regulates neurotransmitters, which send signals throughout the nervous system and brain, and also supports the production of the hormone melatonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. GABA is the neurotransmitter responsible for quieting down nerve activity. It is the same neurotransmitter used by sleep drugs like Ambien. By helping to quiet the nervous system, magnesium prepares your body and mind for sleep. So, instead of taking a shortcut, and using synthetic hormones, you should help your body naturally produce more melatonin.

L-theanine

L-theanine L is an amino acid that is found in tea leaves. L-theanine promotes relaxation and facilitates sleep by contributing to a number of changes in the brain, such as boosting GABA levels, lowering the levels of excitatory brain chemicals, and enhancing alpha brain waves.

The biggest benefit of this substance is that, at the same time, it increases chemicals that promote feelings of calm and induce sleep, while also reducing levels of chemicals in the brain that are linked to stress and anxiety.

L-Theanine helps to restore your wake cycle meaning you won’t have to worry about the hangover effect in the morning. The supplement doesn’t disrupt the natural stages of your sleep, and doesn’t produce a sedative effect; simply a relaxing one.

Glycine

Glycine (also known as 2-Aminoacetic Acid) is an amino acid and a neurotransmitter. The body produces glycine on its own, and we also consume it through food. This amino acid aids sleep by decreasing your subcutaneous temperature and cooling the body down. By reducing the body temperature, melatonin and GABA levels go up, which induces sleep and helps to improve its quality. Glycine also increases serotonin levels, and serotonin is vital for promoting the natural production of melatonin.

So, there were 3 different ways to fall asleep faster and stay asleep without using melatonin and becoming a hormone pumper.

Medically reviewed by:

Carlos Del Rio-Bermudez

Carlos is a neuroscientist and a medical & science writer  with more than eight years of research experience in  the  field of Neuroscience. Prior to working full time as a  medical writer, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the  University Hospital of Bern (Switzerland). Carlos  obtained  his PhD from the University of Iowa (USA),  supported by the Fulbright Program.

Some of the areas Carlos focuses on are RNA  therapeutics, Rare Diseases, and REMS/RMPs. He has  authored multiple original research papers in top  journals in the field, book chapters, and periodicals.  Carlos has also participated in international scientific  meetings; most notably, he was invited to present his  dissertation research at the 2018 Gordon Research  Conference on Sleep Regulation and Function.

What are all the things you are willing to do to improve your grades? Sure, you have to sit down and study, but what if we tell you that improving your sleep will make everything else fall into place?

Perhaps this sounds too easy, but trust us, it is not. In fact, fixing unhealthy sleep habits may be harder than acing your next big test. Indeed, sleep problems among young adults are a serious concern because they pose a threat not just to academic performance, but also overall health and wellbeing. 

The idea here is that sleep helps us learn, so if you are ready to get to the bottom of the problem and enhance your academic performance, stay tuned because we have all the information, tips, and tricks you need.

What Is Keeping Students Up At Night?

Sure, parties would be pretty much everyone’s first assumption, and sometimes they are the reason why many students are not getting enough sleep. But how many people actually party every single night?

The reality is that many students work after class, do sports, or are members of various university societies and have a rich social life. Many students also stay up late to study. All those activities leave little to no time for a regular sleep schedule.

On the other hand, college life is stressful, and many students do not know how to cope with all the ongoing changes in their life, especially freshmen. Thus, it is not rare that some derived problems like anxiety and depression are behind sleep deprivation in young adults. 

Whether students are trying to catch up on their busy schedules at night, studying late, or just scrolling through Instagram, these habits can very quickly turn into a harmful pattern and disrupt sleep for good. And it all reflects on academic success. 

How Important Is Sleep for College Students?

Although it is not always on the top of their priority list, sleep is essential for students. A good night’s sleep allows our brains to reset, and improves our memory and concentration.

Lack of sleep can impact productivity, cause mood swings, irritability, daytime sleepiness, impair memory and cognitive abilities, and lead to anxiety and other mental problems. In addition, poor sleep weakens our immune system and makes us more prone to viruses and inflammations.

As you may have guessed by now, these deleterious effects associated with sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality have a profound impact on students’ ability to focus and to perform at school.

So, How Sleep Impacts Grades?

A study conducted during 2007 and 2008 followed sleep habits and GPA results of 1,845 students of one public university, to answer the question whether sleep can influence their academic performance.

The vast majority of students who participated in this survey considered themselves as more “evening” type of people. This is interesting because circadian preference (also known as chronotype) may also impact sleep habits and daily performance.

Regarding sleep disturbances, the results of the study showed that more than 500 students, around 27% of them, were at a higher risk of developing at least one sleep disorder. While the prevalence of nightmares and sleepwalking was low, the rates for insomnia were extremely high. In terms of gender, there were no significant differences in risk for hypersomnia or obstructive sleep apnea. But it turned out that female students were at higher risk for insomnia, nightmares, restless leg syndrome, and affective disorder.

When it comes to sleep duration, on average, students slept for 6,5 hours during workdays, and 9,3 hours during weekends, holidays, or on the days when they do not have classes. Around 40% of them claimed that they do not worry at all about their sleep length, while only 19% of students claimed that they do worry whether they are going to sleep enough or not.

How does all this relate to academic performance? The statistical tests that the authors used used to address the impact of sleep disorders on students’ GPA scores revealed that those who did not report any sleep disorder had higher scores. Interestingly, GPA scores were better among those students who considered themselves early birds, in comparison to night owls.

