In a previous post, I described how sleep problems are a common source of stress. I offered some simple mindfulness practices that you can do to put yourself in a place to welcome sleep when it comes.
Having a nighttime ritual for bedtime is a good idea, but there are some practices in that ritual that really keep you awake.
See if this sounds familiar. You feel yourself starting to get tired, and you are ready to end your day. You do all the tasks that you do every evening: turn off the TV, put the final dishes in the dishwasher, put the dogs in their kennels, brush your teeth, take a shower, and climb into bed. When you do a ritual like this every night, your mind and your body realize that it is time for sleep.
If you don’t fall asleep immediately, you decide to watch a little TV or scroll through some social media on your phone or tablet. When you do this, you have included something in your nighttime ritual that can actually keep you awake.
The culprit is blue light.
Light is made up of electromagnetic radiation, an invisible form of energy. Our eyes interpret the colors of light based on the amount of energy they contain. A rainbow shows you the entire spectrum of visible light. White light, the light given off by the sun, includes all of the colors of the visible light spectrum.
Blue light is that part of the light spectrum that gives off wavelengths from 400-490 nanometers. When you know more about blue light and see some of its sources, you can see how it can contribute to sleep stress. Indoor sources of blue light include televisions, smartphones, tablets, gaming systems, and computer monitors.
Blue light stimulates that part of your brain that makes you feel alert. It raises your body temperature and heart rate. In other words, it wakes you up. Lots of studies have pointed out why it may be important to stop using these screens 1-2 hours before you go to bed. Here are a couple of reasons.
1. Blue light disrupts your circadian clock rhythm.
Circadian rhythms are finely tuned, 24-hour cycles that help our bodies know when to carry out essential functions like metabolism, mood, and appetite. The most important factor in helping these rhythms run smoothly is light. Before the invention of artificial light, this happened naturally with the sunrise and sunset. Now, you are exposed to a significant amount of light before bedtime. Artificial light at night, especially blue light, confuses your brain and disrupts this internal clock.
2. Blue light suppresses melatonin.
Melatonin is a hormone that plays an important role in maintaining your circadian rhythm and contributing to deep sleep. The light coming from your phone or tablet suppresses the production of this hormone. So the best idea is to set these screens aside when you are trying to fall asleep. If you feel like you want to look at a screen, lower it significantly, or use a feature (like “night shift” on an iPhone) to lessen the amount of blue light.
These two factors show why your bedtime ritual may actually be keeping you awake. A recent study by Harvard University looked at the impact of using an E-reader before bed. Participants in the study averaged 10 minutes longer to fall asleep than those who were reading a print book. These participants rated themselves as less sleepy before bedtime. The following morning, they reported feeling sleepier, and it took them hours longer to fully wake up.
This information about blue light suggests that it may be important to make changes to your bedtime ritual.
Turn off the TV and set aside your tablet or E-reader an hour before you go to bed. Do a simple mindfulness exercise; this contributes to slowing down that thinking part of your mind. For example, you can put your body in a natural sleeping position. Set an intention to stay in this position as you focus on breathing in, breathing out. If you feel the urge to move (Isn’t it interested that when we aren’t falling asleep, we move, which wakes us up more), just notice that urge and stay in the same position.
Dealing with sleep stress is one part of the work I do with Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). If you want to know more about how I can help you with your stress, visit my stress reduction specialty page.