Guide to

Healthy
Sleep
Ashley Tovard
is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, exercise physiologist,
and researcher with a Ph.D. in Nutritional Biology
1
What is

sleep? 52
First of all, can you recall the last time you

stayed up all night? How did you feel

after? Exhausted?

And it turns out that feeling is a powerful

tool; otherwise, how could you explain

sleep deprivation being used as an

interrogation tool by the CIA?

Sleep is an essential recurring state of

unconsciousness of mind while the body

and brain keep on functioning. Humans

spend one-third of their lives just

sleeping.

Sleep ‘recharges’ our bodies, so it’s safe to

say it’s an important survival mechanism.

However, we only know some of its true

biological purpose, as much of the effects

of sleep are yet to be discovered.

2
What are the
stages of sleep?
While your conscience is resting, dozens
of processes are still happening in your
body, including switching between rapid
eye movement (REM) and Non-REM
sleep.

3
REM Sleep
This stage of sleep was first described in
19531 as the stage of sleep where the
brain has different neural activity and
rapid eye movements. This form of sleep
has been seen to play a role in learning
and consolidating the memories we
make, and it may even play a role in the
emotions we feel when awake.2

4
Non-REM
This type of sleep has different layers to it
and is described as sleep that does not
involve rapid eye movements. This type of
sleep can be further broken down into
stages3:

Stage 1: This is more of the drowsy feeling

you have as you first start to sleep, where
your heart rate and breathing slows
down.
Stage 2: This is a deeper stage of sleep
with even slower breathing and heart
rate; your eye movements stop as well.
Stage 3: Deeper sleep that happens more
in the first half of your sleep cycle; your
muscles relax as well.

5
2
How

much

sleep
do we need?
6
All people are

different, just like

their sleep needs

and patterns.

The National Institutes of Health4 report

sleep recommendations f rom over 300

research studies collected by the National

Sleep Foundation5:

Infants (ages 0-3 months) need 14-17

hours a day, but this may be broken up

throughout the day.

Infants (ages 4-12 months) need 12-16

hours a day including naps.

Toddlers (ages 1-2 years) need about 11-14

hours a day including naps.

Preschool children (ages 3-5) need 10-13

hours a day including naps.

School-age children (ages 6-12) need 9-12

hours a day.

Teenagers (ages 13-18) need about 8-10

hours each day.

Most adults need 7-9 hours.

Older adults (ages 65 and older) need 7-8

hours of sleep each day.

7
3
Sleep hygiene

tips 8
Sleep hygiene is about finding that

golden mean of sleep, to keep the

process healthy, both physically and

mentally.

Avoid alcohol before going to bed.

Alcohol consumption before going to

sleep may reduce how long it takes for

you to fall asleep but it can affect how

long your stages of sleep last6.

Follow a healthy balanced diet to sleep

better. We know eating vegetables is

good for us in general, but eating a well-

balanced, high nutrient diet can help you

get rest as well7.

Consuming less caffeine can help you

sleep better. We actually have differences

in how our bodies metabolize caffeine,

based on how our genes are expressed.

No matter whether you are sensitive to

caffeine or not, consuming less caffeine

can lead to better sleep8.

Be mindful about light exposure. More

light at night can make it difficult to

sleep9. And having brighter light in the

morning helps you wake up and feel more

alert.

Try to keep your bedtime consistent.

Maintaining a normal sleep schedule can

improve sleep duration and help you feel

better10.

9
The Center for
Clinical
Interventions11
also suggests:
Going to bed when you really feel tired
and sleepy.

Try to only be in bed when ready to sleep,

meaning, use your bed for sleep, so that
your body will be able to learn this
connection. Doing other things like
reading, watching TV, or playing games
may prevent you from developing that
link.

10
If you have insomnia

and falling asleep

seems like a struggle

at times, try:

Reviewing your sleep hygiene.

Helping your body prepare for sleep. Dim

the lights and try reading, meditating, or
taking a bath an hour before bed.

Avoiding electronic devices right before

going to bed.

Reducing stress.

Addressing the issue with your doctor.

11
4
Sleep &

reco-

very
after a workout
12
Sleep is important for all of the reasons
mentioned, but also it is critical for
recovering from a workout. It is thought
that people who exercise may need more
sleep than people who do not, as our
body uses this time to recover from the
stress we put it through when working
out12.

