Kyle: So what are some self-help strategies that people can implement to help themselves with their sleep, anxiety or sleep disorder?
Dr. Judith: So you can control your environment, control your bedroom. The bedroom is only for sleep and sex, and that’s all.
Kyle: Now I wanna stop you on that. If you were really focusing on the sleep, could you just use it for sleep? No sex.
Dr. Judith: Sex helps you fall asleep.
Kyle: Okay, so sex could be a catalyst for better sleep then, too?
Dr. Judith: Mhm.
Kyle: Okay. Good to know.
Dr. Judith: And then limit the amount of…we talked about blue light, how it mimics the sun. Limit the amount of screen time in the bedroom. So turn off the computer in the bedroom if you have one in the bedroom. Don’t use your iPhones or your smartphones in bed. And also keep the room at a cooler temperature because your body naturally drops its temperature during sleep hours.
So try to mimic that environment that’s comfortable for your body during sleep. There are other things that you can do to make the environment more relaxing. Close the shades. Make sure that you can close the window so you don’t have the outside noise bothering you. Try not to watch stimulating movies at night or check your work emails at night because your brain will not relax.
There are other techniques like deep breathing, belly breathing, that help your body to cleanse the particles from your brain that are toxic. So we talked about the importance of your immune system restoring the body at bedtime. And so deep breathing is one of those things that helps move that process along.
Kyle: So how do we belly breathe?
Dr. Judith: So in my office, I show kids and adults how to belly breathe. So typically when you’re anxious, you take very shallow breaths. Belly breathing is when you really allow the diaphragm to do its work.
So you put your hand on your belly, then you take a deep breath in with your nose, and then you exhale slower.
Kyle: I feel a little lightheaded. Is that good?
Dr. Judith: Yeah, it’s good.
Kyle: Good. Goodnight everybody. And how many times do we have to do this?
Dr. Judith: You should do it about 10 times. Some people do it longer though. And while you’re doing that, it takes a lot of practice. You can also do something called progressive muscle relaxation.
We talked about this before with kids and trauma, but you can do this at night where you focus on your body from starting with your feet. And you work your way up and you slowly tighten. And release your muscles. And that really helps people to realize how tense they are. I was telling you that a lot of like high powered professionals don’t realize how much baggage they carry here.
And this exercise helps them to realize how much stress they carry throughout their bodies and helps them to relax. Completely. And move that process along.
Kyle: What about soundscapes or ambient noise?
Dr. Judith: That helps actually, especially if you’re a light sleeper. In the early stages of sleep, you really can’t fall into the deep stages if you are distracted by the environment.
And so sound machines have been able to help people to fall into the deeper parts of sleep once they’ve gone past the shallow parts of sleep. However, you have to be careful because there are some studies that show that sound machines can interfere with hearing in younger kids, so you don’t want it blasting.
And I have occasionally used guided sleep meditations. Where I listen to somebody’s voice and they basically lull you into a sleep.
Kyle: What are your thoughts on that?
Dr. Judith: It does work. Okay. Especially, I recommend the ones that go along with progressive muscle relaxation because the person who has a very soothing voice lulls you into how to breathe. How to relax. And then eventually people don’t get through the entire recording. Because they’re asleep right now.
Kyle: A lot of people, especially right now, are really excited about sense. And how smell can help them fall asleep. The smell of lavender, for example. Does that actually work?
Dr. Judith: It does. It works.
Kyle: I feel like that’s gotta be a joke. But you’re telling me it works.
Dr. Judith: There are essential oils in every single office in my suite.
Kyle: Really?
Dr. Judith: Yes.
Kyle: Okay. And these are smart people? Okay. So they’re saying it can help. What essential oils or what scents help the most?
Dr. Judith: I do like lavender. I also like rosemary.
And there are studies that show that Jasmine is very effective. It’s probably one of the most expensive essential oils, but it’s effective in really calming people down. Other scents help to awaken you like lemon zest.
And you could tell I’m really into this.
Kyle: I love it.
Dr. Judith: And orange, anything citrusy really awakens and peppermint as well.
Kyle: And what about foods?
Dr. Judith: So heavier foods at bedtime are a No-no.
Kyle: See, that goes against my logic because you eat a ton on Thanksgiving and then you fall asleep on the couch.
So I would assume if you eat a ton before bed, that’ll help you fall asleep.
Dr. Judith: You’re making your body work too hard.
Kyle: So how do we utilize food to help us get better sleep?
Dr. Judith: Generally speaking, it’s healthier to eat smaller meals throughout the day. It moves your metabolism along. It’s easier for you to get about.
And it’s just better for you all around. It’s a better way to live. Avoid caffeine at least six hours before sleep. Caffeine really disrupts sleep. People aren’t aware of how much caffeine they’re taking in because a lot of people don’t realize that tea has a lot of caffeine.
