I was recently invited to speak as a panelist at an international women’s conference called Thrive Go Global Women’s Conference. The theme of the conference was “Thrive.” I sat with other female health care professionals to discuss aspects of a woman’s health and its impact on her ability to thrive. Within my topic - the role of sleep in women’s health - I realized again how important sleep is to a woman’s ability to thrive. As a sleep medicine specialist, I had the privilege of discussing sleep as a critical aspect of thriving. I highlight key aspects of our panel discussion in this blog.

What does it mean to thrive?

There are several dictionary definitions of the word thrive. The Merriam Webster definition of thrive includes:

• To grow vigorously

• To gain wealth or possessions

• To progress towards a goal despite or because of circumstances

So what does sleep have to do with vigorous growth, wealth creation, and achieving goals?! Everything!

Vigorous growth implies physical strength, being robust, and energetic. As women, we strive for a state of optimum physical health to pursue our goals and inspirations. To be wealthy and financially robust, we need to be the most creative version of ourselves. Achieving goals even in the face of challenges requires resilience and sound emotional health. Research has shown that insufficient sleep is associated with poor physical health outcomes, memory problems, and emotional difficulties. Additionally, with insufficient sleep, you are sleepy during the day and at the risk of making poor decisions. Consulting a sleep specialist can provide tailored strategies to help you sleep better and achieve your goals.

What is the impact of sleep on our physical, emotional, and mental well-being?

Sleep serves a vital purpose for our health and well-being. In the same way eating and drinking are critical to life, sleep also serves essential functions. Several sleep scientists have conducted research studying the role of sleep, and it turns out it affects every aspect of our being! Hence our ability to thrive consistently is influenced by getting good sleep. The Guinness Book of World Records does not keep records of people who volunteer to sleep deprive themselves based on the known ill effects of inadequate sleep!

Physical health: Sleep is critical in maintaining our general health. Lack of sleep has been associated with several negative health outcomes, including heart problems, a weaker immune system, problems with weight gain, and an increased risk of diabetes. On the other hand, you can have increased energy to pursue your daily goals with adequate sleep. Visiting a sleep clinic can help diagnose and treat any underlying sleep issues, ensuring restful sleep and better health outcomes.

Memory, creativity, and problem-solving: As women who want to thrive in business, work, and home, it is important to have a sound memory and good problem-solving skills to achieve this. Sleep is linked to attention, creativity, and memory consolidation. You can better solve complex problems after a night of good sleep. Capacity for learning and processing new information also improves with sleep. A sleep study can provide insights into sleep patterns and help you sleep better by addressing any disruptions.

Mental and emotional health: Sleep is linked to better managing stress, increased resilience, and improved mood. Research has shown that emotional memories are processed during sleep, helping you cope with painful experiences. Conversely, depression and anxiety have been linked to insufficient sleep. Seeking advice from a sleep doctor can be beneficial in managing sleep-related emotional and mental health issues.

How many hours of sleep do we need?

The amount of sleep a person needs varies by age. The National Sleep Foundation provides recommendations on the appropriate hours of sleep based on age. The general recommendations are that adults should get 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Unfortunately, due to conflicting obligations and demands, most adults are not able to get this consistently.

What do you do when you are not achieving your sleep goals?

If you have not been getting sufficient hours of sleep, you can decide to improve, starting tonight. It’s never too late to improve your sleep on your journey to thriving.

Like setting goals in various aspects of our lives, such as physical health, fitness, and diet, we can set sleep goals! You can aim to increase your total sleep time by a certain number of minutes every night until you reach your target number of sleep hours. For instance, if you have been getting only 6 hours of sleep every night, you can aim to get into bed about 15 minutes earlier. Then, every 2 or 3 days (depending on how quickly your body adjusts), you can increase this until you reach your goal. Again, I recommend going slow as your body may need time to adjust.

Since this change may affect some of your obligations, it is helpful to set expectations ahead of time. For instance, you can discuss with your family that you are adopting a new lifestyle of getting sufficient sleep. If age-appropriate, you can share this post with them (doctor’s orders!). You may need to set some boundaries around work, dinner time, and screen time to achieve this.