In most cases, average GPA scores correlated with the number of sleep hours. Those who generally sleep more before school had higher grades. The study also showed that students who were at a higher risk of insomnia or OSA also were at risk of academic probation. 

It seems clear from this and other studies that neglecting sleep is clearly a bad idea if you want to do well in school.

How to Establish a Healthy Sleep Routine

We mentioned before that fixing your sleep might be harder than fixing your grades, but one hardly goes without another, so if you want to perform better, you first have to put your bedtime routine back in order.

How much sleep do I need? According to most scientists, approximately 7-8 hours of proper sleep per night is enough for younger adults. However, getting this much sleep may be hard because, of course, you have places to be and things to do.

However, you have to set your priorities, so let’s see what you can do to start sleeping better and eventually perform better and feeling healthier overall

Sleep Tips for College Students

First, and probably the hardest thing. Try going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Not too late, not too early. Since we all have different schedules, we will leave it up to you to pick the time, just keep in mind that you should sleep for approximately 8 hours.

Plan your meals, and avoid eating late at night or right before bedtime. Also, forget about drinking caffeine in late afternoon hours. Caffeine stays in our system hours after consumption, and it is one of the main sleep disruptors.

Limit your screen time around bedtime. This is a hard one, too, because students spend a lot of time on their laptops and phones. Just try to stay offline and off-screen for at least one hour prior to your bedtime!

If you are not tired around bedtime, try working out, jogging, or walking outside, anything that will make you crave a bit of a snooze. Bear in mind, however, that you should void strong artificial lights around bedtime.

If you live in a college dorm or you have roommates, it is probably noisy all the time. Use earplugs to isolate yourself from the surroundings, and an eye mask to block any source of light. Among essentials are also a comfortable pillow and a mattress for college students.

Learning How to Sleep

Kids learn a lot of things at college, but no one teaches them about the importance of sleeping during those “wild” years. So besides learning about literature, physics, or law, students should also learn to follow a regular sleep schedule and avoid the side effects of irregular sleep/wake patterns.

Medically reviewed by:

Carlos Del Rio-Bermudez

Carlos is a neuroscientist and a medical & science writer  with more than eight years of research experience in  the  field of Neuroscience. Prior to working full time as a  medical writer, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the  University Hospital of Bern (Switzerland). Carlos  obtained  his PhD from the University of Iowa (USA),  supported by the Fulbright Program.

Some of the areas Carlos focuses on are RNA  therapeutics, Rare Diseases, and REMS/RMPs. He has  authored multiple original research papers in top  journals in the field, book chapters, and periodicals.  Carlos has also participated in international scientific  meetings; most notably, he was invited to present his  dissertation research at the 2018 Gordon Research  Conference on Sleep Regulation and Function.

Stress, mood swings, fatigue, rapid weight gain, headaches, inability to focus, decreased memory, and impaired work performance are just some of the short-term consequences you can experience when you don’t get enough sleep. And long-term sleep deprivation is even worse.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 3 American adults don’t get enough sleep. As a result, every aspect of their lives is impacted.

Are you one of those people? Are you struggling to get enough sleep, but nothing seems to work?

Don’t worry, as we have reviewed a large number of scientific articles to bring you the best possible science-backed tips for getting better sleep.

Watch our video and say goodbye to your sleepless nights!

Why Is Sleep so Important?

Health experts agree that good sleep is one of the foundations for leading a healthy life. Rest is an absolute biological necessity. Regular high-quality, restorative sleep has many benefits, including:

• Better cognitive functioning
• Healthy circadian system
• Better fat reduction
• Faster muscle recovery
• Balanced hormone levels
• Longer lifespan

And on the other end of the spectrum, research shows that lack of sleep leads to harmful short-term consequences, including:

• Daytime fatigue
• Mood swings
• Irritability
• Impaired memory
• Lack of concentration
• Headaches
• Lack of motivation
• Decreased work and academic performance
• Weight gain

And if you don’t improve your sleeping habits, prolonged sleep deprivation can lead to:

• Anxiety and depression
• Weakened immune system
• Increased risk of heart disease
• Premature aging
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Early death

As you can see, sleep deprivation is very serious, and you should always aim for better sleep.

So, what can you do to improve your nightly rest?

Science-Based Sleep Tips

Everyone knows that you are supposed to sleep for eight hours every night, but is that really true?

The amount of sleep varies depending on age, and while teens need from 8 to 10 hours, experts suggest that adults should get anywhere between 7 to 9 hours. To make things a bit more complicated, it seems that this isn’t true for everybody.

Moreover, quality of sleep also plays a massive role in how rested you’ll feel the following day. Some studies show that sleep quality may be as equally, if not more important than sleep duration, in the development of many medical conditions.

Although some people are naturally good sleepers and need less resting time to function properly, the chances of this being you are slim. So here is what scientists recommend to improve your sleep and maximize your potential.

Control the Light in Your Environment

You might have heard about the circadian clock that dictates your daily rhythms. This biological clock tells you when it’s time to go to sleep or wake up, and you can adjust it with light exposure.

When we perceive dimmer light in the evening, our brain starts the production of melatonin, which is a hormone responsible for inducing sleep. In the morning, bright light cues the brain that is time to be active, as the production of melatonin stops.

