Enhancing Rem Sleep: Strategies To Optimize Whoop Performance

Getting a good night's sleep is about more than just feeling well-rested. Sleep plays a vital role in keeping your brain and body healthy, and one of the most important stages of the sleep cycle is REM sleep. REM sleep, or rapid eye movement sleep, is when your brain consolidates memories and regulates your mood. Most adults should aim for around 90 minutes of REM sleep per night, but factors like stress, diet, and technology use can all negatively impact the amount of REM sleep you get. So, how can you increase your REM sleep? WHOOP has identified several strategies to improve your sleep quality and get more REM sleep, including maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, avoiding alcohol before bed, and creating a relaxing sleep environment.

Avoid alcohol before bed

Alcohol is a depressant, which means that it can help you fall asleep faster. However, these effects wear off within a few hours as your body metabolises the alcohol in your system. According to the National Sleep Foundation, one reason for poor sleep after drinking is the increased production of adenosine, a sleep-inducing chemical in the brain. While adenosine helps you fall asleep quickly, it quickly subsides, making you more likely to wake up during the night.

Drinking alcohol before bed is also associated with more slow-wave sleep patterns, or delta activity. However, alpha activity, which indicates wakefulness with eyes closed and often precedes sleep, is also turned on at the same time. Experiencing these two brain wave activities simultaneously is believed to inhibit quality rest.

Alcohol also inhibits REM sleep, which is often considered the most mentally restorative phase of sleep. During REM sleep, your brain converts short-term memories made during the day into long-term ones. Research suggests that alcohol disproportionately affects REM sleep. As a sedative, alcohol prevents you from achieving the restorative sleep that is the purpose of sleep.

Finnish researchers found in a 2018 study that alcohol negatively impacted sleep quality regardless of consumption level. They found that low, moderate, and heavy alcohol intake reduced sleep quality by 9.3%, 24%, and nearly 40%affected men and women similarly, and that it impacted younger people more than older adults.

To improve your sleep quality, it is recommended to avoid alcohol at least three hours before bed. This is because the more alcohol you drink and the closer you drink it to bedtime, the stronger its effects will be.

Wear blue-light blocking glasses

Blue-light-blocking glasses are designed to reduce blue light exposure while allowing other wavelengths in the light spectrum to pass through. Blue light is all around us, with the sun being the largest source of it. However, it becomes an issue when we are exposed to too much blue light before bedtime.

Most electronic screens, such as smartphones, laptops, and televisions, emit blue light. This type of light stimulates our brains and interferes with our sleep. By blocking this blue light, these glasses are supposed to make it easier to fall asleep and improve sleep quality.

The effectiveness of blue-light-blocking glasses is still a subject of debate among researchers. While some studies suggest that they can improve sleep quality and mood, others find no significant improvement in sleep or vision performance. The glasses also don't address other factors that affect sleep, such as stress, late meals, or alcohol consumption.

However, given the potential benefits, it might be worth trying blue-light-blocking glasses to see if they work for you. It is recommended to put them on up to three hours before bedtime. Additionally, it's important to note that these glasses are not medical devices, and their effectiveness can vary.

To further reduce blue light exposure, you can also use blue-light-blocking screen protectors for your devices or enable night mode or night shift on your smartphone or computer.

Maintain a sleep schedule

Maintaining a sleep schedule is one of the most important things you can do to increase your REM sleep. This means going to bed and getting up at similar times each day. Your body functions more efficiently on a regular schedule, and that includes your sleep.

