Oh for a good night’s sleep! How frustrating it is to stay awake every night and crawl out of bed in the morning feeling tired and miserable. But there is one aspect of sleep that we can all do something about – our sleep hygiene. (This has nothing to do with clean sheets, by the way!)
We know from research that poor sleep hygiene is linked to poor sleep quality – insomnia, sleep deprivation. This also increases the risk of anxiety and depression, low productivity at work, slow reaction times and an increased risk of road accidents.
7 hours of good quality sleep a night is mandatory for good health. In the long term, sleep deprivation significantly increases the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease and can reduce life expectancy 1-3 years.
Sleep hygiene – the bad and the good
Sleep hygiene is the term we use for all the modifiable factors in our sleep routine. These are all things we can do something about.
Poor sleep hygiene includes the following:
- Consuming caffeine or alcohol within 6 hours of bedtime
- Naps during the day
- Not having a set bedtime and wake-up time
- Don’t get tired before bed and
- Having a poor sleep environment.
Good sleep hygiene can be achieved by following these simple tips –
- Establish a regular bedtime routine – go to bed and wake up in the morning at the same time every day.
- Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet and cool. Use blackout blinds or an eye mask.
- Turn off blue light devices (smartphones, computers, iPads and TVs) two hours before bed. The blue light emitted by these devices inhibits the release of the sleep hormone, melatonin.
- Relax to sleep. This could include a warm bath or shower before bed. After you do this, your body goes into cooling mode. The drop in core temperature is what your brain and body need to initiate sleep.
- Using complementary therapies such as lavender essential oil and magnesium can improve many aspects of sleep. Read on and learn more below.
Lavender essential oil and sleep
Lavender essential oil contains the active ingredients, linalool and linalyl acetate. These activate the Gaba-aminobutyric acid (GABA) pathway – the body’s main inhibitory pathway – leading to feelings of calmness and relaxation that facilitate the onset of sleep.
- In a 2015 randomized controlled trial, 79 students with sleep difficulties were asked to practice good sleep hygiene. They were then randomly assigned to apply either a lavender (L. angustifolia) patch, to inhale lavender overnight, or a placebo (dummy) patch for 5 nights. The lavender group showed a statistically significant improvement in sleep quality. Both groups improved their sleep after improving their sleep hygiene.
Lavender essential oil can easily be sprayed on the pillow and inhaled at night. Overall, lavender products are safe, although allergic reactions can rarely occur.
Magnesium and sleep
Magnesium appears to have several effects that can improve sleep. Recently research showed that magnesium reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol. High levels of cortisol occur during stress and are associated with insomnia. Magnesium can also increase levels of melatonin, which is needed for sleep. It activates the GABA system helping us to relax. It is also a muscle relaxant, which is important because muscle relaxation is a feature of sleep. Magnesium is necessary for us to go into deep sleep.
Researchers have found that magnesium supplements improve sleep efficiency (the time in bed when you actually fall asleep) and sleep onset latency (the time it takes to fall asleep).
- In a recent 2023 systematic review, the authors reviewed 9 studies involving 7,582 participants. They reported that magnesium supplements can affect sleep quality, for example, by reducing daytime sleepiness, daytime sleepiness, snoring, and sleep duration. However, randomized controlled trials (which are the gold standard) on the use of magnesium to improve sleep quality have had conflicting findings and more research is recommended.
Although taking magnesium supplements is safe, the NHS recommends that men take no more than 300 mg/day and women no more than 270 mg/day.
Effects of perimenopause/menopause on sleep
Interestingly, lavender may have benefits for women suffering from menopausal symptoms.
Insomnia it is common in the perimenopausal and postmenopausal period. At this time, the sharp drop in estrogen levels affects the body’s thermoregulatory mechanisms leading to bothersome hot flashes and night sweats. Mood swings are common and can be a feature of anxiety and depression, both of which are associated with poor sleep. Weight gain during menopause can cause obstructive sleep apnea with noisy, disordered breathing and snoring at night. Circadian rhythms can shift, which affects the normal sleep-wake cycle. Overall, insomnia, sleep deprivation, fatigue, and exhaustion are common in peri- and postmenopausal women.
Complementary treatments such as lavender may have benefits for women suffering from menopausal symptoms. Natural methods of symptom control have much to commend them. Evidence is now accumulating to show that the use of lavender in menopause is safe and effective.
- In a 2016 randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study, 100 perimenopausal women with hot flashes received lavender aromatherapy for 20 minutes, twice weekly for 12 weeks, or inhaled milk. After 12 weeks, there was a statistically significant reduction in the number of hot flashes per day (from 21 to 11) in the lavender group.
- In a 2021 double-blind randomized controlled trial, 35 postmenopausal women with insomnia inhaled either sunflower oil or lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia essential oil), for 29 days. Both groups showed sleep improvements throughout the study, but only the lavender oil group showed a significant reduction in sleep onset latency (time taken to fall asleep), improved depression, improved menopausal symptoms, and better sleep efficiency.
Final thoughts
How could you improve your own sleep hygiene?
Complementary treatments are growing in popularity for insomnia. Doctors are moving away from conventional drugs traditionally used for sleep. Benzodiazepines, for example, are now known to be addictive, cause falls in the elderly, and should not be prescribed long-term.
A good night’s sleep is vital for our health and to continue at work, in relationships and in our daily lives. Improving sleep hygiene is a practical step we can all take to make our lives much better. Using natural remedies like lavender and magnesium are great options for all those of us who just can’t seem to get into bed and get a good night’s sleep.
What could you do to get started and help yourself get a better night’s sleep?
