Sleep psychologist reveals how your nightly TV-watching ritual could be hindering your sleep

Dr Katherine Hall, the sleep psychologist at Happy Beds, explains that “Often known as the ‘stress hormone’, cortisol is essential for your body’s functioning and is the key hormone in your stress response. Among its many other functions, cortisol controls your sleep-wake cycle. However, when your sleep-wake cycle is disrupted by artificial light such as that from your TV, you are highly likely to experience sleep problems.

“Cortisol is produced by the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis – a complex network. Studies have shown you can suffer from sleep disturbances when the HPA axis is overactive. These disturbances can include insomnia and less time spent asleep, leaving you feeling groggy and unable to wake the following day. In response, your body could attempt to produce more cortisol throughout the day to ‘wake you up’, and the cycle continues.”

“With all of those hours of Netflix watched, the amount of artificial light being consumed can have a detrimental effect on our sleep. Before the existence of this artificial light, our sleep-wake cycle was regulated by the sun setting and rising. However, with more of us taking part in a nightly Netflix binge – which produces artificial light – our melatonin and cortisol levels can be hindered. The light from our televisions can signal to the body to stop the production of your ‘sleep hormone’.

Six changes you can make TONIGHT to reduce your cortisol levels for better sleep

Many of us will take comfort in our nightly routines and programmes that we watch, but to make sure that this doesn’t ruin sleep, the experts at Happy Beds have shared their top six things you can do to get better sleep.

1. Stop exposure to bright light two hours before bedtime

You need to reduce exposure to bright light at least two hours before bed. What that means is limiting exposure to TV and even going so far as putting your phones in a drawer if you are unable to stop scrolling at night.

Bright light can hinder the process of melatonin production, impacting your ability to sleep and wake up in the morning. That’s why you might have noticed you suffer from disrupted sleep in summer, as it takes longer to get dark.

2. Take inspiration from Mediterranean cuisine for dinner

A Mediterranean diet includes foods from countries such as Spain, Italy, France and Greece. This diet is high in plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Previous studies have shown that the Mediterranean diet reduces cortisol response to acute stress and could help if you suffer from impacted sleep.

To incorporate the foods into your diet, start with vegetables, fruits and nuts. This diet is also typically lower in animal products and high in plant food and fish.

3. Go outside for just 17 minutes today

The outdoors can do wonders for your cortisol levels, and just 17 minutes outside, soaking up the sounds, sights and textures of the outdoor world can significantly lower your stress levels. So much so that it can even help set a sleep routine for insomnia and reduce any negative, ruminative thoughts that keep you awake at night.

4. Spend 10 minutes with your pet before bed

10 minutes of playing or stroking your pet can lower cortisol levels. This study was tested on students suffering from high cortisol levels due to exams. The researchers discovered that those students who directly interacted with animals had lower cortisol levels in their saliva.

5. Understand what triggers your stress levels

If you can, identify and write down what increases your stress levels. This will make it much easier to be aware of and avoid in the future.

For instance, you can recognise if your stress levels begin to rise by changes in breathing, heart rate and other tension in your body. It might be something as simple as working late into the night that you notice affects your stress levels. If that is the case, set a time when you stop work and move away from the screen to let yourself decompress and relax before the next working day.

6. Go to bed at the same time every night

Inconsistent bedtimes and morning rises can stop your brain from understanding when it is time to sleep. You might recognise this if you consistently go to bed late but have tried to take an early bedtime due to an important task the next day. However, instead of going to sleep, you have spent hours staring at the ceiling.

A consistent sleep schedule will ensure your brain understands the signals for going to sleep and waking up. Review your week and come up with a realistic time for bed – mainly if you are a night owl – and a time for waking up that allows you to complete all morning tasks without rushing around and feeling tired.

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Credit: Happy Beds : https://www.happybeds.co.uk/blog/how-to-lower-stress-levels-for-better-sleep