For the Love of Summer…

Do Less, Enjoy More, Sleep Better, and Be Happier!

Summer…each year I jump with joy anticipating bright long summer days. There is so much to do…kayak, hike, hang with friends and family at the weekly concert in the park, invigorate my five senses at the farmers’ market, cook delicious farm-to-table meals, and nourish body and soul with them in the garden. Also, learning something new – this summer it is pickleball. Yes, everyone in this family of three has caught pickleball fever. Oh yes, and then there is work and studying to do. Sleep seems to have gone by the wayside.

At the MELT Method class last week quite a few of us lamented that every time summer comes around there is not enough time to do it all. It’s only natural to think it’s okay to skimp on sleep but lack of sleep can affect how you feel physically and mentally, and how you feel can also affect how you sleep.

Read on for some tips on how to enjoy summer more, sleep better, and experience a good mood (be happier).

Nerd Alert: I am known for being analytical and in the spirit of raising awareness, I like to share nitty-gritty details. Feel free to jump to the ‘ what ‘ if you are not interested in the ‘why’ or do not have the time or energy for it.

Why Sleep is Crucial for Your Overall Wellbeing, including Mood, Body Weight, and Brain Health

Feeling emotionally balanced, energetic, and on top of things (aka experiencing joy and happiness) is supported by a healthy brain. A variety of daily life factors contribute to brain health. One of the most crucial is sound sleep. During sleep, the brain works on tidying up and cleaning the house via its ingenious cleaning system. The brain consolidates and integrates memory, thoughts, and emotions with trillions of biochemical processes.

The brain clears 80-90% more waste during deep sleep than while you are awake. The processes of the brain’s plumbing system simultaneously carry away its waste while feeding its cells.  When you can’t fall asleep or wake up in the middle of the night, these vital processes get delayed and disrupted.

Adding the 24/7 information superhighway and our society’s doctrine to do more, better, and faster only increases our restlessness. You are not alone if you think getting good sleep is easier said than done.

Is anyone getting enough sleep?

Let’s start with the US, my home since 2000. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 3 adults in the US reported not getting enough rest or sleep every day. Also, it is estimated that 50 to 70 million adults in this country have ongoing sleep disorders. That’s 15% to 21% of the population. Let’s look at other countries.

In Germany, where I was born and lived for 21 years, statistics compiled by the Robert Koch Institut show that 13% of adults sleep less than 5 hours, 68% of adults sleep between 5 and 7 hours, and 15% sleep between 7 and 8 hours, during workdays.

In the UK, which I called home for over 7 years, 1 in 5 people aren’t getting enough sleep, 66% of adolescents cite poor sleep negatively impacting on their mental health, and 37% of adults cite work as reducing the amount of control they feel they have over their sleep according to Mental Health UK.

How much Sleep is Enough?

How much sleep is enough? Naturally, this varies by individual and age group – for adults up to 64, a general range is 7 to 9 hours per day, 7 to 8 hours for adults over 64, and teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep per day.

Not getting enough sleep adversely affects brain health – it impacts your mood, emotional regulation, weight, energy, productivity, your ability to retain information and learn, as well as your relationships. Long-lasting sleep deficiency is linked to various chronic health issues, including diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney disease. It also contributes to anxiety, depression, gut health issues, hormone imbalance, and other health issues.

Taking care of one’s brain is not something we typically think about. Most of the talk being about heart and gut health these days, and the brain as the unseen organ in your head seems like the red-headed stepchild. It nevertheless works continuously as your body’s magnificent supercomputer. It’s doing its job anyway whether you are actively taking care of it or not. However, if you do not look after your brain, over time, it quietly but significantly deteriorates.  

4 Things You Can Do to Get Better Sleep and Support Your Brain

1. Have your last meal of the day 2.5 to 3 hours before sleep

If your body is still metabolizing food when you go to bed, there is simply too much going on for the brain to start its ‘washing cycles’ and you’ll have a hard time falling asleep. Energy is needed in the gut during digestion. Eating your last meal of the day 2.5 to 3 hours before bed enables your brain to roll up its sleeves and jump into its vitally important nightly cleanup and regeneration processes as soon as you’ve called it a day. Eat light and gently cooked, clean whole foods at dinner, and avoid sugar.

