Random musings: Happy #NappingDay

Not only is today Napping Day but it's also Sleep Awareness Week. Both of these are in response to the beginning of Daylight Savings Time yesterday.

Many people don't like DST...however, I do. I like the extra sunlight in the evening. Especially now that I'm not driving in the dark which can be somewhat difficult since I work at night. The extra hour in the evening means I get to leave at what used to be my normal commuting time. Up until now I've had to leave early to get to work before sunset. Although, the staying late an hour later in the morning messes up my morning commute.

From Dr. Michael Breus:

But let’s start out with a more basic fact: While sleeping, just based on the humidity in our breath, we lose about 1 liter of water each night! So, we wake up dehydrated.

Sleep Doc Tip #1: When you wake up each day, drink 12-16 oz of water first thing in the am (room temp). This helps to replace your water loss immediately.

Sleep Doc Tip #2: Wait 90 min for your first cup of caffeine. Yes, I know you may have a habit of a caffeinated beverage being the first thing to enter your system, but remember caffeine is a diuretic! It makes you have to urinate, this is counter-productive with a dehydrated body. I recommend a second glass of water and then consider a coffee.

If we get dehydrated from sleeping, maybe we should sleep less?

New research suggests that insufficient sleep can cause dehydration by potentially disrupting the release of a hormone that is key to hydration (Vasopressin). Newer research shows that sleepiness increases the risk of kidney disease, and we know that the kidneys play a significant role in hydration, and of course, drinking more water is good for kidney health.

According to the research:

“More specifically, people who reported that they regularly slept for 6 hours or less each night were 16–59 percent more likely to be dehydrated than those who slept for 8 hours a night. These results applied to both population samples.”

So, if sleep itself dehydrates a person and depriving myself of sleep makes one more dehydrated, what should you do?

Step 1: Determine your chronotype and calculate your bedtime, and stick to your schedule 7 days a week.

Step 2: Drink Caffeine between 90 min after you wake up and 2 pm, (remember, drink about 16oz of water first) stopping at 2 will eliminate the poor sleep quality effects caffeine may have long after ingestion.

Step 3: Limit alcohol to 3 hours before bed and have one glass of water for each alcoholic beverage (remember alcohol is a HUGE dehydrator).

Step 4: Exercise daily, and replace your sweat with WATER!

Step 5: When you are drinking your morning water, do it in front of the window to get your morning light exposure. This helps turn off the melatonin faucet in your head and remove brain fog.

Hydration and sleep are interrelated components of a healthy life, be sure to get enough of both this week and every week!

I'm starting to do some of this. I'll be sticking to my sleep cycle 7 days a week, I'm walking at least 10,000 steps a day and drinking 3 liters of water.

Dr. Breus will have more tips and I'll be sharing them with you all week.