March is National Sleep Awareness Month.
For most of my life, sleep has been simple. As a kid, my dad would read me a bedtime story — usually “The Giving Tree” — and I’d be asleep before the Boy took all the tree’s branches. (That book is deep, BTW.) And I could sleep anywhere. From questionable ottomans in hotels to the middle seat on a turbulent flight — I was the female McDreamy.
It wasn’t until my early 30s that I realized how bad sleepless nights can be. There’s nothing worse than getting into bed, counting sheep (or glorious Russet potatoes), only to spend the next seven hours tossing and turning and staring at the ceiling thinking about everrrrryyyyyyyyythinggggggg under the sun.
About 1 in 4 women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) experience some symptoms of insomnia such as trouble falling asleep and trouble staying asleep. Beyond the annoyance of it all, insomnia can have serious effects on mental and physical health such as an increased risk of mood disorders and cardiovascular disease — the number one cause of death for women in the U.S.
Women are more likely to have insomnia than men, so it’s no surprise that women are also more likely to take prescription sleeping pills. But new research shows that the nighttime aids may not give you the stellar sleep you think you’re getting.
“Sleeping pills can put you to sleep, but you may not get the quality of sleep that you need because you're not actually getting healthy, restorative sleep,” said Nicole Sondermann, NBC-HWC, CCSH, RPSGT, clinical sleep health educator and member of HealthyWomen's Women's Health Advisory Council (WHAC).
Watch: How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep >>
Restorative sleep and sleeping pills
So, what exactly is restorative sleep? Sondermann said it involves going through all the sleep cycles undisturbed, and waking up with the mental clarity to start your day. Think of it this way: If you wake up feeling rested and ready to shop at Trader Joe's on a Saturday morning — you probably had restorative sleep.
One reason restorative sleep is so important is that it allows your body and your brain to heal. It also gives your brain time to clear away waste, including toxic proteins that could build up and interrupt the flow of information between neurons. But a new groundbreaking study found prescription sleeping pills may interfere with this “cleaning” process.
In the study, mice were given a common prescription sleeping pill. And while the mice did fall asleep faster than the mice that were given a placebo, researchers found the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, which helps clean the brain during sleep, decreased by about 30%. Sleeping pills can also suppress the production of norepinephrine waves that clear toxins in the brain during non-rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is important for learning, memory and cognitive function.
“So, if you're taking a sleeping pill, you are sedated but you're not naturally going through the process that your body needs to go through during REM sleep,” Sondermann said. “I like to compare it to a washing machine. You can rinse something out, and all the suds come out and you rinse, rinse, rinse and it comes out clean. Or you can do the quick cycle rinse, but the soap suds are still in there. So it may smell good, it may look OK — but if you run it underwater again and again, more soap suds come out.”
Although the study tested the brains of mice, researchers noted that humans have the same brain circuit, which could mean sleeping pills may be interfering with brain health during sleep for humans too.
The importance of sleep hygiene
Sondermann noted that prescription sleeping pills can be necessary for some people and helpful when prescribed for the right reasons. Still, the best path to restorative sleep is practicing good sleep hygiene.
A helpful sleep routine varies from person to person, but good sleep hygiene can include:
- Waking up and going to bed at the same time every day
- Practicing meditation and relaxation exercises 30 minutes before bed
- Turning off all electronics 30 to 60 minutes before bed
- Limiting naps to early afternoon
Read: Sleep Hygiene Checklist: Top 8 Healthy Sleep Habits >>
For the 2 a.m. racing thoughts, Sondermann said the boxed breathing technique may help. Here’s how to do it:
- Focus on the thought/problem that is bothering you while you inhale through your nose.
- Hold your breath for four seconds. As you’re holding your breath, recognize the stressor and embrace it.
- Exhale long and slow while telling yourself you’re letting it go.
- Repeat as many times as you need to.
“You're not fixing the problem — but you're not going to let it control you,” Sondermann said. “The release of CO2 is actually relaxing your body. And on a psychological level, you're releasing the thing that's controlling your thoughts.”
Restorative sleep may seem like a pipe dream on sleepless nights, but good sleep hygiene can make a big difference in your health overall.