One way that scientists have discovered

how important sleep is for recovery is by
studying what happens when someone
skips a full night of rest. For example,
athletes who have not slept enough can
be prone to cognitive changes that make
it difficult to carry out their exercise12,13.
A lack of sleep for people who exercise
can lead to feeling less alert and they can
experience negative changes to their
mood12.

When college basketball players were

asked to sleep more by spending at least
10 hours per night in bed, they

increased how fast they could run,

they had better accuracy with the

shots they took, and they felt

less fatigued14.

13
One study asked male athletes to
complete a cycling workout after sleep
deprivation and found they had
increased lactate, a marker of
metabolism that rises as we participate in
high intensity activities15. This means
that the activity was harder for them
when they had not slept as much
compared to when they were fully rested.

There are many reasons physical activity

is more difficult without proper sleep.
One reason may be that when we sleep
less than 7 hours, our immune system
changes and increases the amount of
cells that fight infections16.

While scientists are still trying to

determine why this happens, one
thought is that a lack of sleep may lead to
increased inflammation, which can make
us more prone to disease, make us age
faster, and make recovery from exercise
more difficult17,18. Sleeping less may also
increase how much pain we feel, making
the next workout harder.

14
5
Sleep
and your

hormonal state
15
Not getting enough rest can affect other

hormones in the body. Sleeping less can:

Increase cortisol, a hormone that

increases when your body is stressed19.

Increase ghrelin, a hormone that tells

your brain that you are hungry20.

Increase insulin, a hormone that allows

your cells to use the glucose in your

blood20. Sleeping less can make your

body less sensitive to the insulin you

have, leading to more glucose in the

blood21.

Decrease testosterone in men, which can

decrease the ability to maintain muscle

mass22.

Decrease hormones related to female

fertility23.

16
Sleep and

Weight loss
Having a regular bedtime is important

for maintaining your body’s circadian
rhythm and a healthy weight. 

For example, researchers followed

a group of adults who had recently
lost weight and even if they had
similar amounts of sleep, those who
didn’t maintain normal sleep
schedules regained more weight and
body fat24.

Part of this relationship is explained by

how our hormones change when we
don’t get enough sleep or when we go
to bed at different hours each night25.
Some hormones related to appetite
may change with sleep deprivation.

Ghrelin, a hormone that tells our brain
to eat, can increase with sleep
deprivation26.

While one day of this is not likely to

lead to weight gain, chronic sleep
deprivation may lead to changes in
these hormones and the foods you
crave27. Spending more time awake
may also increase the amount of time
spent eating as you are not allowing
your body to have its normal overnight
fast. Over time this may lead to weight
changes.
17
Sleep and


Muscle gain

Testosterone is important for

reproductive health but is also one

reason males are able to maintain muscle

mass easier than females. Maintaining

enough sleep is important to ensure

testosterone and other muscle building

hormones stay at their normal levels28.

Sleep deprivation can decrease these

hormones.

Going too long without sleep can result

in protein synthesis being less active.

Cortisol, a stress hormone, can increase

with prolonged sleep deprivation and this

also leads to the body not making as

much muscle as it would if fully rested. 


A group of scientists studied seven males

and six females and kept them f rom

sleeping one night29.

Compared to when they had a normal

amount of sleep, the sleep deprivation

caused the group’s protein synthesis to

decrease by 18% and increased their

cortisol. In the male subjects, the lack of

sleep decreased their testosterone. This is

one of the many reasons a good night’s

sleep is a key part of living a healthy

lifestyle.

18
Sleep and
Women’s Health
We know that a lack of sleep and
disturbed circadian rhythms can affect
many types of animals’ ability to
reproduce. Humans are similar in that
when we do not sleep enough or have
disturbed sleep patterns, fertility can be
affected. An article in the Journal of
Circadian Rhythms discussed many of
the negative effects that sleep can have
on the hormones related to fertility23.

Many sex hormones, such as follicle

stimulating hormone, thyroid stimulating
hormone, and estrogen, can be
negatively affected by a lack of sleep.
Follicle stimulating hormone is important
for the development of eggs in the
ovaries, but some research has shown
this hormone to be negatively affected by
sleep deprivation, while other studies
show it may not be as greatly impacted.