But what happens when you expose yourself to bright light in the evening?

According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, room light exposure before bedtime leads to disruption of melatonin production. In fact, evening room light exposure during regular sleep hours leads to a 50% decrease in melatonin levels.

But that’s not all.

The same study found this light exposure to affect blood pressure, thermoregulation, and glucose homeostasis.

So, make sure to dim the lights once the sun starts setting. You can use smart light bulbs, which can easily be programmed to this automatically. Also, remember that exposing yourself to sunlight during the day is also vital. Besides, studies show that light exposure has positive effects on our mood, alertness, sleep, and overall well-being.

And don’t forget to avoid using all electronics before bed, as screens emit blue light which tricks our brain into thinking it is daytime. Indeed, studies have repeatedly shown the harmful effects of blue light on our nightly rest.

A 2015 study showed that even something as small as swapping your eReader for a good old-fashioned book at night could drastically improve sleep, alertness on the following day, performance, and overall health.

Try to Maintain a Regular Sleeping Schedule

Sleep associations are incredibly strong. Keeping your sleep schedule consistent will teach your nervous system when it is time to eat, rest, and be active, and you will become a more efficient sleeper.

Having an irregular sleep schedule may also lead to disrupted circadian rhythms and melatonin production, as well as poorer academic performance in students.

So, you better follow a sleep schedule and stick to it. Even on weekends!

Limit Alcohol and Caffeine Intake

Sure, you rely on a morning coffee to get you going and keep you productive during the day. But always remember caffeine is a brain stimulant that can mess with your sleep/wake cycle.

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine showed that caffeine consumption has disruptive effects on sleep when consumed less than six hours before bedtime. So keep that in mind the next time you feel like drinking coffee in the afternoon.

And stay away from other sleep-altering substances like alcohol. Although many people think that alcohol helps them sleep, it actually disrupts the production of melatonin and reduces the time spent in deep and REM sleep.

And if your partner has been complaining about your snoring, you should definitely avoid alcohol, as research shows it can make things worse, and may even amplify symptoms of medical conditions such as sleep apnea.

Manage Your Naps

Naps can be your best friend as research shows they can boost wakefulness, productivity, and performance. However, that is if you keep them under 30 minutes only.

When you don’t limit your naps, they can decrease the amount of sleep time during the night, which can disrupt your sleep patterns.

Another common mistake is that people nap too close to bedtime. That makes it harder to fall asleep at night, and it significantly shortens sleep duration.

So next time you feel tired after 4 PM, why don’t you forget about napping and take a short walk outside instead?

Stay Active

There is a good reason why all health experts recommend regular exercise. It is excellent for every aspect of your life!

Among so many health benefits, exercise can also make you a better sleeper.

Research shows a positive correlation between sleep quality and exercise. Regular exercise can decrease sleep onset and increase both sleep duration and time spent in the deepest stages of sleep.

So get that gym membership and start working out.

Consider Taking Melatonin Supplements

Melatonin supplements are a useful treatment option in patients with sleep disorders.

Studies suggest that melatonin has some positive effects in elderly insomnia patients. While receiving melatonin, they exhibited better sleep quality and improved morning alertness, without any withdrawal symptoms after discontinuation of use.

In addition, melatonin supplements can also help people get their circadian rhythms into order. Talk to your healthcare provider, and obtain some information on how you can incorporate these supplements into your evening routine until you get things back on track.

Last Words

Becoming a better sleeper takes some time and persistence, but with these science-based tips, you are off to a good start.

Find things that help you unwind in the evening and stick with your routines.

Did we miss anything?

Is there something that helped you get your sleep to the next level? Let us know in the comment section.

Medically reviewed by:

Carlos Del Rio-Bermudez

Carlos is a neuroscientist and a medical & science writer  with more than eight years of research experience in  the  field of Neuroscience. Prior to working full time as a  medical writer, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the  University Hospital of Bern (Switzerland). Carlos  obtained  his PhD from the University of Iowa (USA),  supported by the Fulbright Program.

Some of the areas Carlos focuses on are RNA  therapeutics, Rare Diseases, and REMS/RMPs. He has  authored multiple original research papers in top  journals in the field, book chapters, and periodicals.  Carlos has also participated in international scientific  meetings; most notably, he was invited to present his  dissertation research at the 2018 Gordon Research  Conference on Sleep Regulation and Function.

You may have heard the expression: “small kids, small problems”. But if you are the mother or father of a newborn trying to establish a sleep routine, you probably disagree with this. 

During the first months of life, sleep plays a key role in physical and cognitive development. Unfortunately for parents, sleep habits can be quite unpredictable at these ages. After all, babies have shorter sleep cycles and don’t sleep through the night, forcing parents and caregivers to be “on duty” at all times.

Although new parents are aware that many sleepless nights are ahead of them, nothing can prepare them for the consequences of chronic sleep deprivation. In a recent study, parents reported that sleep satisfaction and duration markedly declined in the first months after having their baby. Strikingly, their sleep did not fully recover for up to 6 years after the birth of their first child.

Desperate to get some sleep, parents will try anything to calm down a sleepless, crying baby. Luckily for you, we gathered some of the best tips based on scientific studies.

So, if you want to learn how to sleep train your baby and get some of your sleep back, keep watching this video to see what science has to say about it. 

