Summer: The Longest Days of the Year = Less Sleep
By: Alicia Byelich, MS
It’s official (as of June 20th) summer is here! Late night marshmallow roasting over a fire pit, watching the sun rise over the ocean, and kayaking to the setting sun are all activities you may partake in. You’ve probably heard of “the lazy days of summer”…but, are they really? Sure, there are no school schedules to keep, homework is a thing of the past, vacations abound, but with these fun activities you may find yourself staying up later to enjoy the longer days and rising with the first rays of light as the birds sing outside your window.
Actually, research has shown that in spring and summer, as the days grow longer, there is a correlation between later bedtimes and earlier risings (Mattingly et al., 2021). The problem is our need for sleep doesn’t change just because it’s light out longer. According to The National Sleep Foundation (2020, October) the following are recommended amounts of sleep: Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours; 4-11 months of age:12-15 hours, Toddler’s (1-2 yrs): 11-14 hours; Preschoolers (3-5 yrs): 10-13 hours; School-Aged (6-13 yrs): 9-11 hours; Teenagers (14-17 yrs): 8-10 hours; Adults (18-64): 7-9 hours; Seniors 65 + may need less, 7-8 hours. How many hours of sleep are you getting?
Studies have found many correlations between a variety of physical and mental health struggles and too little sleep. In adolescents ages 13-18, a study with 10,123 participants found that decreased sleep/irregular sleep patterns correlated with an increase in mood disturbances, anxiety, substance use, behavioral disorders, suicidality, and overall decrease in perceived mental and physical health (Zhang et al., 2016). In adults, inadequate sleep was found to be correlated to depression, poor perceived mental health, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, suicidality, and a decrease in neuropsychological performance (Zhang et al., 2016). Insufficient sleep was also correlated with post-traumatic stress, eating disorders, and psychosis experiences in the form of hallucination and delusions (Scott et al., 2021).
Knowing these negative correlations between our mental and physical health and insufficient sleep, what can be done to help? Sleep is sometimes hard to come by, but there are things that you may do to help get better quality, and maybe even longer hours of sleep. First, the environment you sleep in is very important. Your bedroom should be designed as a place of relaxation and rest. If you are able, try not to do work-related activities in your room, this will help your brain learn that the bedroom is for rest. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that you do the following:
Darken Your Room: Reduce blue light from electronics (stop all electronics at least one hour before bed), get room darkening curtains if needed, turn off lights to help increase melatonin production which will help you sleep. (2020, November)
Lower the Temperature: When you sleep your body temperature drops; keeping your room cool mimics this process. Keeping your room temperature between 60 and 67 degrees is ideal. (2020, November)
Your Bed Sheets and Mattress Matter: Everyone has their own preference of what works for them in regard to firmness of mattress, sheet and blanket material and pillow softness. If you don’t like the feel of your current bed it may be time to head over to a mattress store or purchase a foam topper and new sheets. (2020, November)
Noise Reduction: Make your room as quiet as possible; turn off radios, tv’s, ask people in your home to be quiet. If it’s hard to sleep due to it being “too quiet” or you hear traffic or talking in other people’s rooms, try a sound machine that produces white noise. You may even consider moving your bed to a different area of the room away from the noises you hear at night. (2020, November)
Maintain a Sleep Schedule: You circadian rhythm (the hormones and chemicals in your body that tell help you know when to go to sleep and when to wake) improves with a regular sleep schedule; this is best to be maintained 7 days a week. (2022, March)
Eating and Drinking: Eating too close to bedtime can negatively impact your sleep; being sure your food is digested by eating 2 or 3 hours before bed may be helpful. Alcohol too close to bedtime may also negatively impact your sleep quality; keep away from caffeine before bed as well as this too may prevent you from being able to go and stay asleep. (2022, March)
Exercise: Exercising 30 minutes a day, five days a week may help improve your sleep. Even better, exercise outdoors, spending an hour in natural light during the day helps your body to wake up and differentiate when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to be awake. (2022)
Naps: Napping has been found to be a healthy way to boost your energy during the day if needed. However, it’s been found to be helpful to keep naps to around 20 minutes and before 2:00 pm. If you decide to take a nap, set an alarm to help you not oversleep. (2022, May)
If you have tried all these suggestions and continue to struggle to sleep don’t hesitate to talk with your doctor. You may be suffering from any number of medical disorders, like sleep apnea, which may impact your rest. If you are struggling to sleep due to stress, or anxiety, help is out there. Counseling can help you manage your stress and learn healthy ways to cope so that you no longer struggle to fall asleep from worry or wake up in the early morning hours with your mind reeling.
Enjoy the longer days, enjoy the warmer temperatures, but remember, to fully get all the enjoyment you can out of summer, adequate sleep is essential. Start new habits today to enjoy the summer months even more.
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References
Zhang, J., Paksarian, D., Lamers, F., Hickie, I., He, J., & Merikangas, K.R. (2016, December). Sleep patterns and mental health correlates in US Adolescents. The Journal of Pediatrics, 182, 137-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.11.007
Mattingly, S.M., Grover, T., Martinez, G.J., Aledavood, T., Robles-Granda, P., Nies, K., Striegel, A., & Mark, G. (2021). The effects of seasons and weather on sleep patterns measured through longitudinal multimodal sensing. npj Digit. Med. 4,(76). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-021-00435-2
National Sleep Foundation. (2022) Be your best slept self. https://www.thensf.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/NSF-2022-BSS-Infographic.pdf
National Sleep Foundation. (2022, March 13). Healthy sleep starts before you hit the sheets. https://www.thensf.org/healthy-sleep-starts-before-you-hit-the-sheets/
National Sleep Foundation. (2020, October 1). How much sleep do you really need? https://www.thensf.org/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-really-need/
National Sleep Foundation. (2020, November 10). How to make a sleep friendly bedroom.
https://www.thensf.org/how-to-make-a-sleep-friendly-bedroom/
National Sleep Foundation. (2021, May). The benefits of napping. https://www.thensf.org/the-benefits-of-napping/
Scott, A. J., Webb, T. L., Martyn-St James, M., Rowse, G., & Weich, S. (2021). Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101556.
