Beyond IBD: transcending chronic illness

Common sense tells us that sleep (and also non-sleeping rest time) is important to our health, particularly for those with chronic illnesses.

IBD is an inflammatory disease and when we are flaring (and sometimes even when we are not) our digestive system is inflamed and/or ulcerated. This places our entire system under stress, as our body works hard to heal itself. In addition to whatever medications or treatments we may be receiving, we also need to give our bodies the best chance of healing by supplying it with good fuel (diet) and by focusing our available energy on the priority of getting well (by sleeping, resting and reducing external stress). So here are some tips on sleeping your way to better health…

How much sleep do you need?

I have always been someone who works best after at least eight hours of sleep, and if I am not well (because of IBD or the flu or whatever) I will often need more than eight hours. The amount of sleep people need varies - there are those that can function fine on a little more than five hours sleep and others that need much more!

This article from WebMD uncovers the source of the common recommendation for eight hours sleep per night, but also says that:

How much sleep you require depends on several factors including:
* Your inherited genetic need
* Your sleep hygiene (those daily activities you control such as drinking coffee, smoking and exercise)
* The quality of your sleep
* Your 24-hour daily cycle known as the circadian rhythm

For example, smoking, drinking, and exercise can affect your sleep dramatically. What you actually do in bed (like reading or watching TV) and how much exposure to light you have (looking at that bright computer screen ’til midnight) will also significantly alter both the quality and quantity of your sleep. They all interact to determine how long you need to sleep to wake up feeling refreshed and remain alert throughout the day.

The key is whether you wake up feeling refreshed and remain alert during the day. WebMD offers some advice on working out how much sleep you need which boils down to listening to what your body tells you. If you are exhausted every morning then you probably need more sleep (assuming you are taking care of yourself in all the other usual ways).

How to establish good sleep patterns

In the productivity and happiness blogosphere there is strong support for the benefits of being an early riser. The idea being that most people are most alert and productive in the mornings and that getting up early is an ideal way to reclaim quality time for important activities (whether that is exercise, work or simply starting your day in a calm state of mind).

An important part of this discussion is how to establish good sleep patterns which support early rising. Again, most people will recognise that not all sleep is equal in quality. If you stay up until 2am and then sleep through until 10am, it is likely that you won’t feel as good as you would if you had gone to bed at 10:30pm and woken at 6:30am. I know I don’t. Anyone who has (perhaps in university / college) experimented with unusual sleep patterns (or watched others go nocturnal) will also know that it doesn’t work well in most cases.

Steve Pavlina offers some detailed thoughts on how to be an early riser and still get the right amount of sleep in his two articles on the subject. Amongst some other good advice he suggests keeping a strict and regular wake-up time and then letting your body tell you when you need to go to bed at night. He warns that:

… to do this correctly requires a mixture of awareness and common sense. If you’re doing stimulating activities before bed, you’ll be able to stay up later and stave off sleepiness for a while… I can easily stay up later than my normal range of bed times if I work, go out with friends, or do other stimulating activities.

But this isn’t what I meant by noticing when you’re sleepy. I mentioned the test of not being able to read more than a couple pages of text without losing concentration. This doesn’t mean waiting until you’re about to drop from exhaustion.

The onset of sleepiness I’m referring to is when your brain starts releasing hormones to knock you out. You actually feel yourself getting drowsy. But in order for this to happen, you need to create the right conditions for it to occur.

That is, you need to be relaxed and winding down for the evening, more on that below.

If you are waiting until you are sleepy before you go to bed (rather than having a hard and fast bedtime), you might like to give yourself a reminder time, such as 10pm, to check how you are feeling. Otherwise you can get distracted with TV or the internet and before you know it 11pm has passed and you are dreading that 6am alarm!

Sleep better and wake up ready to go

Here are some top tips from around the web.
When preparing for bed, WiseBread recommends:

• Wind down for 30 minutes before you try to sleep (with a book or music - switch off the TV or computer as the flickering light can overstimulate and keep you awake and/or reduce the quality of your sleep).
• Check the temperature, you want to be cool but not too cold!
• Go to the bathroom, and don’t drink anything in the hour before you try to sleep.
• Spray your sheets with a relaxing scent.

Ravi Vora suggests being prepared to sleep happier and wake up happier:

• Clear your mind of today’s worries (what is done is done, and you’ll be better prepared tomorrow if you get a good night’s sleep).
• Lay your clothes out the night before and plan your morning so you won’t be rushed or stressed by unexpected delays.
• Have something to look forward to (this is a good productivity tip too - have at least one thing that you know will make you feel good such as lunch with a friend, or picking up a favourite magazine or taking a walk in the park).
• Listen to your favorite song as your alarm clock.

Finally Lifehacker offers some quirky advice on supplementing your sleep:

• Master the power nap (10 benefits of power napping and how to do it )
• Take a Caffeine Power Nap (try a cup of coffee followed by a quick 15-minute nap to reboot your brain and get you going again)

And don’t forget the final tip we all know but may not like to hear!

• Exercise to enhance sleep (best time to exercise is morning or afternoon - not before bedtime!)

Happy snoozing!

Rebecca

• Are you trying to do too much? (Part 2)
• How keeping a diary can improve your health
• Do you have trouble starting and maintaining good health habits?
• Do you have trouble starting and maintaining good health habits? (Part 2)
• 7 steps to improving day-to-day comfort