And there are a lot of herbal teas out there to help you sleep. But you have to check the label.
Kyle: So let’s talk about the why of some of the reasons these things work. Let’s start with the essential oils. Why do those work?
Dr. Judith: Studies have shown that when you relax the senses, when you do things that are pleasurable, it releases chemicals that help you to relax in general for your body.
So when you do pleasurable things, dopamine, serotonin, all get regulated and that’s why there are certain fields in psychology such as DBT, dialectical behavioral therapy where a very quick and easy way to relax is to pleasure the senses. And for a child, for example, who is feeling very stressed at nighttime, you may ask them to touch a soft blanket, hold a teddy bear, or even use a transitional object like a blankie.
Kyle: You mentioned that one reason or the reason to not eat a lot of food before bed is because it makes your body work harder. Can you explain what you mean by that?
Dr. Judith: So your body has to use energy for all elements, right? So when you eat heavier foods at night, that’s when your body’s really trying to down regulate.
Your body’s not trying to work harder. And by making your body work harder, by breaking down and digesting larger components of food, you’re not aiding that process along.
Kyle: But then why do I feel tired when I eat a chimichanga?
Dr. Judith: Because you’re probably releasing a lot of proteins that break down to serotonin.
And so you get that kind of tyrosine effect, but it doesn’t help you throughout the night. So it may make sleep more uncomfortable throughout the night. So while initially it makes you drowsy it doesn’t help you throughout the night.
Kyle: So I love going to bed with the guided meditation. And some guy telling me to close my eyes and wiggle my toes or whatever he’s telling me to do. But why does that work?
Dr. Judith: It works because when you use guided meditation, you are sending a signal to your brain to start moving those, the cerebral spinal fluid along and CSF your brain and takes toxins away from your brain and physiologically when your body’s relaxing, it’s sitting.
Signaling your brain that this is time to start cleaning up. We mentioned how people who don’t sleep have worsened immune systems. It’s because their brains aren’t getting that signal to start cleaning up.
Kyle: Wow. And that’s why the breathing exercises work as well?
Dr. Judith: Yes. And that’s why exercise works as well.
Kyle: Because we’re cleaning up?
Dr. Judith: You are moving things along.
Kyle: See, I just thought when I go to the gym – every three years I go to the gym – and when I go to the gym and then that night I go to bed, I just sleep better because my body’s physically exhausted. But you’re saying it’s not just that…it’s even more…?
Dr. Judith: It’s both.
Because exercise also increases circulation throughout your arteries and your veins and your muscles. And when you do that, you’re carrying toxins away from those areas and cleaning up.
Kyle: I live in California. It’s legal, right. The big M word, marijuana, pot… people use it to fall asleep. What are your thoughts on that?
Dr. Judith: So marijuana is helpful in falling asleep, but it does disrupt the sleep architecture. Marijuana is helpful in calming nerves, but it also causes rebound anxiety. And frankly, there’s just not enough data on marijuana.
I’m pretty sure one day we will be using marijuana for helpful causes. For helpful reasons. Specifically for seizure disorders. I think that’s the only FDA approved usage of marijuana right now. But I think that we have a long ways to go with research, but why take that risk?
Kyle: Right. CBD oil is obviously extracted from marijuana. It does not give you the high that you would get if you ingested THC. Does that CBD ever help people with falling asleep?
Dr. Judith: Some of my patients swear by it. I say that the data is not clean. I would not recommend it because there’s not enough evidence. And then also there’s so much variation in terms of what you’re getting out there.
There are different dosages of CBD oil. You don’t know what you’re truly getting, so I wouldn’t recommend it just yet. We need more research.
Kyle: Alright. That’s good to know. Final self-help strategies for people who want to get better sleep and decrease their anxiety.
Dr. Judith: I know this is one that you don’t like to hear.
Kyle: What is it?
Dr. Judith: Exercise.
Kyle: Exercise! I know because I don’t like exercise. I don’t like it.
Dr. Judith: Nobody likes to be told to exercise. It’s so obvious, right? But it does help.
Kyle: And imagine if you did all of those, right? You exercised. You didn’t drink caffeine six hours before you went to sleep. You got enough water, you had a dark room. It was cold. Your great husband gave you a massage. You had your jasmine oil and an ambient noise machine, and you didn’t smoke pot and you got in bed. And if you do all that, I’m tired right now just thinking about it. So I feel like it would work.
Dr. Judith: Don’t forget the breathing.
Kyle: And then the breathing and then the guided meditation. A lot of things to try.
If you try all of those, but still not getting enough sleep then it’s time to seek out a professional and seek out other treatment options. We’ll talk about those in our next episode.
