Welcome to our Just Wondering series, in which local experts tackle your most burning health and fitness questions. Got a question of your own? Send it here!
Courtesy of the Noun Project
Sleeping Face Emoji
According to Tacjana Friday, MD, a sleep specialist at Noran Neurological Clinic, caffeine enters your bloodstream in as little as 15 minutes. “There are coffee shops on every corner, it’s the nature of the world we live in,” she says. "But it takes a long time for caffeine to get out of the body. So if you cut yourself off at 3 pm, it’ll be metabolized by 10 pm.” Here are some other tips for getting better zzz's.
1: Give alcohol a five-hour cutoff before bedtime.
Sure, that occasional nighttime glass of vino feels like a one-way ticket to Sleepy Town, but it’ll come back to haunt you—as in, the quality and quantity of sleep (and maybe even your dreams). While the sedative effect accelerates the onset of sleep, studies have shown that you spend less time in REM sleep while your body’s busy metabolizing. In other words, expect shallower sleep, more disruptions, and vivid dreams or—worse!—nightmares.
2: Think twice about that late-night HIIT workout.
Some days, our to-do list flows as easily as that first cup of coffee. Others, we’re lucky to get a single thing crossed off. While it may be tempting to squeeze in a set of 9 pm sprints on the tready, ask yourself first if you’re OK with getting a less-than-stellar night of sleep. A strenuous workout before bedtime can interfere with the downward shift in our core body temp for up to five hours—a necessary pre-sleep step. If you’ve been sedentary all day and crave some movement, hit the yoga mat: A few gentle stretches can help you snooze better.
3: Eliminate late naps.
Sneaking in a daytime snooze here and there never hurt anybody, but if nighttime sleep is hard to come by, you may need to rethink your schedule a bit. “If a person absolutely needs a nap, they’re listening to their physiology, which means it’s an opportune time,” says Dr. Friday. “But taking naps past 3 pm disrupts the normal rhythm of the body and takes away from that sleepy drive our body gives us.”
4: Don’t lie awake in bed.
If sleep feels as elusive as the sheep you’re counting, pry yourself out of bed and do a task that doesn’t require a lot of brain power: read a few pages of your book, tidy up the fridge, or load up tomorrow’s to-do list. It’s been said that sleeplessness becomes exacerbated the more we lie awake in bed.
5: Curb your nighttime noshing.
We’re not talking about BMIs and waist circumference here—lying down on a full stomach allows for the food to press up against the bottom of your esophagus, which can cause heartburn, indigestion, or acid reflux. For those nights when you just need something, try to avoid foods high in protein as they take longer to digest.
For more great sleep secrets, check out our Sleep Guide.
