It can be a bit of a nightmare to deal with sleep issues due to SO many variables that contribute to the underlying cause.
Below I'm rounding up a bunch of resources & info thats commonly used to cope with or even fix jacked up sleep patterns and directing to the people who are experts in sleep (Basically Matt Walker & Sleep foundation).
The obvious: why its important to get your body the sleep it needs.
Sleep is a vital part of supporting every aspect of our health, Brain function, metabolic/hormonal function, immune function, heart function! the works.
What is circadian rhythm? well our internal biological clock that influences pretty much all processes in our bodies, controlled by some cells (SCN) inside our Hypothalamus (deep in the brain).
When one piece of the system starts failing(like messed up circadian rhythm) it flows into everything else, hence jacked up sleep can cause things like an acute mental illness crisis. Chronic poor sleep compounds with poor diet to create hormonal imbalances which lead on to metabolic syndrome, depression, anxiety etc.
How do you know what you need? pictured to the right are the sleep recommendations by age from the sleep foundation.
Key thing to note is not to worry (that can compound the issue)
Health & wellbeing is so individual, genetics plays a big role, type of environment etc.
'Short sleeper' genes are actually rare in the population although scientists theorise there are more variations, along with potential gene mutation that requires MORE sleep but they haven't found them yet.
Sleep deprivation can cause harm at cell level, but if you happen to be in the short sleeper groups then this may not impact you.
Those who really need 8-9hrs, can't force themselves to be 6hr sleepers without sacrificing their health (impaired cognition etc) so embrace those 8-9 hours, if you find yourself with not enough time in the day then you will need to re-organise your time management and prioritise sleep rather than revenge bedtimes.
The impacts of shift work
Revenge bedtime!
What if you sleep longer? there could very well be something underlying yes there also may be a genetic factor and extra sleep won't do any harm, but until you know- well you don't know so its best to get checked out.
Genetics role in your internal clock
If you have access to testing & a health pro with genomic knowledge then go find that out, it might save you a bunch of time! (won't magically solve all issues but having the knowledge can be super beneficial).
* please take caution with where you get genetic tests done, 23&Me had a huge breach of security I don't recommend those types of places for getting genetic tests done.
Check your nutrition! your nutrition holds many clues as to what your sleep is like caffeine, sugar? inflammation of joints from gluten? (pain keeping you from sleep), heartburn, reflux etc lack of iron, magnesium, potassium & sodium imbalances?
There is cause for concern if you have consistent fatigue and basically chronically low energy, so go get checked out.
Who do you contact?
GP (one that specialises in lifestyle medicine would be great)
Sleep specialist
Naturopath
Physio- to deal with any pains, aches that can interfere with sleep but also can give customised advice to improve sleep position.
Online experts?
An excellent youtube & podcast by Steven Bartlett with an episode discussing master clocks and sleepSleep scientist Matt Walker: The worlds leading sleep expert.
Highlights from a Matt walker interview featuring advice on what to do
So how the heck can we get to bed earlier?
Things to consider.
What is my current bedtime and why?
What are my choices?
How important is it to fix my sleep?
How does my nutrition currently support my sleep?
What are the barriers to going to bed earlier & why?
Why Is an earlier bedtime not helping?
How concerned am I & who do I need to talk to about this?
When was the last time I woke up refreshed? what was in place that allowed it?
What are some workarounds?
What supports do I need to get this sorted?
What is the revenge bedtime really doing?
Lastly lets rehash the common tips!
-Dark cool rooms, make sure your room is as dark as it can be and not too hot!
-Check your medications with an expert, sometimes the time of day matters and can impact sleep (things like ssri's etc)
-Aim to move your bedtime 15-30mins earlier and gradually shift it over a few months
-Improve your nutrition for example getting enough b vitamins (which helps regulate melatonin), vitamin D etc but again depending on your genetics that might not be straight forward. Check you haven't got malabsorption issues.
-Get daily early morning daylight & activity outdoors.
-Sleep routines, self care like new sheets, toppers, weighted blankets etc.
-Avoid action, scary movies/games & stories before bed.
-Guided meditation & relaxation.
-Breathing exercises.
-White noise machines, fans.
-No caffeine in afternoons, substitute for dandelion or herbal teas.
-Avoid alcohol before bed.
-No food before bed (for some its the opposite)
-No exercise before bed (again for some its the opposite)
-Blue light, red light therapy.
-Glasses that block blue light.
-No screens for an hour before bed, no exercise before bed.
-Removing devices from sleep area (like phone etc).
-Turning Wi-Fi off at night.
-Melatonin supplements (always check with a pro on how long to take these).
-Sleep masks.
-Bed positions (anyone into fengshui?!) sleep with head position to N-S (southern hemisphere) or E-W, there have been some studies done on this.
Mā te wā!-Saz