DR. KAPLAN: Less quality sleep means more stress

Getting a good nightʼs sleep is directly related to improving memory and reducing anxiety and stress levels. The human body enjoys getting seven hours of sleep in the summer and eight hours of sleep in the winter. Children require more sleep than adults, so put them to bed earlier.

There are many steps that you can take to start improving your sleep immediately. The first step is to stop watching television, going on social media, and browsing the internet at night.

The worst show to watch before bed is the news. It is very hard to get into a nice, deep, relaxed sleeping state after watching stories about wars, natural disasters, crime, political corruption, violence, racism, fires, terrorist attacks, major traumas, injuries, and the Covid pandemic.

Another way of describing the stress mode that the news causes is called the “fight or flight” mode. We will see this with patients with a history of physical trauma, emotional stress, and biochemical exposure. This will cause a certain wiring of the brain that will interfere with the circadian rhythms that control your sleep.

To get out of fight or flight mode, you must rewire your brain through a process called neuroplasticity. Think of creating neuroplasticity like you would if you were going to the gym to get stronger However, instead of getting your muscles stronger and bigger, you can train your brain to have stronger connections and strengthen any weak areas.

One simple way to make your brain stronger that will help with sleep patterns is to gargle intensely for 30 seconds and perform this exercise 3 times a day. Another easy way to get you out of fight or flight mode that has been proven through neuroscience is the bucket dip exercise in which you dunk your head in a bucket of cold water (50 degrees F) for 30 seconds total.

These exercises may calm down the overactive brain and help to improve sleep quality. This is a noninvasive therapy that does not involve harmful sleeping pills, but it is always important to ask your doctor if these exercises are appropriate for you.

Some people will try the medications anyway, so please be aware that most sleeping pills have only been researched on males because scientists state that it is harder to do research on women due to the variation of the female menstrual cycle. As a result, females will end up taking sleeping pills that are made for men but women take about 40 percent longer to break those pills down. Consequently when they get up in the morning, it may lead to major issues like car accidents, cooking mishaps, knife injuries, falling down stairs, and many other possibilities because their brains are still being affected by the dangerous pharmaceuticals.

In my opinion, it is better to work on sleep by rewiring your brain through non-invasive therapies, rather than the risk of taking pills with lots of side effects.

Another important factor in getting a good nightʼs sleep is to stop eating at night. If your last meal is at 6 pm and you do not snack at night, you will greatly increase your chances of getting a good nightʼs sleep, thereby increasing energy and decreasing anxiety.

Remember, the reason we eat is to give us energy for our daily activities, so we do not want to eat at night because that will increase our energy when we want to relax and go to bed to get a deep sleep. Eating at night may result in it being more difficult to fall asleep or more difficult to stay asleep. Additionally, a very easy strategy to help with sleep is to take a walk outside during sunset. The brain will see the sun go down and realize it is almost time for sleep. When you get back to the house, dim all the lights as well so all the bright lights do not trick the brain into thinking it is daytime.

One last but super important factor in getting a good nightʼs sleep is avoiding electronics at night. That includes TV, Netflix, YouTube, Social Media, video games, computer, iPad, and most importantly, the cell phone. These electronics have a harmful blue light that will stimulate cortisol production.

Cortisol is a stress hormone and will put you in the fight or flight mode which will make it more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep because it results in you being a light sleeper that causes you to wake up from little noises or lights in the house.

When you are in the fight or flight mode, your brain is in a survival mode and will make you a light sleeper so you can hear danger approaching to escape without harm.

If your job requires you to use electronics at night, please invest in a blue light filter that will minimize the effects of the electronics. Another way to reduce blue light exposure and nighttime cortisol production is to set your cell phone on the night shift mode if you are required to be on your phone at night.

However, most people are not required to use electronics at night and are voluntarily doing it. Please make the right decision and avoid electronics at night to get you into that deep sleep, which will reduce anxiety and improve memory and focus.

Patients always report to me that after they start following these rules, they will also lose excess fat. The reason is because their cortisol production is down. When cortisol production is up there is an increase in belly fat storage, so as a result, if you decrease cortisol production at night, you will lose belly fat. This is a much better side effect than the side effects of sleep medications.

Sleep is one of the most important factors for your health and well-being. If you want to feel the best and function best it is necessary to get proper sleep. Please realize that sleep will help with anxiety, Alzheimerʼs, diabetes, weight loss, heart disease, cancer, headaches, dizziness, and even depression.

However, it is not just lying in bed, it is getting a deep sleep that is most important. It is better to get 6 hours of deep sleep than 8 hours of restless sleep.

If you stop eating at night, eliminate nighttime electronic use, donʼt watch the news, and perform the proper brain exercises, you will start sleeping more efficiently. You can watch some of these exercises by subscribing to my YouTube Channel at Kaplan Brain & Body or email info@kaplanbrainandbody and we can send you the link.

The brain is very complicated and insomnia and sleeping problems need the proper attention. One of the best neurology tools we have in our office is called a qEEG with neurofeedback which measures brain waves.

Basically you wear what looks like a swimmers cap on your head. It has electrodes attached to it and can measure the different areas of the brain and tell you what areas are not functioning well. It is noninvasive, there is no radiation, no pain, and only takes about 15 minutes to perform.

If you are interested in getting this complete neurological evaluation (valued at $500) to find out how reduce depression and anxiety, while improving motivation, memory and focus using applied neuroscience, neuroplasticity, as well as hyperbaric chamber oxygen therapy, cold laser, and neurofeedback, sign up by calling or texting 646-221-6738. If you are one of the first 7 people that respond, you can receive the entire brain mapping for only $21.

You can also email info@kaplanbrainandbody.com For more information about functional neurology and services, please visit our website www.kaplandc.com.

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