Adjusting the Internal Clock

Like adults, babies also have biological rhythms (or as we like to call it, the internal clock) for the timing of sleep, temperature, and feeding. As adults, we do not think much about it because our clock is already in sync with the natural outdoor shifts between light and darkness over a circadian, 24-h period.

On the other hand, the internal clock of babies is not fully synchronized or coupled to relevant environmental cues, so it takes a while for babies to adjust to the 24-h sleep-wake rhythm.

In the meantime, you can help your little one differentiate night from day by exposing them to natural daylight during the morning and afternoon hours, and include them in all the daily activities. As the evening falls, it is a good idea to slowly cut off the light, including artificial indoor lighting, and reduce the newborn’s overall activity.

How to Mitigate the Effects of Blue Light

If you start shutting down all indoor sources of light as soon as the sun goes down, you will quickly realize that a total blackout before 10 PM is not a realistic option. Whether you have to work, clean the house, or change the diaper, you still need proper light to move around. Do not panic and do not look for candles because there is a solution.

Parents are often worried about exposing their child to blue light because it can disrupt the baby’s already fragile sleep. But did you know that there are light bulbs that do not emit blue wavelengths? Amber bulbs with low watt can provide enough light, without hindering the baby’s sleep routine.

Another option is to use blue light filters which can be applied to some lamps; by doing so, artificial light is not going to trick your baby’s brain into thinking that it is daytime. 

Bedtime Routine

Sleep associations are very strong. Having a predictable bedtime routine will help your baby to learn when it’s time to doze off.

For a bedtime routine to be successful, it must be extremely consistent and predictable, and should include simple rituals and calming activities that will put your baby in the right mood, every night. The goal here is to make you and your baby feel as relaxed as possible before going to bed. And remember, your baby can sense if you are stressed or not in the best mood; avoid exhibiting negative emotions or signs of stress around bedtime.

Also, consider adjusting your own bedtime routine. Since most babies and toddlers wake up around 6 AM, you could start by going to bed earlier to gain a few hours of extra sleep.

Be Careful With Naps

We all love a good afternoon nap, but babies are absolute champions in daytime napping. Although daytime naps are an essential component of baby sleep, that does not mean that parents should not control their nap schedule.

Parents should spot signs of sleepiness in their children. Babies yawn, fuss, or rub their eyes when they get sleepy, indicating that this would be a good time to nap. If babies are not sleepy around bedtime, that probably means that they are napping longer than they should or that their last nap started late in the afternoon.

You can also try to stretch the baby’s last period of activity during the day as much as possible. Babies will fall asleep much easier (and naps will be longer) when they are tired or have not napped for a while.

Sleep and Let the Baby Sleep, Too

When it comes to taking care of their little darlings, parents can never be too cautious. However, sometimes they tend to quickly react to every sound and movement that their children make.

We all wake up at night sometimes or mumble while sleeping. Partial awakening is common, and babies are not an exception. In the first months of life, babies often struggle to resume their sleep because they have not learned how to soothe themselves yet.

In some cases, babies can make sounds or move in their sleep. When in doubt, you should avoid rushing into your baby since you may disrupt their sweet dreams. So, sometimes it is better to wait a few seconds to hear if the baby will cry or continue to sleep.

Also, allowing babies to overcome these small night waking sleep disruptions on their own will help them learn how to self-settle.

Late Night Meals

Newborns require breastfeeding during the night as well, but it is essential to do so in a manner that will not arouse or wake them up completely.

While breastfeeding at night, parents need to be very gentle and quiet, avoid unnecessary interactions and eye contact with the baby, and keep the room as dark as possible. These tips will make it easier for your baby to go back to sleep.

Sleep Aids and Safety

Sleep-deprived parents will try anything to get their little ones to doze off, so it makes sense that an entire industry is dedicated to developing a variety of sleep aids for babies. From white noise machines to rocking devices, the number of sleep products for babies is numerous, but are they all equally effective or even safe?

You are free to try these aids to improve your baby’s sleep. However, bear in mind that some of these devices may not be safe for the little ones. For example, while white noise machines for babies are becoming highly popular, some of them can produce noise much louder than the recommended noise limits for these ages.

When in doubt, do some research, ask an expert, and never leave your baby around these devices without supervision.

General Safe Sleep Recommendations for the little ones

In the US alone, more than 3,000 infants die from sleep-related deaths every year, including the feared sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations on creating a safe sleep environment include:

•       Babies should be placed on their backs on a firm sleep surface
•       The crib or bassinet should be free of stuff like pillows, toys, or soft bedding
•       Share a bedroom with your baby, not your bed! This will increase the risk of SIDS
•       Offer a pacifier at nap time and bedtime

Keep Your Expectations Realistic

Parenting is never easy, and it is even harder with babies because there is hardly any feedback from them when you need it the most.

However, new parents quickly learn to identify their childrens’ sleep-wake cycles as they get to know them over time.

The good news is, circadian rhythms and adult-like sleeping patterns will start to develop within the first 2-3 months. In the meantime, you should gain some basic knowledge about your baby’s sleep needs and then try to adhere to the best sleeping schedule. 

And lastly, ask for help!

Sleep is essential for a child’s mental and physical development. But to excel at parenting, you should also pay attention to your own health.

If you need some extra sleep, it is not a bad idea to ask your relatives or close ones to assist with your baby duties. Even a short nap can do wonders for your mind and body.

