What happens when we sleep?

Our bodies go through four to six sleep cycles a night, each made up of four stages. Throughout the first three stages, heartbeat, breathing and brain wave activity reach their lowest levels and muscles relax. The deep sleep achieved in stage three plays a vital role in physical and mental recuperation.

However, during the fourth stage known as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, there’s as much activity in the brain as when we’re awake. This is believed to support key functions such as memory and learning. It’s also when the most intense dreaming takes place.

The sleep-wake cycle

Our bodies are governed by circadian rhythms — 24-hour cycles that are part of our internal body clock. One of the most important is the sleep-wake cycle. It aligns our waking and sleeping with day and night and, as light exposure decreases, it prompts the release of the hormone melatonin. This helps you drift off into a sleep that restores and recharges you, keeping you healthy in body and mind.

The sleep-wake cycle can be disrupted by several different factors, including shift work, travelling across time zones and our lifestyle choices also play a big part.

Why sleep is essential

If the sleep-wake cycle is thrown off balance, it can lead to lower quality or disturbed sleep. Over time, this can bring a range of health challenges, including cardiovascular problems, a weakened immune system and a greater risk of obesity. And our mental health suffers too.

Studies have shown that even after a single night’s bad sleep, we have far lower positivity levels and fewer positive feelings, such as sympathy and friendliness. Anxiety and stress levels increase too.

Recent Harvard Business Review research also cites the negative impact of sleep deprivation on our ability to stay calm at work and build the working relationships required to be an effective leader.

But don't worry, even when we work in music, there are small tweaks we can make to our sleep routine that can help us improve our sleep.

Tips for getting more sleep.

Dark is desirable

Our bodies are synced to the natural day and night cycle and respond naturally to the decreasing light of the day, preparing for sleep with the release of the calming hormone melatonin. However, working at night and trying to sleep during the day can be a challenge. When you’re ready to get some shut-eye, try and keep your room as dark as possible. You can do this by shutting your curtains and turning on a low red light lamp, even when it's daylight outside. If it's still quite light in the room, try using an eye mask to make your body feel as though it’s nighttime.

The blue light from electronic devices disrupts the melatonin process making mobile, tablet or laptop usage last thing before you want to sleep, something you may want to avoid. Instead, keep lighting low in the evening and have a cut-off point for using your devices at least 30 minutes before sleep (an hour is even better). Banish them from the bedroom too if you can bear it or, if you have to use them, opt for night-time mode which reduces blue-light emissions.

If you're leaving a club and it's daylight outside, wearing sunglasses can reduce the light reaching your eyes which tells your body it’s daytime and can make it more difficult to fall asleep. Close the curtains in our hotel room asap and put on a low red light to tell your body its time to wind down to sleep.

Light Exposure

Exposure to light has a direct effect on our body clock. Upon waking, the natural white light outside sets our body clock. In addition, the amount of natural daylight we are exposed to throughout the day has an impact on when we fall asleep, and how well we sleep that night. In modern society, as we spend so much time indoors, it’s common for modern-day humans to be light-deprived.

Therefore, light exposure seems an obvious target to improve sleep and a person’s circadian rhythmicity. Light must be at least 180 lux to entrain the human circadian system. However the recommendation is to aim for light exposure of 10,000 lux for 1 hour a day if you’re experiencing low mood or low-quality sleep, and half an hour exposure for those who are not experiencing such symptoms. Light lux measuring apps are available for your phones, which can be handy to help you identify how much light you are being exposed to at various times of the day. Be mindful that the winter months and cloudy days will provide lower levels of light. Through trial and error, you might identify the best time to spend outdoors depending on your work schedule and life commitments.

If you struggle to meet these recommended guidelines, there are devices available online that can help you increase your light exposure. They are called Seasonal Affective Disorder lights, or SAD lamps for short. This refers to the low levels of light available during the winter months and how that can affect us.

You can read more about Seasonal Affective Disorder by clicking on the following link: Seasonal Affective Disorder

The timing of nutritional support e.g. eating may restore, and/or even amplify circadian rhythms and sleep. Research on night-time shift workers and volunteers has confirmed this.

Physical exercise has been shown to entrain and amplify the circadian system and sleep. 

Temperature was one of the first variables identified to have a circadian rhythm in humans. Circadian and sleep amplitude enhancement can be achieved by timed light therapy, timed exercise, timed feeding and timed temperature changes, but this is on an individual basis 

We know it's really difficult to keep your sleep times and wake-up times consistent as an artist. If you develop a sleep deficit during the week, weekend lie-ins don’t make up the difference. Changing your sleep patterns over the weekend can make it harder to get up on Monday: a phenomenon known as social jetlag. If you’ve had a tiring week, try a short 20-minute post-lunch nap instead.

Food and drink make a difference

It’s common for us to reach for caffeine to help us stay awake when we’re tired. Try to avoid caffeine after 12 hours before you think you'll want to get to sleep. We understand that having a drink can often be a part of the culture of being an artist. If possible, try and avoid alcohol as much as possible before you want to sleep. Alcohol may help you fall asleep more quickly and sleep deeply, but it also suppresses REM sleep and disrupts the sleep cycle, sabotaging the quality of your sleep. Avoid a heavy meal before bed too so your body isn’t digesting when it should be resting. Try not to eat at least 1 hour before you want to sleep.

Winding down is the way forwards

When we come off stage or after a performance, our adrenaline levels tend to be high and our body can be very alert, which can make falling asleep even more difficult. The goal after a performance if you want to or need to get some sleep afterwards, is to find a wind-down routine that suits you.

While daily exercise, particularly outside, is great for regulating circadian rhythms, avoid anything too strenuous within an hour of bed. Meditation, breathing exercises or some deeply relaxing restorative or yin yoga can work wonders. These work by putting your body into a parasympathetic state, which is our rest and relax state, which is conducive to falling asleep.

Try to avoid working, checking emails or social media just before sleep. Instead, lose yourself in a good book. If your mind is buzzing, take some time to make a list for the next day to clear your thoughts. Ideally, we fall asleep 15 to 20 minutes after lights out. If you don’t, don’t force it. Avoid the temptation to dig into your inbox or start scrolling on social media. Instead, get up, stretch and do something in low light until your body is ready.

Going to bed should be a pleasure

Even when you're away, try and make your environment as comfortable as possible. Taking some items from home can help you feel more at ease in unfamiliar environments. Wear nightwear that feels comfortable. A cooler room, around 65°F, is optimum and uses black-out blinds or heavy curtains to block out light. Try a lavender fragranced pillow spray to help you relax and ear plugs may also be useful.

Could one-on-one suppport with a sleep expert help me?

If you have one-on-one help with a sleep expert, they can help tailor recommendations to you. Most importantly, they will also know when an exception should be made. You have the benefit of working with someone who has helped thousands of different people. They have a lot of experience with different circumstances and things that work and what to do when they don’t.

You will receive personalised attention from an expert consultant who analyses hundreds of factors that impact sleep. Less time spent worrying about sleep means more time and energy you can give to your loved ones or yourself, which only makes you a happier person and a more effective artist

If you’d like to get a more detailed assessment of your personal challenges around sleep, we can team you up with one of our sleep consultants as part of The Artist Lifestyle Programme. They can help identify your unique challenges, and help you formulate some strategies that may help you achieve more quality sleep. This could help you feel more rested, energised and positive day to day.