The Sleep Solution

The Sleep Solution improves your quality of life by identifying the myths surrounding rest that keep you from getting more of it, showing you why they’re false, and teaching you how to establish proper sleep hygiene.

How much do you think that mankind knows about our own brains? You’d probably believe we know about all of its systems by now, right? Not really.

In 2015, two scientists working independently of each other discovered a new area called the glymphatic system that helps us get rid of waste. One of the toxins it removes is amyloid-beta, which accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

They found that when you’re sleeping, this toxin-removing system is 60% more active. In other words, when you miss sleep, you’re not letting your brain get rid of waste!

Additionally, when your sleep quality isn’t great, your heart suffers. Your risk of strokes, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and even heart failure all increase when you don’t get enough shuteye.

It also can increase the number of blood clots you have, which makes you more likely to have a stroke.

Your immune system is another on the long list of bodily functions affected by rest. If you ever heard your parents say that you should get to bed so you wouldn’t get sick, they were right.

Research from the University of California in 2015 confirms this. The study discovered that people who got only six hours of sleep after exposure to the cold virus were four times more likely to get a cold than those that got seven or more hours.

You’ve heard the phrase sleep hygiene before, but what is it? This process involves intentionally designing your environment and patterns before bedtime so your sleep can be as efficient as possible. The first step to making this system productive is preparation. Knowing that light will make your sleep worse and darkness makes it better is key. When your eyes sense darkness, they signal the brain to start producing melatonin, which is the chemical that makes you sleepy. Any amount of light, even the smallest, will disrupt this process and your sleep health. That’s why you need to get your room as dark as possible. Also, get off those devices before bed! My doctor told me, after I mentioned I was having a hard time sleeping, that he always tells people with this problem to get off their phones at night. Also, prepare with a good mattress. My wife and I just got a Purple. Although the change was gradual, it’s massively improved the quality of our sleep. If your bedroom and the idea of sleep in general make you feel negative, change it up! Rearrange furniture,…