19
6
Sleep

& Nutri-

tion 20
Exercise has many benefits to improving
how we use the energy from the food we
eat. This is partially why people who
exercise are healthier, as they are better
able to use the carbohydrates they eat,
which are turned into glucose in the
body.

Not getting enough rest can also affect

your metabolism by increasing the
amount of glucose in the blood, as your
cells are less able to use it as energy19.
This can increase your risk for type II
diabetes and other metabolic diseases.
Multiple studies have found there to be a
relationship with increased risk of
diabetes when you regularly

get less sleep20.

It is very clear that sleeping 


can help you recover

from your workouts and stay

healthier overall.

Now you may be

wondering what

you can do to

increase your sleep

and make the

most of that

time.

21
Below are some
tips to help you
optimize your
sleeping routine
through nutrition:
Try drinking tart cherry juice before
bed17. This drink can help increase the
amount of melatonin your body makes,
which is a hormone that helps you sleep.
Tart cherry juice can also help lower
inflammation from your workouts and
help you recover quicker30.

Eating foods with tryptophan such as

turkey, milk, or nuts and seeds17.
Tryptophan is an amino acid, or part of a
protein, that is converted to melatonin in
the body.

Make sure your last snack or meal before

bed includes protein. Having a protein-
rich meal can increase the time spent
sleeping31. Maintaining enough protein
intake is also crucial for your muscles to
repair after exercise.

A high fat diet can make it more difficult

to sleep17.

Magnesium may also help you sleep

more and feel less tired during the day32.
This mineral is found in leafy greens,
almonds, pumpkin seeds, and some
cereals. Magnesium has also been shown
to help your muscles recover by reducing
some markers of inflammation and
decreasing muscle soreness33. 22
7
Sleep

Track-

ers

24
Activity monitors have become

a regular part of our everyday lives,
providing valuable information about our
heart rate and calories burned from
activity, and some are so sensitive that
they can even analyze the way we walk to
determine if we are at risk for a
neuromuscular disorder.

Sleep is no exception in that many

activity monitors provide data about the
quality of your sleep when you wear the
monitor overnight. There are even
sensors that can be placed under or next
to your bed to analyze your sleeping
habits.

This can be helpful in keeping you

accountable for going to bed at a regular
time. Activity monitors may provide
information about how restless you are at
night, as they track your movement, and
you can think back to the habits that day
that might have contributed to this. For
example, if you notice your monitor is
telling you that you are getting less sleep
after a day where you had more caffeine
or maybe you had more screen time
before bed, this can provide information
on what habits to change to take better
control of your sleep hygiene.

24
Tracking your sleep patterns may also

help you think about them more and

prioritize going to bed at a time that

makes you feel more rested the next

day.

We should take this information with

some caution since there is only so

much that these monitors can tell us,

as they are not able to measure sleep

directly, only the time spent inactive34.

The only current way to know how long

you spend in each stage of the sleep

cycle is to complete an overnight

clinical test to assess what is

happening in your brain while you

sleep.

With this in mind, sleep trackers can

provide a decent estimate as far as how

long you are spending in bed and how

much you toss and turn35, but if a wrist

worn or bedside tracker tells you how

long you spend in each stage of sleep,

that information should be taken with

caution. Remember that any activity

monitor can only provide so much data.

Take the information and use it as a

guide for optimizing your sleep

hygiene, but don’t lose any more sleep

being anxious about the data it

provides.

25
8
Sleep Deprivation

SymP-

toms
Not getting enough sleep one night may
not lead to obvious symptoms, but
chronic sleep deprivation or not going to
sleep at the same time can lead to signs
that you should get some extra rest.
According to the National Heart Lung
and Blood Institute, falling asleep while
sitting can be a sign that you need some
extra sleep35. For example, falling asleep
while doing the following activities is a
symptom of low sleep quality or quantity:

Watching TV
Riding in a car or bus for an hour or less
Sitting in traffic
Sitting in a meeting or even while talking
to someone

If you experience these symptoms and

also notice that your sleep tracker is
telling you that your sleep quality is low,
try practicing the habits mentioned
earlier. If you are still having trouble
sleeping, talk to your doctor.

27
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