What is good sleep and how do we get it?

When recovering from injury what is one of the most important investments you can make in a 24-hour day? Sleep. Sleep is when our body heals and repairs itself.  During this restorative stage of sleep, blood pressure drops, breathing slows down, blood flow moves to the muscles and tissue is repaired, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Hormones, such as the human growth hormone, are secreted at this time as well.  So how much is right for you? According to neuroscientists, the amount of sleep needed by an individual is determined by your genetics, your age, and the amount of physical and psychological stress you have exposed yourself to.  An average adult needs between 7.5 and 8 hours of sleep per night.  But many people can function with 6 hours’ sleep, and there also some who need 9 hours or more.  As a patient or athlete recovering from injury you have special demands on your body. Because getting a good night’s sleep is challenging for you at times, we have put together a recipe for encouraging your body to get into sleep mode for that coveted 8-hour period.  We have put together 9 things you can do right away that can positively affect your body’s ability to sleep well:

1. Turn off the TV! Your normal circadian rhythms which affect your ability to sleep are altered when you introduce light sources into your bedroom after dark. Eliminate light form screen sources from the I-pad, cellphone, laptop or any other electronic gadget.

2. Keep the room cool. The body will fall into a more restful rhythm with a dark, cool and quiet room.

3. Avoid eating after 8:30 pm. It is hard on your system when it is trying to transition to slowing all metabolic activities and you slam down a fatty and carb-loaded Happy Burger or Sleeve of Oreos after you have digested your dinner.  Give the GI tract a break, let that poor liver of yours recover and stop eating after dinner which was hopefully devoured before 8:29 pm!

4. Try this: Lay flat on your back without a pillow. Slowly breathe in to full lung capacity through your nose, and hold this for four full seconds, then slowly through pursed lips, control an expiration of that air out of your lungs until they are completely emptied (you will never fully empty them, btw) and hold again for another full 4 second count. The repeat this type of breathing until 10 cycles are performed. I like to combine this with the relaxation technique of silently saying to yourself “My feet and toes are relaxed . . . my ankles are relaxed . . . my legs are relaxed . . . my knees….” And so on until you reach your scalp. Usually, you will have competed the 10 cycles of hold-breathing or hopefully, fallen asleep.

5. Take note of your dietary intake. Research has demonstrated that a diet high in sugar and fat can contribute to erratic sleep.  Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, No caffeine after 3 pm. Remember too that while taking in alcohol may make you feel drowsy, studies have demonstrated that brain wave activity is affected in such a way as to make sound, uninterrupted sleep less likely.

6. Avoid dehydration. Take in enough water so that your urine is consistently clear or light in color. Hydrate well one hour before working out or practice and continue to drink water throughout your day.

7. Remember that exercise is one of the most universally accepted activities you can do to help encourage a good night’s sleep.

8. If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your knees and thighs to reduce lateral and sheer forces to the spine and pelvis. If you are a back sleeper, avoid pillows that are too full under your head. A pillow that is too big forces your head forward into flexion that is unnatural and tends to encourage a forward flexed spine that is stressful to the joints, discs and ligaments of the cervical and thoracic spines. If you sleep on your tummy, slide down so that your feet are off the edge of the bed reducing lower extremity and anterior ankle stress, and do not use a pillow under your head as this causes undue coupling of extension and rotation to the neck.

9. Sleep in loose-fitting and comfortable PJ’s that don’t restrict or compress your extremities.

Good luck with your rest and recovery and stop in and see us at one of our clinics!

Top Tier Sports Medicine has 2 locations in Melbourne, FLorida.  Our Suntree Clinic: 6300 N Wickham Road, Suite 133B, Melbourne, FL 32940 (321)421-7117 and Peoples Clinic:494 S Harbor City Blvd, Melbourne, FL 32901 (321)610-7978.  Official rehabilitation affiliate providers for the LPGA and Washington Nationals.