Helpful information about the importance of regular sleep schedule. I certainly learned this when my children were babies and as they grew up. Sleep schedule interruptions = cranky kids. Somehow we learn to disguise this problem from our adult selves as we push through busy higher education and career life.
In my early 40s, I began to have a harder time falling asleep, especially on Sunday nights......hmmm.... Then I read somewhere that said we should get up at the same time every day, no matter how late we stayed up socializing.
As soon as I started getting up at the same time on weekend mornings that I did on work days, the Sunday night sleeplessness faded into oblivion. Thank you for highlighting sleep regularity.
Another great historical lesson to share. Early to bed early to rise. Same time every night and every morning and good sleep begets healthy days which beget healthy sleep. The cycle continues.
What stands out is how sleep quality and consistency quietly shape the same underlying systems that drive long-term cardiovascular and metabolic health, especially through daily rhythm, stress load, and recovery capacity.
Thanks Jake. I sleep like a baby, I never any problems with sleep and I'm going to share your article with people I know who do have sleep issues - based on not preparing their runway - that's a great analogy.
Tom - we should bottle up your sleep skills! Thanks for sharing these tricks I’ve learned from other authors, educations, research and most importantly my patients! Prepare the runway for landing safely!
If only I could bottle my sleep skills I'd be a billionaire. My wife tells me my head touches the pillow and within 5 minutes, or less, I'm in dreamland. I've been hypersensitive to light and noise though almost my whole life so I always use earplugs, a hand towel folded over my eyes -which I find more comfortable than those sleep masks - and black out drapes. Fortunately, we live in a very quiet urban area so noise is never a problem. Flaps up, ready for the runway...
Great tips to help with noise and light reduction Tom! I too have always been a great sleeper but with age I'm much more sensitive so can empathize and share/teach/education patients much better now.
I had to laugh when I read your comment "with age"...give it another 20 or 30 years. One other item that might help some of your patients who are noise sensitive: I tried foam earplugs and silicone earplugs and found both to be so uncomfortable I couldn't use either of them. About 40 years ago I tried Ohropax wax earplugs and have used them ever since. You just remove the cotton that surrounds the earplug, roll it in your hand to mold it into a teardrop shape and gently insert it into your ear, then press it to block the ear canal. Larger individuals may need to use 2 wax earplugs pressed together to form one large plug. They get soft from your body heat and mold perfectly to the shape of your ear. They are very comfortable and many pharmacies sell them and of course are available online.
Thanks for sharing these excellent tools for sensitivity to light and sound. When I had my first babies (twins) my mother told me never to make their room dark or silence the house for their sleeping, and they would grow up adaptable to sleeping anywhere. I don't know about the scientific data for this, but my senior citizen sisters and I are terrific sleepers, and my 3 sons can sleep wherever is necessary.
That's interesting Lillie. When I was a child my (older) brother and I slept in a bedroom that wasn't dark, or silent, and we both slept quite well. Around age 20, for no known reason, I became extremely sensitive to both light and sound. The good news is earplugs and a towel over my eyes made it super easy to fall asleep quickly and to stay asleep. You, your sisters and your sons must have "easy sleep genes". Consider yourselves fortunate! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Great story to share that starts in infancy and builds resiliency over time to allow the development of adaptable healthy sleepers for a lifetime. So many behaviors are learned at home and carried to the future. Good ones and sometimes less food.
Helpful information about the importance of regular sleep schedule. I certainly learned this when my children were babies and as they grew up. Sleep schedule interruptions = cranky kids. Somehow we learn to disguise this problem from our adult selves as we push through busy higher education and career life.
In my early 40s, I began to have a harder time falling asleep, especially on Sunday nights......hmmm.... Then I read somewhere that said we should get up at the same time every day, no matter how late we stayed up socializing.
As soon as I started getting up at the same time on weekend mornings that I did on work days, the Sunday night sleeplessness faded into oblivion. Thank you for highlighting sleep regularity.
Another great historical lesson to share. Early to bed early to rise. Same time every night and every morning and good sleep begets healthy days which beget healthy sleep. The cycle continues.
What stands out is how sleep quality and consistency quietly shape the same underlying systems that drive long-term cardiovascular and metabolic health, especially through daily rhythm, stress load, and recovery capacity.
Consistency stands up day after day and week after week for most health strategies to build into daily habits that then compound.
Sleep is the missing link for energy and performance!
Sleep is the most under prescribed and under utilized performance enhancer!
This is a fantastic well written summary around strategies for improving sleep.
Thanks Ali! Keep moving and keep sleeping great!
Thanks Jake. I sleep like a baby, I never any problems with sleep and I'm going to share your article with people I know who do have sleep issues - based on not preparing their runway - that's a great analogy.
Tom - we should bottle up your sleep skills! Thanks for sharing these tricks I’ve learned from other authors, educations, research and most importantly my patients! Prepare the runway for landing safely!
If only I could bottle my sleep skills I'd be a billionaire. My wife tells me my head touches the pillow and within 5 minutes, or less, I'm in dreamland. I've been hypersensitive to light and noise though almost my whole life so I always use earplugs, a hand towel folded over my eyes -which I find more comfortable than those sleep masks - and black out drapes. Fortunately, we live in a very quiet urban area so noise is never a problem. Flaps up, ready for the runway...
Great tips to help with noise and light reduction Tom! I too have always been a great sleeper but with age I'm much more sensitive so can empathize and share/teach/education patients much better now.
I had to laugh when I read your comment "with age"...give it another 20 or 30 years. One other item that might help some of your patients who are noise sensitive: I tried foam earplugs and silicone earplugs and found both to be so uncomfortable I couldn't use either of them. About 40 years ago I tried Ohropax wax earplugs and have used them ever since. You just remove the cotton that surrounds the earplug, roll it in your hand to mold it into a teardrop shape and gently insert it into your ear, then press it to block the ear canal. Larger individuals may need to use 2 wax earplugs pressed together to form one large plug. They get soft from your body heat and mold perfectly to the shape of your ear. They are very comfortable and many pharmacies sell them and of course are available online.
Thanks for sharing these excellent tools for sensitivity to light and sound. When I had my first babies (twins) my mother told me never to make their room dark or silence the house for their sleeping, and they would grow up adaptable to sleeping anywhere. I don't know about the scientific data for this, but my senior citizen sisters and I are terrific sleepers, and my 3 sons can sleep wherever is necessary.
That's interesting Lillie. When I was a child my (older) brother and I slept in a bedroom that wasn't dark, or silent, and we both slept quite well. Around age 20, for no known reason, I became extremely sensitive to both light and sound. The good news is earplugs and a towel over my eyes made it super easy to fall asleep quickly and to stay asleep. You, your sisters and your sons must have "easy sleep genes". Consider yourselves fortunate! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Great story to share that starts in infancy and builds resiliency over time to allow the development of adaptable healthy sleepers for a lifetime. So many behaviors are learned at home and carried to the future. Good ones and sometimes less food.
Great suggestion Tom. Less than 8 bucks for a pack of 12.