Dirty Thirty #12: Eight Hours of Sleep a Night (and a note on melatonin)

It's ironic that I'm up later than I "should" be writing this post. I'm not debunking sleep here. The appropriate amount of sleep each night is very important to all of your bodily functions--not just for mental sharpness and mood stability but also for weight-loss and maintenance. There is just no magic number that works for everyone, and it's important to be in touch with your body and listen to the signals it's giving you. You may need nine hours to be at your optimum potential, while your partner may need only six. Good--he can get the kids ready in the morning. The amount of sleep you need also constantly changes; so, pay attention to what you're going through and your body's signals.


In addition, many of us have so much on our minds that we find it difficult to actually catch those Zs. Just like you do for your children and your parents did for you as a child, it is important to create a bedtime ritual. Take a bath. Have a cup of herbal (caffeine free) tea--valerian and chamomile work best. Read a book. Write a journal entry. Do some bedtime yoga--whatever you need to do to let your body know that it's time to sleep. Just don't do anything in front of the computer. Computers radiate blue light which inhibits the production of melatonin (the hormone that makes your body go to sleep). (This is a "do as I say, not as I do" moment.)

While we're on the subject of melatonin, it is important to remember that melatonin is a hormone that our bodies produce naturally. Introducing it in pill form actually stops our bodies from producing it, and, over time, we need to take more to make up for this. Melatonin can be used sparingly to reset your body's clock (i.e., changing time zones, after a long period of insomnia), but you should not take it for more than a few nights in a row. Melatonin production is greatest in a completely dark environment. For those of us who live in large cities (and especially in apartment buildings) cannot control the amount of light coming through our windows, even with blinds and curtains. I know this sounds cheesy, but the best way to achieve total darkness is to use a sleep mask. They're very cheap and very effective. (The use of a sleep mask also helps ease the pressure on the skin around your eyes, preventing wrinkles!)

So, after reading today's Dirty Thirty, take a bath, drink a cup of valerian tea, do some yoga and put on your sleep mask. Create your own ritual to follow each night, and soon you will sleep like a baby!

Share your sleep stories below.

Check back tomorrow for another Dirty Thirty!