High-quality sleep has the power to transform your life. I will try to keep this post brief.
(Also, not exactly sure why I chose all cats for the pictures in this post 🤷♂️ )
As an integrative psychiatric nurse practitioner based in Washington, D.C., I’ve seen firsthand how a focus on sleep can change everything for patients, but also personally—from mental health to productivity to overall well-being.
For me, it took years to refine my habits and systems, and I am still not perfect but I’ve come a long way. We're not talking about achieving perfection after one night of trying. It will take months if not years to dial in your sleep. I want to share what I’ve learned to help you master sleep for yourself.
Why Sleep is So Important
We all know the incredible feeling of waking up refreshed after a great night’s sleep. Sleep is the foundation of well-being, powering your body, mind, and soul. It rejuvenates, strengthens the immune system, and enhances brain function.
On the flip side, sleep deprivation can wreak havoc:
Cognitive Impairment: Staying awake for 18–24 hours impairs your brain like alcohol intoxication.
Immune System Suppression: Sleep deprivation increases susceptibility to illnesses like the common cold and reduces cancer-fighting natural killer cell activity.
Chronic Disease Risk: Poor sleep is linked to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.
If there’s one thing you can do for your health, it’s prioritizing sleep. Louder in case you didn't catch it. High-quality sleep is more beneficial than any other modifiable lifestyle factor!
Why Sleep is Foundational to Health
In integrative psychiatry, we often talk about pillars of health: nutrition and movement. Yet, sleep is the foundation upon which these pillars rest. Without sleep, even the best diet, exercise routine, or therapy regimen becomes less effective.
Medications for mental health are less effective without enough sleep. We need sleep to allow our brains to restore and replenish the neurotransmitters on which the medication is acting.
Sleep Enhances Other Health Interventions: Poor sleep weakens the body’s response to exercise, dampens motivation for healthy eating, and impairs focus during therapy or personal development work.
Energy Levels Depend on Sleep: Sleep directly affects mitochondrial function, the powerhouse of your cells. A lack of sleep leads to fatigue, reducing your ability to engage in activities that promote health.
Immune System Resilience: Sleep fortifies the immune system, enabling your body to ward off infections, repair damage, and even combat cancer cells.
In short, sleep is not an accessory to a healthy lifestyle; it’s the bedrock upon which optimal health and performance are built.
Debunking the Myth: Adults Only Need 4-6 Hours of Sleep
One of the most pervasive myths about sleep is that adults can thrive on four to six hours of rest. This belief, often perpetuated by grind culture, is scientifically unfounded.
Sleep Duration for Adults: The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours of sleep per night for adults. Sleep needs vary slightly between individuals but rarely drop below this range without health consequences.
Cognitive and Physical Decline: Research shows that getting fewer than six hours of sleep consistently leads to declines in memory, focus, and reaction times. It also increases the risk of chronic diseases.
The Illusion of Adaptation: People who claim to function well on minimal sleep often exhibit measurable deficits in cognitive and physical performance, even if they feel “fine.”
Grind Culture’s False Narrative: Prioritizing productivity over sleep creates a vicious cycle of burnout and poor health. True performance comes from optimizing your energy—and that starts with sleep.
ADHD and Sleep: A Unique Challenge
For individuals with ADHD, sleep can feel elusive. Racing thoughts, impulsivity, and difficulties with routines often disrupt the ability to wind down. Sleep deprivation amplifies ADHD symptoms, creating a vicious cycle of inattention, hyperactivity, and emotional dysregulation.
Any reputable provider treating ADHD absolutely must be discussing sleep with their patients and to help optimize sleep.
Here’s how sleep can support those with ADHD:
Routine Consistency: Sticking to the same bedtime can anchor the day, helping to regulate focus and energy levels.
Morning Light Exposure: Natural light upon waking helps align circadian rhythms, which can be dysregulated in ADHD.