And remember, you can always talk to your doctor or sleep specialist if you need further advice on how to manage your baby’s sleep routine and take care of your own rest.

Medically reviewed by:

Carlos Del Rio-Bermudez

Carlos is a neuroscientist and a medical & science writer  with more than eight years of research experience in  the  field of Neuroscience. Prior to working full time as a  medical writer, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the  University Hospital of Bern (Switzerland). Carlos  obtained  his PhD from the University of Iowa (USA),  supported by the Fulbright Program.

Some of the areas Carlos focuses on are RNA  therapeutics, Rare Diseases, and REMS/RMPs. He has  authored multiple original research papers in top  journals in the field, book chapters, and periodicals.  Carlos has also participated in international scientific  meetings; most notably, he was invited to present his  dissertation research at the 2018 Gordon Research  Conference on Sleep Regulation and Function.

Did a new baby turn your life upside down? Have you become one of those sleep-deprived parents because your baby cannot sleep through the night? Are you looking for a way to put things back in order?

Seek no more, because your sleep problems can be alleviated if you follow our sleep guide. All you need to do to improve you and your baby’s sleep issues is invest a bit of time and effort in sleep training and create a bedtime routine for your little one.

Why is a Bedtime Routine so important?

Babies love routine more than anything. With regard to sleep, a relaxing, consistent bedtime ritual will help your baby understand when it’s time to sleep and will help them doze off more easily.

Newborns can sleep for around 16 hours per day, distributed in shorter sleep bouts throughout the day. By the time they are 3-4 months old, some babies can already connect several hours of sleep, so it is essential that parents start establishing proper bedtime routines so that everyone in the family gets enough sleep.

How to Setup a Routine for a Newborn Baby

The internal clock of babies is not fully synchronized or coupled to relevant environmental or social cues, so it takes a while for them to adjust to the 24-h, circadian sleep-wake rhythm. Also, the sleep-wake cycle will interact with the need for feeding and nurturing. So yes, it will be hard for your newborn baby to follow a strict schedule.

In the meantime, however, you can help your baby differentiate night from day and encourage sleep in the nighttime with the right bedtime rituals.

First and foremost, you should observe their little one’s sleep patterns and learn to identify when they are tired and ready to doze off. Signs of sleepiness include yawning, fussing, or rubbing of the eyes.

During the first weeks, you should let your baby sleep and eat whenever they feel the need, but you can start encouraging nighttime sleep and exposing the baby to bright natural light as soon as the baby wakes up in the morning. Another good idea is to limit playing and arousing activities to the daytime. This will help with the synchronization of their internal biological clocks.

Another important component of establishing a bedtime routine is that babies need to learn how to fall asleep around bedtime alone, and how to soothe themselves if they wake up in the middle of the night. To help them master this important skill, make sure you put the sleepy one down while drowsy -but not asleep-. This way, they will get used to soothe themselves and fall asleep on their own.

And yes, they will definitely complain in the beginning…, so don’t fall for those tears; it’ll get better!

0 to 3 Months Old Babies

As your baby gets a bit older, it is good to start making a more detailed bedtime routine, which should include dim lighting in the evening, a warm bath, and feeding.

In the beginning, your baby will probably wake up after a few hours, so do not expect miracles after your first shot.

The goal here is to establish a consistent, soothing bedtime routine. Eventually, babies will start connecting these rituals to bedtime and sleep. When breastfeeding at night, avoid bright light. It is best to use small table lamps or nightlights with blue light filters.                     

And remember, sleep associations are very strong. To guarantee success, make sure your routine has consistent steps, and that it occurs around the same time every day. This will eventually make your baby understand when it is time to doze off.

3 to 7 Months

When babies are around three months old, parents can introduce some simple rituals like playing with toys or taking a stroll around the park around bedtime and start introducing a bedtime routine.

However, some babies will still be completely clueless about what their parents are trying to do, so stay patient. At this point, babies can connect five or more hours of sleep, so you have to stick to the routine to ensure that their sleep habits are improving.

By this time, parents will probably be able to recognize some mood changes, and they will know a lot more about the baby’s sleeping and eating habits, so in a way, it will all be at least more predictable.

7 to 12 Months

At 7 months, your baby can be sleeping for long stretches at night. Also, your little one should now be ready to adapt and follow a particular eating and sleeping schedule.

By the time they turn one, toddlers are usually able to consolidate the sleep associations established through a bedtime routine. They will understand that after dinner comes bath time, which means that the bedtime is approaching.

However, bear in mind that other challenges like nightmares and resisting going to bed may alter you and your child’s sleeping habits. It is important parents are strict about the established sleep schedule and bedtime routine.

Routine Disruptors

Parents beware: Just when you think you have everything under control, some minor impediments may interrupt your carefully curated routine. Children change and grow very rapidly, and their sleep is not an exception. This is why you may need to modify sleep schedule and bedtime routine at different stages of your child’s development.

A family trip, moving houses, unexpected visitors… Many factors can affect your baby’s routine and sleep schedule.

You may not be able to negotiate with your little one just yet, so you may have to wing it and find a new routine that will suit them better.

Once babies are one year or older, they become aware of routines and rules, so they decide to test them. Kids will take every opportunity to test your patience, and if they realize that they can take control of the situation, you are in big trouble.

Vacations and even shorter weekend trips are regular routine disruptors. So when you are traveling, try maintaining the same bedtime routine, and stick to the regular napping and feeding schedules.

