Transition to Sleep
The act of falling asleep requires some major changes in our biology. Our body must shift gears—as does our brain. It is not just a matter of stepping on the brakes. This breaking can be quite damaging if it is not accompanied by some transitions. In this study, we have identified two kinds of transitions. There are transitions related to the environment outside our body. These are temperature changes. There are also transitions related to the environment inside our body (and mind). These are changes in cognition (thinking) and affect (feeling).
Temperature Change
This third set of pathways might be the most interesting and least often acknowledged of the many pathways we have studied. We know that our body adjusts when we move from an environment of one level of heat or cold to another level of heat or cold. For those of us who grew up as children in a world of chilly winters, there was often the experience of growing suddenly sleepy after coming into a warm home after several hours of playing out in the cold. Conversely, as adults we might have become sleepy when coming into a relatively cool house after spending time in a hot tub or sauna. There is even the drowsiness that follows a lovely time spent in a hot bath or taking a hot shower.
As user ratings from our survey reveal, both the transition from cold to hot and from hot to cold can serve as an effective prelude to sleep. While neither of these transitions are for everyone, they can be of great value to many of us. One of my colleagues has a hot tub just outside her bedroom. She and her partner spend time in this hot tub every evening (except during the summer). It is then off to bed. Another of my colleagues opens all of the windows in his bedroom—even during the dead of winter. He leaps into his bed (which is covered with a heavy quilt) and settles in for a “long winter’s night” (to quote that famous Christmas story). Yet another colleague reports leaping into the chilly lake beside his summer cottage before going to bed. For each of us, our own best practices. In this regard, we can once again be experimenters of our own sleep.
Cognitive and Affective Change
“If you’re worried and you can’t sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep.” Is there any truth to this old, worn out saying? Can we actually set up our mind and emotions for relaxation, decluttering our brain, draining away our worries, and just settling down for a good night of sleep? The experts don’t think there is much we can do about these matters and our user ratings tend to be quite scattered (high variance scores). There is some support for appreciative reflection (“counting your blessings”) but not for “Instead of counting sheep” (perhaps too “cheesy” a statement).
It is a matter of focusing in on a few things that went well during the day—but not too much reflection on “why” they went well (this gets us into a state of cognitive arousal). Sharing our appreciation with someone important in our life (such as the person with whom we are sleeping) might do the trick. Maybe they offer us a gentle massage, or at least a warm embrace before we go to bed. Scratching of our dog’s ear might be helpful as might a brief snuggle with our cat.