Want some inspiration for easy, nutritious, delicious, and beautiful dinners in 28 minutes or less?

Some of my current favorites: Mark Bittman’s Salmon Roasted in Butter, Nom Nom Paleo Michelle Tam’s Asian Chopped Salad (add your favorite heart- and brain healthy protein), The Food Mood MD Uma Naidoo’s Mushroom and Spinach Frittata, Colu Henry’s Cumin-Lime Shrimp with Ginger, The Brain Doctor’s Wife Tana Amen’s Grilled Rosemary Chicken with her Gratitude Grapefruit Caesar Salad, or her Guiltless Chicken Breast Tenders.

Salmon Roasted in Butter By Mark Bittman –Photo: Jim Wilson/The New York Times

If you must have a little sweet, enjoy whole fruit in season and it’s best to have it before dinner. What does it smell like, feel like in your hand, and in your mouth?

Chew your food well and notice how that opens a variety of tastes you have not experienced before. Your digestive system will thank you for this ‘workload’ preparation as will your brain. Notice your mood after truly savoring each bite in each moment.

Avoid alcohol, caffeine and iced beverages as they all impact digestion and brain activity, delaying the body’s readiness for sleep. A lovely cup of calming herbal tea about 30 minutes after your meal is a skillful way to support your gut and your mind and will aid drifting off to sleep more easily 2 hours later.

2. Include transition rituals before bedtime and try to stick to a consistent sleep schedule

Prioritize time for yourself about 1.5 hours before bed. Think of self-care rituals such as a relaxing bath, writing in a journal, shutting off all digital screens and leaving them out of your bedroom during sleep, turning down lights, and keeping your bedroom cool and dark during sleeping hours. Darkness in the earlier daylight hours in summer is super important so that your brain does not detect light before your desired waking time.  

Practicing Gratitude and Training your Brain to notice Positives

One of the most grounding rituals before bed is some form of gratitude practice. This does not have to be elaborate. It helps to keep it simple – perhaps by writing in a journal which you keep by your bedside. Take a few moments to tune in. What are you most grateful for? Write them down. And then, write down 3 things that went well for you that day.

Your last thoughts of the day determine your brain wave activity just before sleep. By focusing on the positives, you reassure your subconscious mind that things are good, and you are safe and ready to sleep. Some days it might be difficult to think of positives. When you train your mind to notice even the tiniest of goodness your mood will follow.

Even on our worst days or when we are experiencing hard times, something positive can be found. Be kind and patient with yourself. Allow yourself to notice. Perhaps birds took a break in the tree outside, chirping to their hearts’ content, or the dog next door romped around outside in the rain, or your friend called to say ‘hi’.

Write down what keeps you awake

That journal also comes in handy should you wake up in the middle of sleep with some nagging thoughts. Have a dim light source (no blue light!) such as the hooga Book Light within easy reach and grab your journal and pen so you can briefly jot down the fabulous idea or front-and-center thought that keeps you awake. Nothing will be lost that way. I call it brain dumping – it’s necessary before the brain’s self-cleansing cycle can continue, and you never know, it might bring you clarity when you least expect it. Just keep it short, constructive, and positive – no whining, or negative self-talk. So, don’t fret about losing sleep, use energy wisely!

Carmel Farnan with the Irish Mindfulness Academy recently gifted me UrBestSelf’s beautiful, informative, and easy-to-use 6-Minute Diary Pure. After a few days of trying it out in different locations to have it handy and ready to spend 3 minutes in the morning and 3 minutes in the evening, I decided to keep it on my living room coffee table together with a favorite pen. I found that to be the most likely way that I will write in it.

I love the look and feel of it, its layout, the thoughtful and inspiring quotes, and the science included in it. My German fellows will be pleased to know the 6-Minuten Tagebuch Pur, created by Dominik Spenst and his team is available from the 6-Minuten Verlag.