Whatever happens, you should not panic if something does not go by plan, or if your bedtime routine gets disrupted once in a while. A few unexpected situations will teach the baby how to be more flexible, adaptive, and tolerant.

What is Normal? And What is Not?

You can never be too cautious when raising a baby. However, it is important to know what is and what isn’t healthy in your little one’s behavior.

When it comes to sleep, it is entirely normal for a baby to wake up several times per night. Indeed, nighttime awakenings are common during the first 6 months. Although this may drive most parents crazy… it is what it is!.

As babies and toddlers get older, they may also experience a variety of sleep disturbances, including night terrors, nightmares, or resistance to bedtime. Baby’s behavior and sleep habits tend to vary a lot, so it can be hard to tell whether there is an actual problem.

Sleep is a crucial component of your baby’s mental and physical development. If you suspect that your child may be suffering from sleep problems (like continuously waking up more than three times per night after the first 6 months, or needs more than a half an hour to settle), we encourage you to talk with a pediatrician or sleep specialist about your child’s sleep patterns and habits.

Medically reviewed by:

Carlos Del Rio-Bermudez

Carlos is a neuroscientist and a medical & science writer  with more than eight years of research experience in  the  field of Neuroscience. Prior to working full time as a  medical writer, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the  University Hospital of Bern (Switzerland). Carlos  obtained  his PhD from the University of Iowa (USA),  supported by the Fulbright Program.

Some of the areas Carlos focuses on are RNA  therapeutics, Rare Diseases, and REMS/RMPs. He has  authored multiple original research papers in top  journals in the field, book chapters, and periodicals.  Carlos has also participated in international scientific  meetings; most notably, he was invited to present his  dissertation research at the 2018 Gordon Research  Conference on Sleep Regulation and Function.

Your baby spends more than half of the first year sleeping. And studies show that this sleep in the first year is crucial for the maturation of the central nervous system (CNS) and future cognitive, psychomotor, and temperament development.

Because sleep is so important for your newborn, it is a good idea to learn what the normal baby cycle looks like so that you can notice if something is off. Early recognition and treatment of sleep problems can do a lot for the future physical and mental health of your child.

So, what does the normal baby sleep cycle look like? How does it change with age?

Watch our video to learn more about the science behind infants’ sleep

What Happens During Sleep Anyway?

It turns out that not all sleep is the same. Indeed, scientists have known for some time know that our sleep is organized in cycles, and each cycle consists of different stages.

In most healthy adults, sleep begins with the so-called non-REM (NREM) sleep, in turn, comprised of several substages. As NREM progresses, our sleep becomes “deeper,” and we become less responsive to external stimulation, being harder and harder for us to wake up. Following NREM sleep is REM sleep, named after the typical “Rapid Eye Movements” that are observed during this stage. In healthy adults, REM takes up to 25% of total sleep, and it is where most of our dreaming activity occurs.

Each part of the sleep cycle is important and plays a unique role in our overall wellbeing. However, it seems that stages complement each other and that sleep continuity is essential for feeling refreshed in the morning.

A complete sleep cycle usually lasts for 90-120 minutes, during which we shift through the different stages we just described. However, the relative time we spend in each stage changes with age and is affected by myriad circumstances; to make things a bit more complicated, the time allocated to each stage is different across sleep cycles as the night goes on…

So, is it the same with babies?

Well, yes. And no.

Babies do experience different sleep stages, but the relative amount of time they spend in REM sleep is a lot higher than what is observed in adults. This fact inspired the hypothesis that REM sleep plays a crucial role in early development.

What Does the Baby’s Sleep Cycle Look Like?

You may have noticed that babies sleep a lot more than adults. In fact, newborns sleep for 16-17 hours a day. That’s twice as much as what most adults are getting.

Another interesting fact about baby sleep is that it is evenly spread across the 24-h day, and they don’t have that extended uninterrupted nightly rest. This is what sleep experts call “fragmented sleep,” and at these ages is a consequence of a still-developing circadian system.

The circadian system dictates (among others) the timing of basic physiological functions, including sleep, temperature regulation, and feeding. Unfortunately for babies, their internal clocks are not fully coupled to relevant environmental cues, most notably external light, so it takes a while for them to adjust to the 24-h sleep-wake rhythm.

The brain structures that regulate the circadian modulation of sleep, including the suprachiasmatic nucleus (or SCN), continue to develop within the first 2-3 months of life. Until the circadian system is fully developed, babies sleep in even patches of 2-3 hours. One of the reasons why they don’t sleep for longer periods is that their frequent feeding needs interfere with the sleep cycle. 

At around 3 months, babies can eat larger amounts of food, which makes them able to sleep at stretches of 5 hours at a time.

Less demanding feeding schedules, along with the progressive maturation of their biological rhythms, allow the average 6-month-old to sleep through most of the night.

And what about sleep architecture?

Studies show that babies experience different sleep stages, including NREM and REM. However, newborns spend about 50% of their total time asleep in REM sleep; healthy adults spend only 20% to 25% of their sleeping time in this stage.

Regarding duration, it is also important to note that baby sleep cycles are shorter than in adults, lasting approximately 50 minutes during the first months of life.

How Long Do Babies Sleep on Average?