Mindfulness Wind-Down: Practices like guided meditation or deep breathing calm an overactive mind and promote sleep readiness.
Dopamine: When we sleep we allow our brain to rest and use less dopamine, this is important for those with ADHD.
When ADHD is involved, mastering sleep is more than a health goal—it’s a cornerstone for emotional and cognitive stability.
Master the 10 Habits of High-Quality Sleep
Ok, here's the good stuff. I will tell this is not easy, in fact, it is downright hard. It is uncomfortable. It sucks. How else can I put it?
For most people, improving sleep means one must be ready for a massive shift in lifestyle. This is why so many folks would rather pop a pill for sleep (don't get me started on why sleep-aids are problematic). If you're looking for the easy train, might as well head home because this ain't easy!
Reframe Your Identity: Become a “professional sleeper” and prioritize sleep above all else. Plan your day around your sleep schedule and treat bedtime as a sacred appointment. Would you skip work? Time with loved ones? Prob not! Then why skip sleep?
Create a Wind-Down Routine: Dedicate the last hour of your day (at a minimum) to activities that relax your mind and body. Read, journal, or meditate—but avoid screens and stimulating discussions.
Morning Light Matters: Within 15-30 minutes of waking, expose yourself to natural light to regulate your circadian rhythm and boost mood. It is okay to use light therapy devices in darker months.
Regulate Evening Light: At the very least dim lights 1-2 hours before bedtime and limit blue light devices including certain LED bulbs and most screens. Blackout curtains can make your room pitch dark, promoting deeper sleep.
Optimize Bedroom Temperature: Keep your bedroom cool, between 60-67°F. Use breathable bedding and consider cooling devices for personalized comfort. This may sound cold, but your body actually should be cool, not hot to sleep.
Maintain a Consistent Bedtime: Choose a bedtime that allows for 7-9 hours of sleep and stick to it, even on weekends. Consistency reinforces your body’s natural rhythms. Do not deviate more than 30 minutes from this bedtime.
Curate Your Sleep Environment: Your bedroom should be quiet, dark, and reserved for sleep only. Eliminate clutter, invest in a quality mattress, and consider noise machines or earplugs if needed. Ok, sex is fine in bed, but everything else? Do it somewhere else! Think of Pavlov's dogs, our brains become accustomed to laying in bed and not sleeping if we lay in bed and do other things. Break this cycle! Pro tip: put you phone out of reach, ideally in another room.
Time Your Last Meal Wisely: Eat your final meal at least 3-4 hours before bed. Avoid heavy, rich meals that can disrupt sleep by elevating core body temperature and altering blood sugar levels. In a perfect world 4+ hours after your last meal is when you'd get into bed.
Water/liquid: no liquid 2 hours before bed. So your 2-3L of water per day really need to be consumed earlier in the day. If you're down a liter by 5pm its too late.
Avoid Stimulants Before Bed: Caffeine’s half-life means it can still be active in your system up to 10 hours after consumption. Alcohol disrupts deep sleep. Opt for calming herbal teas instead, but don't chug too much tea before bed because we want to limit liquid.
Gather Sleep Data: Use a sleep tracker to monitor your habits and make evidence-based adjustments. Over time, you’ll learn what optimizes your sleep and what doesn’t. That being said, don't let this become an obsession that impairs your emotional wellness. We are looking for trends, not 100% improvement. One night of bad sleep is okay and expected. Over time you will get better at sleeping, I promise!
If you have questions about sleep, reach out! Let's have a chat - I bet I can get you started on a great path for better sleep!
Your Call to Action
Sleep is more than a nightly routine—it’s the foundation of a thriving life. By implementing these habits, you’re not just improving your sleep but investing in your long-term health, performance, and happiness.
Did I mention this is going to be hard? It's going to be hard!
Start your journey today. Your future self will thank you. I am here to help! For those in DC feel free to book a free intro with me. For folks outside of DC, I can offer you coaching and integrative consultations.
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