How To Improve Your Sleep with Advice from an Expert
Turn down the thermostat, and turn up your quality of sleep with these tips from Debi Lynes, a Hilton Head-based sleep specialist.
Story by Audrey Geib
Key Points
Local sleep expert Debi Lynes shares her simple recipe for sweeter dreams:
● Keep it clean: Cozy sheets, no electronic screens and a calm space make for the perfect sleep setup.
● Set your rhythm: Try to head to bed and wake up around the same time each day. Your body loves predictability.
● Know your window: Work backward from your wake-up time to find your perfect bedtime sweet spot.
Getting a good night’s sleep is about more than the right mattress or soft lighting. It’s written in the air. More specifically, in the temperature of the air.
Debi Lynes, a Hilton Head-based sleep specialist with a Ph.D. in the psychology of spaces and places, explains that the key to feeling and looking your best in the new year starts with sleep.
“Sleep is a really, really important topic,” Lynes said. “And I think it’s becoming more and more of an important topic as we realize that it really is a natural fountain of youth.”
Temperature plays a surprisingly big role in our ability to rest well, Lynes explains, but it’s just one piece of the larger puzzle of healthy sleep.
“Getting a good night’s sleep is probably the single most important thing you can do for yourself when it comes to activities of daily living,” she said. “People who get a good night’s sleep have lower blood pressure. They don’t gain weight as quickly. They have less cognitive decline. They are also able to manage and maintain a positive mindset.”
Lynes has spent the past decade practicing cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia, using nonmedical therapeutic interventions that address anxiety, worry and poor sleep hygiene.
Lavender and chamomile essential oils can help calm the mind and promote deeper, more restful sleep. Other relaxing choices include bergamot for easing anxiety, cedarwood for grounding and sandalwood for quieting the mind.
Sleep hygiene
If you’ve never heard the term “sleep hygiene,” think of it as your nighttime ritual.
“Sleep hygiene includes tools and techniques you can use before you go to bed for an enhanced quality of sleep,” Lynes said. “Doing the same things in the same order each night cues your brain that it’s time for rest.”
The secret ingredient is consistency. Small habits matter, such as taking a warm shower, following a skincare routine or sipping a cup of chamomile tea.
The science of sleep temperature
If you love cranking up the thermostat on chilly nights, this might be hard to hear. Even in the coziest winter months, Lynes says a cooler environment is key.
In other words, cozy doesn’t mean toasty. It means cool and calm.
“Lower the temperature of your thermostat to 67 or 68 degrees,” Lynes said. “We have to lower our body temperature by one to three degrees in order to get a good night’s sleep.”
Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night to feel their best. Too little can affect mood, memory and metabolism, while too much may leave you groggy instead of refreshed. Ideally, it should take about 10 to 20 minutes to fall asleep. Nodding off instantly could mean you’re overtired, while taking longer might signal stress or too much screen time before bed. ©Greg Pappas
Finding your rhythm
Humans are creatures of rhythm, specifically circadian rhythm, the body’s built-in clock that tells us when to feel sleepy and when to perk up.
“When you tell your body predictably, ‘Hey, most nights I’m going to go to sleep at 11, and I’m going to get ready for bed at 10,’ then your body begins to predict that’s your sleep cycle,” Lynes said. “It creates a habit, and that habit gets imprinted, which is called neuroplasticity. You begin to form a new neural circuit around good sleep hygiene and a good sleep habit.”
You don’t have to hit the pillow at exactly 10:05. As long as you go to bed around the same time each night, even if some nights are later than others, it will improve your quality of sleep.
When counting sheep doesn’t cut it
Whether you’re a morning lark or a late-night owl, your sleep style is perfectly normal. However, even the best routines can crumble when the mind won’t shut off.
“Probably the biggest deterrent to sleep is worry,” Lynes said.
If you find yourself tossing and turning, she suggests getting out of bed.
“If you lie in bed for 20 minutes and you’re constantly turning, get out of bed,” she said. “Find an activity to do until you get tired again. Usually, that’s about 15 to 20 minutes. Read a magazine or a book, preferably not on a tablet or social media, because you don’t want to rev your brain up again.”
When planning your sleep routine, Lynes says it’s important to aim for at least one long stretch of uninterrupted rest each night.
“Everyone needs four and a half hours of consolidated sleep every day, all the time, to be cognitively and physically restored,” she said. “If you have that, then your brain gets scrubbed clean, and you come back physically stronger and cognitively more aware.”