After reviewing the scientific literature, the National Sleep Foundation made age-appropriate sleep guidelines. It goes like this:

• Newborns up to 3 months should get between 14 to 17 hours.
• Babies from 4 to 11 months should get between 12 and 15 hours.
• Toddlers between 1 and 2 years old should get 11 to 14 hours.
• Preschoolers aged 3 to 5 should get 10 to 13 hours.

But that doesn’t mean you should start your stopwatch anytime your baby goes to sleep and stress about it. If they seem to be functioning well, there is no need to worry if their sleep schedule lightly differs from these guidelines. Look for sudden behavioral and mood changes; these could actually indicate that something is off.

What Sleep Stage Is Your Baby in?

Determining your baby’s current sleep stage is extremely important to avoid waking the little one off at the wrong time. For instance, disrupting deep sleep will lead to a fussy, moody baby.

There are some behavioral features that can help you guess what sleep stage your baby is in:

• REM sleep characterized by rapid movements of the eyes, as well as by abundant jerky movements of limbs and facial muscles; these movements are known by “myoclonic twitches.”
• In Light sleep, your baby may move a bit and react to external stimuli like sharp sounds.
• On the other hand, when your baby is in a deep sleep, they won’t move and react to external stimulation, and it is hard for them to wake up.

Are you familiar with the feeling of tiredness after a nap that was supposed to help you recharge the batteries? Well, that happens when you wake up from deep sleep, so you may want to avoid waking your baby up in this stage to prevent the usual tantrum.

Can You Do Anything to Make Your Baby Sleep Better?

It can sound a little weird, but sleep is actually a skill you learn, and it doesn’t come naturally for everybody. And while some babies may be natural-born good sleepers, others could have some problems learning how to rest efficiently.

Luckily for you, you can help your little one by using some proven tips:

• Create a regular sleep and feeding schedule and stick to it. This consistency will help your baby understand when it is time to sleep. A strict sleep schedule will teach them that they should sleep at night and be active during the day. And when your baby’s mind and environment are in sync, it is easier for them to fall and stay asleep.
• Create a bedtime routine that is relaxing and has a little gap between last day nap and bedtime.
• One of the most important things is to allow babies to learn how to soothe themselves and fall asleep on their own, without your help. That means that you shouldn’t pick up your baby every time it fusses, and only intervene if you see that you are needed.

Be sure to check our video on the best sleep tips for new parents, where we discuss in-depth how to improve your and your baby’s sleep. In this video, we discuss sleep training techniques that can teach your baby to sleep on its own.

Closing Down

Babies spend most of their time sleeping, and it is essential for proper brain and body development.

This is why you want to make sure your newborn gets the best sleep possible. Observe them, watch out for any potential problems, and consult with your pediatrician or sleep specialist if something seems odd.

And if there is anything more you want to know about your baby’s sleep, feel free to post questions in the comment section. We will be happy to answer.

Medically reviewed by:

Carlos Del Rio-Bermudez

Carlos is a neuroscientist and a medical & science writer  with more than eight years of research experience in  the  field of Neuroscience. Prior to working full time as a  medical writer, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the  University Hospital of Bern (Switzerland). Carlos  obtained  his PhD from the University of Iowa (USA),  supported by the Fulbright Program.

Some of the areas Carlos focuses on are RNA  therapeutics, Rare Diseases, and REMS/RMPs. He has  authored multiple original research papers in top  journals in the field, book chapters, and periodicals.  Carlos has also participated in international scientific  meetings; most notably, he was invited to present his  dissertation research at the 2018 Gordon Research  Conference on Sleep Regulation and Function.

Do you still think that your brain “shuts down” when you sleep?  Contrary to popular belief, scientists have revealed over the past decades that sleep plays a very active role in a variety of physiological processes and supports important cognitive skills such as learning and memory. And that role is even more important than we thought!

A 2013 review looking into the association between sleep, memory, and brain plasticity highlighted how essential sleep is in the process of learning. Indeed, it seems that a lot of the biological processes that are required for learning and remembering new stuff happen during sleep. It also seems to be clear that sleep deprivation severely impacts our memory. 

So, why does sleep affect learning so much? And what’s the science behind it?

Watch this video to learn how your memory works, and how you can become a more efficient learner by prioritizing your sleep.

How Do We Learn Things?

The learning process can be divided into three parts: 

• Acquisition refers to the introduction of new information into the brain.
• Consolidation is a process of embedding new information into our memory. Once a memory is consolidated, it becomes relatively stable.
• Recall refers to our ability to access and retrieve that information, consciously, or unconsciously. 

And while acquisition and recall mostly happen during waking hours, consolidation heavily relies on a good night’s sleep. Interestingly, although we thought the acquisition of new memories wasn’t possible during sleep, recent studies suggest that this may not be true after all.  

Different Types of Memory Included in Learning

To understand how new information gets embedded in our brains, we first need to understand that not all information is the same. How we process data depends on the context and our emotional state. And based on this, different parts of our central nervous system (CNS) get involved. 

While our central nervous system is incredibly complex, we can say that the neocortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, and amygdala are key structures involved in learning and storing different types of newly acquired information. 

Memory can be classified into the following types based on the level of awareness required to learn and access the acquired information. In addition, these forms of memory seem to rely on different brain systems:

1. Declarative memory (or “knowing what”) is our ability to learn and recall facts, and it can be further classified into episodic memory and semantic memory. Episodic memory refers to autobiography events and their context (who, what, when, where). For instance, remembering all the details about your wedding would be a good example of this type of memory. On the other hand, semantic memory deals with general knowledge and facts that do not depend on a specific context. These include facts, ideas, or concepts.  A good example is remembering the capitals of different states.