To maintain a sleep schedule, you should:

• Prioritize your sleep: Understand the benefits of getting enough quality sleep and how it can help you feel great and perform at your best.
• Use bedtime reminders and alarms: Set reminders for your bedtime routine and use a wake-up alarm to start your day without the worry of oversleeping.
• Keep to your wind-down routine: Develop a simple plan to let your mind and body prepare for sleep every night. This could include relaxing activities like reading a book, meditating, journaling, or listening to calming music. Consistency is key.
• Avoid napping: Avoid afternoon naps, especially if they interfere with your bedtime. If you need to make up for lost sleep, sleeping in a little on the weekends can help.
• Set a bedtime: Gradually adjust your bedtime if it's too early for you. Start with a bedtime you're comfortable with and incrementally change it until you reach your desired bedtime.
• Stick to your schedule: Even if you don't sleep, stick to your bedtime and wake-up times. Your body will eventually adjust to the new schedule.
• Avoid technology before bed: The blue light from screens disrupts the release of melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep. Set an electronic curfew, turning off all screens at least one to two hours before bedtime.
• Avoid substances: Caffeine, alcohol, and heavy meals before bed can interfere with your sleep. Avoid these substances, especially close to bedtime. Opt for a light snack if you're hungry.
• Avoid physical activity before bed: Physical activity can energize the body and raise your body temperature, making it harder to fall asleep. However, being physically active earlier in the day can improve your sleep quality.

Stay hydrated during the day

Staying hydrated is essential for ensuring your body functions as it should throughout the day and during sleep. Dehydration can negatively impact your sleep quality and duration, and even cause symptoms that make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. These symptoms include dry mouth, feelings of thirst, muscle cramps and spasms, headaches, and migraines.

To stay hydrated during the day, it is recommended to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Most adults need to drink around two litres of water every day, though this may vary depending on factors such as exercise, breastfeeding, or illness. It is also important to consider other factors that can affect hydration, such as caffeine and alcohol consumption, as these substances can act as diuretics and increase urination. Additionally, consuming water-dense foods such as cucumbers, lettuce, celery, squashes, strawberries, and watermelon can contribute to hydration.

Staying hydrated during the day is particularly important as drinking too much water before bed can also disrupt sleep due to the need for nighttime bathroom trips. Therefore, it is suggested to avoid fluids at least one hour before bedtime and up to two to three hours if you have a hyperactive bladder or incontinence.

By staying hydrated during the day and avoiding excessive fluid intake close to bedtime, you can support your body's hydration levels and promote a good night's rest, including improved REM sleep.

Read before bed

Reading before bed can be an effective way to improve your sleep quality and promote a more relaxed state of mind. Research suggests that reading before bed can help to ease stress and emotional distress, improve sleep quality, relieve insomnia, and promote longer sleep duration.

• Location: Find a comfortable spot to read, such as a cosy corner with pillows and blankets.
• Lighting: Use dim or amber lights instead of bright lights. Consider using an amber bulb in your reading lamp.
• Atmosphere: Create a relaxing atmosphere with aromatherapy or soft music without vocals.
• Preparation: Do any pre-bedtime tasks like brushing your teeth and washing your face before you start reading, so you can go straight to bed when you feel sleepy.
• Timing: If you often have trouble falling asleep, avoid reading in bed. Instead, try reading in a different location and only go to bed when you feel sleepy.

It's also important to note that the format of your book matters. Reading on a phone or tablet with a light-emitting screen can disrupt your sleep due to the brain-stimulating blue light. So, if you're reading on an electronic device, make sure it has a monochrome screen that doesn't emit blue light.

Additionally, reading is just one part of improving your sleep habits. Here are some other tips to increase your REM sleep:

• Hydration: Stay properly hydrated throughout the day, but avoid drinking too much before bed to prevent disrupting your sleep with trips to the bathroom.
• Routine: Develop and maintain a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends.
• Avoid screens: Keep gadgets and screens out of the bedroom, and avoid using screened devices in bed.
• Limit alcohol: Drinking alcohol can delay when you enter REM sleep and reduce the overall time spent in this stage.
• Sleep environment: Maintain a cool, dark, and quiet bedroom environment.
• Exercise: Regular exercise can help improve your sleep quality.

By incorporating these habits into your bedtime routine, you can improve your overall sleep quality and increase your REM sleep.

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