If you have a busy work schedule and receive emails late at night, you can also set the latest time to check emails. The same applies to social media or other networking activities. Unfortunately, there has been an inference made by our culture and the current 24/7 globalization that associates sleep with laziness. You may have heard people state proudly how little sleep they are getting and wear it as a badge of honor. We have to learn to change this narrative.

How do we adopt a healthy sleep lifestyle to thrive?

Seeing how sleep impacts our ability to thrive, how can we ensure we prioritize sleep and adopt healthy sleep habits? There are several sleep hygiene recommendations you may come across. To make it a bit easier to remember, I use the abbreviation CREATE to represent healthy sleep habits to adopt. These habits come at a low cost and are effective in getting you the great sleep you want.

C - Consistent sleep time and wake time. We should have a fixed sleep time and wake time. Try not to deviate too far from this, even on the weekends (not more than 1 to 2 hours later). Our bodies have an internal clock called the circadian rhythm, which is better regulated on a fixed sleep schedule. Think of this as training your body to anticipate sleep. Inconsistent sleep times and wake times affect your body’s ability to anticipate sleep.

R - Routine: Have a set bedtime routine. Routines are habits or rituals conducted around bedtime. These should be short, sweet, and should move you in the direction of the bedroom. With routines, we reinforce our minds that it is bedtime. Example activities are a warm bath, putting on pajamas, and brushing your teeth. You can also add mindfulness or reading a book to help you unwind. Although there are no hard and fast rules to your bedtime rituals, you can find out what calming activities work best for you and adopt them. For example, I would suggest a nice warm shower or bath if possible because it has been shown that this helps your body temperature cool down in preparation for sleep.

E - Environment: Your sleep environment refers to your bedroom. This should be pleasantly cool, dark, and noise-free. One of the biggest signals to your circadian rhythm is light exposure. Keeping your room dark helps to signal your brain to produce a sleep hormone called melatonin. You can get blackout curtains if needed or use eye masks. Some people like to have a fan or noise machine going, which is alright as long as it is calming and does not disrupt your sleep.

A - Avoid: We need to avoid caffeine, alcohol, and heavy meals at bedtime. Caffeine, the world’s most used stimulant, is found in coffee, sodas, and iced tea. The effects of caffeine can last as long as 8 hours to wear off fully. Drinking a cup of coffee late in the day can cause difficulty falling asleep. Limit caffeine intake after lunchtime to ensure it is out of your system by bedtime. Large meals can cause stomach discomfort from indigestion and sleeping difficulties. Alcohol has a sedating effect, and while it may help you relax and fall asleep, it can rob you of deep sleep, a critical stage of sleep that helps you feel rejuvenated.

T - Tackle technology: While not all technology is bad for sleep, we need to limit technology or other electronic devices that can negatively impact sleep. Examples of these are televisions, cell phones, or computer screens. These devices release a blue light that decreases melatonin production. Remember, melatonin is a sleep hormone that is released from our brains at night. When we expose ourselves to electronic devices, it tricks our brains into thinking it is still daytime, and melatonin levels may not rise appropriately. You can use a blue light-blocking function on your phone to address this issue. Another way electronic devices can lead to worse sleep is the disruptions from all the notifications. Reading emails, engaging in social media, or non-urgent texts can fragment our sleep. Your brain needs downtime, and these interruptions lead to increased arousal that can prevent you from falling asleep. You can try to keep your phones out of your room or use the silence notification function.

E - Eliminate: We need to eliminate caffeine, alcohol, and heavy meals at bedtime. Caffeine, the world’s most used stimulant, is found in coffee, sodas, and iced tea. The effects of caffeine can last as long as 8 hours to wear off fully. Drinking a cup of coffee late in the day can cause difficulty falling asleep. Limit caffeine intake after lunchtime to ensure it is out of your system by bedtime. Large meals can cause stomach discomfort from indigestion and sleeping difficulties. Alcohol has a sedating effect, and while it may help you relax and fall asleep, it can rob you of deep sleep, a critical stage of sleep that helps you feel rejuvenated.

Regardless of where you are in your sleep journey, it is never too late to adopt healthy sleep habits that help you thrive. In addition, you can start to prioritize your sleep as a critical part of your wellness.