Why Your Brain Needs A Good Fluff & Fold

Let’s Face It: Our Lives Have Permanently Changed.

Millions of Americans are now working from home and all of us have those wonderful, accursed smartphones that make us accessible around the clock. Our work days have infinitely expanded and the limits between our working hours and resting hours have blurred almost into oblivion. Sleep feels like the ultimate luxury. 

Running on too few hours of sleep is like wearing the same shirt every day for a week.

But running on too few hours of sleep is like wearing the same shirt every day for a week. In order to give our brains a taste of that clean, fresh-out-of-the-dryer feeling that comes when you finally run that shirt through the laundry, we must get good rest.

The bad news is that far too many of us aren’t “laundering” our brain enough with good sleep. The American Psychological Association reports that 40 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders and as many as 60 percent of adults (and 69 percent of our children!) have one or more nights of sleep difficulty every week. As studies show, the results can be far more detrimental than requiring an afternoon cup of coffee or nodding off in the carpool line.

The Cleansing Cycle of Sleep

Turns out, regular, deep sleep is necessary to not only your physical health but your mental and emotional health too and in some pretty profound ways. During the normative patterns of REM, your brain experiences a type of cleansing of all of the emotional, traumatic, and stressful moments throughout your day. In this process, sleep actually flushes out metabolic buildup the brain incurred throughout your waking hours. That’s why a five hour night of sleep can make you grumpy the next day or can spur on a migraine. But it’s also why insomnia can trigger serious conditions like depression or a weakened immune system. There’s actually some evidence that Alzhiemer’s patients have brain plaques that have not been properly cleansed over time.  Sleep is not just that reward you get for a good day of productivity. It’s a necessary “chore” your body must practice every single night. While the APA reports that a majority of adults need 8 hours of sleep a night, some can healthily function on as little as 6 while others need a minimum of 10. The importance of knowing your sleep threshold may be the key of living your most healthy life. 

Your brain needs every bit of that “laundry cycle” to cleanse and prepare you for your days of work, creativity, and social interaction. Thankfully, there are lots therapies for sleep health and many are as accessible as the pillows on your bed. Knowing how to calm your central nervous system down and create gentle bedtime routines can be the start of a much more restful you.

Verified Sources: Psychology Today, American Psychological Association

Put It Into Practice

The Gentle Cycle
Rethink your nightly habits and observe how they not only sustain better sleep health but allow you to enjoy your evenings far more.

1) Limit the use of your cell phone after sunset.
This sounds impossible to most of us but simply setting restrictions on your phone use could be helpful. Hold a firm limit on not looking at your personal screen for an hour before bedtime.

2) Lower the lighting all over your home in the evening.
Have a special candle for your bedroom and only use lamps before sleep. Invest in good sheets, comfy blankets...anything that will make you want to relax in bed.

3) Learn some breathing techniques.
Know how to calm your own central nervous system by slowly relaxing your nerves and muscles one area at a time.

4) Build in some simple soothing routines.
Find a good caffeine-free hot tea that will cue your body that it’s nighttime and add some pleasure to your evening routine.

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Luke Lewallen, Mental Health Counselor