Good Sleep Hygiene

Trying to keep to a regular 1-hour window for bedtime during workdays and non-working days supports better sleep. The brain and mind favor predictability and automation. I could write a whole other article about this. Suffice it to say, the brain is about 2% of your body weight but uses 20% of your energy. Automation and predictability make an already energy-intensive organ a little more energy-efficient.  

3. Move your body during the day and enjoy it – if you connect with nature then, even better!

You already know how important it is to move your body as much as possible during waking hours, but you don’t have the necessary time and energy? That I am not mentioning types of exercise here should make you think of all the ways you already move – see how you can build and expand on that. It does not have to be a workout in the gym or yoga and Pilates classes 5 days a week, or whatever that might not be available to you. If you perceive it as an add-on to your already depleted battery, it’s not an option for you.   

Some ideas are taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away from the building, and walking or riding while noticing what you see, hear, and feel around you. Take reusable bags to the grocery store and carry full bags to your car instead of pushing them in the cart, if that is available to you.

Rediscover skipping when walking with your child or dog, if you can. Put on your favorite music and do a kitchen dance while preparing your meal, if that is what your heart desires. You never know you might break into a giggle loop or deep belly laugh – that’s as good as or better than exercise!

4. Take mental breaks during the day – mindfulness that creates space

Mindful breaks help us drop out of our heads into our bodies and that helps the brain get some breathing room. Think of these as Taking a Breather – literally and figuratively. Slow down and notice what’s happening within you. How do you feel at this moment? Try not to think about it, feel it. For those with overactive minds (most of us) this may be challenging at first. Accept the bullet trains of thought as simply mental events. Let them go by like clouds in the sky. Keep at it and trust that due to our brain being plastic, you can train your brain to do things differently and your body to feel more.

Rhythms – how nature works

Throughout nature, there are waves and rhythms. Some examples are brain waves, blinking, heart rhythm, breathing rhythm, growth cycles, cell life cycles, and many others – these are predictable patterns of performance. Sleep is governed by the circadian rhythm of dark and light every 24 hours. It’s how nature works. Earlier morning and later daylight hours in summer by default get us less sleep.

During waking hours there are rhythms that we need to pay attention to. Our brains have 90 – 120-minute cycles of activity and rest. The body produces waste and needs about 15- to 20-minute breaks every 90 minutes or so to dump that waste. Again, it’s how nature works. Tune in and notice your mood, thoughts, and how you feel. If you are not feeling at ease, check in on your sleep hygiene and your daily rhythms.

Present Moment Awareness can restore your energy

Moving about your day with mindfulness and present moment awareness can rest your brain and restore your energy. Meditate, do some relaxation response breathing such as 4-7-8, give your surroundings the “V.A.K.G.O. treatment” – also called five-sensing. VAKGO stands for Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Gustatory, Olfactory.

Take a mindful walk – concentrate on each sense for 15 seconds and move to the next, preferably holding your head high towards the horizon, not directed toward the ground – it jump-starts the brain’s waste disposal processes. Grab a beverage, take out the trash, or tidy up your office — be in the moment and let your brain gear down to the point of idling.

There are many ways to give your brain and your overactive mind a break. Sit in silence and close your eyes for a few minutes if that’s available to you, or enjoy pleasurable interactions with workmates.

Increasing awareness of our five senses helps us drop out of our busy minds and into our bodies. To experience the benefits, your brain needs to switch gears fully. If you can’t do that for 15 to 20 minutes then any switching gears will be better than none. Your supercomputer (brain) and your energy bank will thank you for it.

Our ‘bio-software’ has not had the upgrade it needs to deal with this

Living in the 21^st century brings about a new normal that our ‘bio-software’ has not yet adapted to. So, it’s up to us to help ourselves along. Did you know that by midday we have consumed as much information as our ancestors got in their whole lives?

The people I serve speak a lot about feeling pressured and stressed each day, whether they are at work, at home, and even when they are on vacation.

If you have seen yourself out of sync, if you have been overly excited or even exhausted, and if you have had nagging feelings of not having enough time to fit it all in this summer, you need to know that you are not alone. Most of us are experiencing some version of this, especially during the summer if you live in the northern hemisphere. Take a few deep breaths and consider the tips above. Which will you try this week?

"Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present." -Eleanor Roosevelt