2. Procedural memories (or “knowing how”), also called nondeclarative memories, are all the little things you do without even noticing, like riding a bike, signing a document, or tying shoelaces. These can be obtained and recalled without conscious effort. However, the learning process is slower and requires repetition. 

How Does Memory Consolidation Happen During Sleep?

Our ability to retrieve information we just learned is highly dependent on adequate rest. A study looked into the link between sleep and the ability to recall newly acquired knowledge. Two groups of students were taught a series of paired words and were then tested on them 12 hours later. The “no- sleep” group learned new information in the morning and then had to recall it 12 hours later, with no intervening sleep or naps. Participants in the “sleep” group were taught in the evening and were tested the following morning after a night of sleep.

And the results were amazing. Even though participants in both groups spent the same amount of time learning new information, students who had a chance to doze off before the test showed an increase of approximately 20% in the ability to recall what they’ve learned as compared with the no-sleep group.

The opposite is true, as well. A 2013 study showed that students who experienced sleep deprivation showed impaired ability to recall what they have learned. 

We go through different sleep stages every night, and they are all critical in the process of learning. So, let’s go over how our sleep architecture looks, and how each part helps us learn.

NREM Sleep and Learning

NREM sleep consists of several stages. We experience light sleep in the initial stages of a sleep cycle, and it accounts for 50% to 60% of total sleep time. It is typically followed by a phase of deep restorative sleep which ends the NREM part of the cycle; then, REM occurs.

Light sleep plays a massive role in the consolidation of declarative memories. 

To this end, scientists have proposed several models of how sleep impacts learning; one of them is the so-called the reactivation hypothesis. This mechanism suggests that our nightly rest is a perfect time to strengthen certain memory traces. Our brain can do that by selectively activating neurons involved in different memory circuits. Many scientists believe that the electrophysiological signatures of NREM sleep called sleep spindles are essential for the whole process, with a lot of studies, like this one from 2018, supporting the claim. Researchers believe that sleep spindles support communication between key brain areas involved in the consolidation of memories. Specifically, they represent a transfer of information from the hippocampus where memories are stored temporarily, to the neocortex where they go in long-term storage.

A 2018 study investigated the link between sleep, learning, and improvement of problem-solving skills. Children who spent more time in stage 2 of light sleep sowed a great performance improvement. Sleep spindles also correlated with performance, highlighting their importance in learning.

Since light sleep shows positive effects on the consolidation of declarative memories, napping seems like a natural boost to help you learn.

A new study published in the Sleep journal was aimed to test this hypothesis. Participants had to learn detailed factual information and were tested 30 min and 1 week after learning. In between learning sessions, some participants were allowed to nap, others watched a movie, and the rest were asked to cram for the test. 

Both cramming and napping improved memory recall as compared with watching a movie when participants were tested 30 min after the last study session. Strikingly, when scientists then retested participants after a week, only napping maintained these benefits, while cramming did not. These results indicate the clear benefits of napping on memory retention, and it looks that the effects are long-lasting.

Deep sleep is the third stage of the sleep cycle, and it is the time when our brain repairs itself, so to speak. People who don’t get enough deep sleep feel fatigued and can experience brain fog. Also, deep sleep is vital for memory consolidation and for restoring the brain’s ability to learn efficiently.

REM Sleep and Learning

Rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep has mostly been linked with nondeclarative, procedural memory. 

However, some other studies show that the REM phase that follows slow-wave sleep plays a significant role in the consolidation of integrative memories such as learning the vocabulary of a new language. The authors suggested that REM sleep is responsible for integrating recently discovered information into already existing memory networks, which is essential to learn new complex concepts. 

Research also finds REM sleep to be essential for processing emotional memories as REM sleep duration, and density are increased after stressful daytime events. Additionally, this sleep stage appears to affect how we react to future emotional stimuli. For instance, people lacking sleep and REM, in particular, are more sensitive to these events.

We know now that sleep affects learning and memory, but is the opposite true? can learning change our sleep architecture? 

A study published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience looked into the effects of the pursuit rotor task on sleep phenomena and architecture. The pursuit rotor task is a way to test hand-eye coordination by asking the participant to follow a moving object with a cursor. It tests visual and motor abilities and helps measure procedural memory. Interestingly, the learning-dependent changes in sleep microarchitecture were dependent on the initial skill levels of the participant. High-skilled participants experienced higher sleep spindle density in stage 2 of light sleep following the learning of the motor task, while low-skilled individuals showed greater REM sleep density.

This is an excellent example of how complicated the relationship between sleep, memory, and learning really is.

Closing Down

And while scientists are still trying to figure out all the mechanisms connecting sleep and learning, what we do know is that proper night rest is essential for cognitive performance.

The saying goes that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but we say let the dog sleep, and you just might!

You should make a night of sleep your priority, and you’ll see all the benefits on your cognition, health, performance, and overall well-being.

If you are struggling with getting enough sleep regularly, check some of our videos where we bring you the best science-based sleep tips that help you become a better sleeper. If your sleep problems become chronic, you should consult with your doctor, and they may refer you to a sleep specialist.