At Calgary’s 7th Walk With A Doc this past Sunday, we learned about high quality, restorative sleep, why it is important and how to prioritize and optimize it.
Sleep is an extremely important part of human health. We need an average of 7-9 hours of restorative sleep per night. It doesn’t end there, duration of sleep is only part of the goal. The quality of sleep you get matters greatly as well.
Think about a time when you only had ~4 hours of sleep in a night.
Were you able to make it through the day? Probably.
Was it a pleasant experience where you performed at your best? Probably not.
When we don’t get enough sleep, or the quality of our sleep isn’t great, or both(!), we tend to have difficulty in all areas of life. Our attention, concentration, and memory are disrupted. We feel tired and sluggish. We don’t feel energized to work out, and if we do exercise, our recovery is worse. Our appetite signals are disrupted, feeling more hungry and having a harder time listening to when we are full. Mood is often lower and anxious thoughts often higher. Our risk of chronic disease rises (especially things like Diabetes, Obesity, and PCOS, from insulin resistance). Our risk of heart attacks and strokes goes up too. It’s horrible.
So, how do we sleep better? First, think about what is disrupting your sleep.
Using caffeine and alcohol, especially later in the day, reduces sleep quantity and quality. Eating or drinking too close to bedtime can make it hard to fall asleep. Anxiety, excessive worry, and stressors often cause both difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Vigorous exercise right before bedtime may keep you awake. Shift work and inconsistent sleep/wake times can also disrupt your sleep. Certain medications and illnesses impact our sleep for the worse. Watching TV or tablet time in bed doesn’t help. Scrolling on your phone when it’s right in front of your eyes immediately before you close them is not giving us quality sleep either.
Thankfully, it’s not all bad news. Focus on the things you can control. Here are some steps you can take to improve your sleep quality (and even duration over time):
- Set a regular sleep schedule, which means having consistent sleep/wake times
- Have a wind down routine, something that helps you relax and decompress before bed
- Use the bed for sleeping (and intimacy/sex) only, not for eating or watching TV etc.
- Reduce bright lights and loud sounds in the bedroom, or set warm, dim, lighting before bed
- Limit fluid (all sources) intake within a few hours of bedtime
- No alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime
- No caffeine after ~12pm
- Eliminate (or at least reduce) after dinner snacking and nighttime eating
Did you know you can even try some techniques during the daytime that will help your sleep? The more sunlight you get earlier in the day, the better your circadian rhythm and sleep pattern becomes. Keeping hydrated with water throughout the day helps sleep regulation. And practicing daily physical activity and staying active as much as possible helps too. Maintaining a healthy weight helps reduce risk of sleep apnea and other weight related conditions that can disrupt sleep.
Finally, there is a technique called CBT-i (cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia) which is very helpful for difficulty falling asleep, and or staying asleep, that can be used during or after trying the above sleep hygiene tips. There are many apps and free programs out there, and your family doctor can help you find more details about this.
As always, chase progress, not perfection. You don’t need to do all the strategies listed above, all at once. Start small, choose one of the actions that speaks to you, and give it a try.
Missed October’s walk? Join us on Sunday Nov 23rd, 2025 to get your steps in and learn about the final pillar of Lifestyle Medicine!
Note: If you struggle with specific sleep disorders, insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, depression and anxiety which can keep thoughts racing and disrupt sleep, or you have medical questions about your sleep, please speak with your healthcare provider.