A Comprehensive Guide to Sleep

How to sleep better, and the science behind it

Sleep is the foundation of health and the single most important thing we do every day. The quality of one’s sleep heavily influences physical and mental performance, meaning if your sleep is not dialed in, then nothing else is. Plain and simple, a good night's sleep sets your day up for success and is a must for anyone trying to be healthy.

Within this article I will offer not only a comprehensive understanding of the science behind sleep, but also provide nine simple behaviors that are the key to unlocking high quality sleep.

Article Table of Contents:

• What is sleep?

• Physiology of Sleep

• Regulation of Sleep/Wake Cycles

• Sleep Architecture

• Sleep Hygiene

• Conclusion

But enough with the introduction, let’s get into it.

What is Sleep?

Unlike what you may think, sleep is not a passive state. The brain doesn’t just “turn off” for eight hours every night so we can recharge for the day ahead. Instead, it’s an active, incredibly complex state of reduced consciousness. Even though mental activity is technically reduced and we are less responsive to our environment when asleep, there are distinct patterns of brain activity taking place. It’s even unlike a coma or being under anesthesia since it's an easily reversible state.

While it is an active process, sleep is still a time of restoration. It is a time of anabolism (the creation of new larger molecules). Not just in a muscle building context, but also general repair and maintenance of the body.

High quality sleep positively impacts every bodily system (cardiovascular, immune, central nervous system, etc), which provides tons of health benefits including effects on mood and cognitive performance. Because of that, impaired sleep (decreased quality or quantity) has countless detrimental impacts - so many that I could never list them all, but here are just a few;

• impaired memory formation

• compromised immune system

• insulin resistance (diabetes risk)

• reduced testosterone production

• impaired growth hormone secretion

• high blood pressure

• increased risk for depression

• reduced energy levels

Before we move to discussing the behaviors that enhance sleep, I'll explain the biological systems that drive our need/want for sleep, as well as what determines sleep quality. This will hopefully leave you with a scientific knowledge base that provides some context to the behaviors that can improve and support your sleep habits (it’s also incredibly fascinating).