While the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged many of our lives, one thing we can do to help stay healthy is to have a good night sleep.

Sleep is the one activity we spend most of our life doing, compared to working, eating, and school.  Throughout our lives, we spend on average 26 years in sound sleep and another 7 years trying to get to sleep – A total of 33 years in bed!

An adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep every night ¹.  Good sleep – adequate hours, good quality and regularity – can help with mental and physical health and well-being by boosting immunity ^2,3, regulating body weights ^4,5, and helping maintain healthy blood pressure ⁶ which can lower the risks of heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.  Sadly, a third of adults do not get a minimum seven hours of sleep daily due to varying reasons, including insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea. 

Here are some general tips one can practice for a good night sleep

• Have a regular sleep schedule and try to stick to the timing and routine every day.
• Minimize screen time before bedtime.
• Get physical exercise during daytime (but not near bedtime).
• Avoid caffeinated drinks and calorie-rich meals later in the day, especially near bedtime
• Maintain a good gut health because gut microbiome diversity is associated with sleep physiology ⁷.

References

1. Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, et al. Joint consensus statement of the American academy of sleep medicine and sleep research society on the recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: Methodology and discussion. Sleep. 2015;38(8):1161-1183.
2. Ibarra-Coronado EG, Pantaleón-Martínez AM, Velazquéz-Moctezuma J, et al. The bidirectional relationship between sleep and immunity against infections. Journal of Immunology Research. 2015;2015:678164.
3. LaVoy EC, Palmer CA, So C, Alfano CA. Bidirectional relationships between sleep and biomarkers of stress and immunity in youth. International Journal of Psychophysiology. 2020;158:331-339.
4. Reither EN, Barnet JH, Palta M, Liu Y, Hagen EW, Peppard PE. Polysomnographic indicators of restorative sleep and body mass trajectories in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study. Sleep. 2021;44(8): zsab031.
5. Liu Y, Palta M, Barnet JH, et al. Habitual sleep, sleep duration differential, and weight change among adults: Findings from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study. Sleep Health. 2021;7(6):723-730.
6. Lyu B, Hagen EW, Ravelo LA, Peppard PE. Blood pressure dipping and sleep quality in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort. Journal of Hypertension. 2020;38(3):448-455.
7. Smith RP, Easson C, Lyle SM, et al. Gut microbiome diversity is associated with sleep physiology in humans. PLOS ONE. 2019;14(10):e0222394.