By Michael Huckabee, Ph.D., professor and director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center Division of Physician Assistant Education. Dr. Huckabee has 30 years’ experience as a physician assistant, mostly in rural Nebraska.
With all the commotion of holiday celebrations and family gatherings this time of year, our sleep becomes a precious commodity that is challenged by time constraints and added stress. Here’s what we can learn from turkeys, cell phones and sleeping naked that may help us be more rested as we enjoy the upcoming celebrations with those we love.
Eating turkey meat has been held to offer a desirable side effect of aiding sleep. It makes sense to anyone who has found themselves sacked out by mid-afternoon naps following a traditional holiday meal. For years it’s been suggested that tryptophan, an essential amino acid in turkey, promotes this rest.
Reasoned science argues against our experience. L-tryptophan, found in poultry and fish, is used by the body to produce serotonin and melatonin which are involved in our sleep and wake cycles (also known as circadian rhythms).
However, tryptophan has a bulky size as an amino acid, so when ingested with other food it competes with everything else (think mashed potatoes, green bean casseroles, and cranberries) going through the digestive process.
For tryptophan to be truly effective as a sleep agent, it needs to be taken on an empty stomach. Also, as tryptophan is not unique to turkey, eating a chicken breast or drinking a glass of milk can offer the same or more tryptophan. Unless a chicken dinner also puts you under the table, it’s difficult to blame the bird for your snooze.
Passing on the turkey, there are other tricks to help us sleep. Our bodies respond to light to guide our circadian rhythms. Avoiding light helps if we’re having trouble staying asleep, as exposure to light when it’s dark outside can “awaken” the body.
The new offender here is blue light, common as the backscreen light to our cell phones, electronic devices, and energy efficient light bulbs. While its discovery just won the Nobel Peace Prize in Physics, we should avoid the illumination it gives if we’re trying to sleep.
When going to bed, keep the cell phone at a distance and avoid other digital screens. Dull red lights are best as nightlights, as red has the least power to shift the circadian rhythm.
When we sleep, our natural body temperature goes down. That’s why we are typically comfortable with room temps set a bit lower at night. Being either too hot or too cold can interrupt our sleep.
Finding that right temperature, likely a little lower than our body temperature during the day, will help. Some people crack a window at nighttime, others foster sleeping in the buff as ways to gain a more restful night. While both likely suggest the body’s natural bent for a nighttime lower temperature, dropping the thermostat at bedtime can achieve the same goal.