Tired, grumpy and extremely frustrated, Lesley was at her wit’s end to get a decent night’s sleep.
For weeks she had been battling a nasty chest infection with a lingering non-productive cough that got worse the instant she attempted to lay down to sleep.
Work was going through an exceptionally busy patch, and she was way behind in her tasks, which was making her anxious and compounding her difficulties getting enough sleep.
It’s not unusual to go through periods where sleep becomes horribly elusive, resulting in daytime fatigue, difficulty paying attention and an increased tendency to forget things.
But what do you do, when you’ve been through the entire sleep hygiene manual, drunk gallons of chamomile tea leading to multiple trips to the loo during the night and at risk of becoming apoplectic if you have to listen to one more session of sleep mediation listening to that annoying breathy voice.
Fear not, there are a few other things you may find helpful to break the “I can’t sleep” cycle. Best of all they are free, do not involve medication and have been shown by the research to work.
What have you got to lose, other than those horrid bags under your eyes?
This is about using time in nature.
This has been known about for a long time, but of course we need to have the scientific data to reveal the truth.
Let’s start by taking yourself back to that weird time in 2020, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Suddenly we were in lockdown and restricted from spending time outdoors. It was a stressful and uncertain period, two things which in themselves are not conducive for restful sleep.
Studies at that time showed that having less time in nature was associated with shorter sleep, more chronic insomnia, lower levels of happiness and optimism and poorer health status.
Did you notice this too?
Three ways time in nature can help you sleep better.
1. Get outside into the early morning light.
No sunglasses required.
Simply stepping outside into natural light (it doesn’t matter if the sun is shining or not) helps to reset your circadian rhythm, a natural process that responds to changes in light and dark, to help you know when to be awake and alert or asleep.
Shift workers know only too well, just how hard it is to sleep with even a chink of sunlight penetrating the bedroom.
Natural light synchronises the body to sunrise and sunset. This isn’t achieved with artificial light and exposure to this type of light at the wrong times can throw our sleep pattern out of whack.
To get your circadian rhythm realigned, there’s nothing better than a weekend camping trip where being outside exposed to natural light for longer triggers an earlier rise in the level of melatonin, the hormone produced in response to emerging darkness. Campers have been shown to go to bed earlier and sleep longer.
This wonderful study by Professor Ken Wright from CU Boulder explains how “modern life delays our circadian rhythm, disrupting sleep.”
While weekend wilderness camping trips might not be readily available, being aware of the need to spend more time outside in natural light and to tune into darkness, reducing our dependence or type of artificial light in the evenings can all help.
An increase in time spent outside to greater than 12 hours a week is associated with higher odds of normal sleep.
2. Get more fresh air.
Are you someone who can’t sleep unless at least one of the bedroom windows is cracked open? This is one thing my husband and I can never agree on. I like the window open to circulate the air in the room and keep the room cool. He hates that because he’s a light sleeper and external nocturnal noise and birdsong keeps him awake.
I also struggle with hotel rooms which are often hermetically sealed to prevent any fresh air entering the room, These always feel stuffy to me.
But fresh air can help sleep as demonstrated in a 4-week trial.
A well-ventilated room with improved air quality improves sleep.
Researcher Xiaojun Fan suggests bedrooms should be ventilated with clean outdoor air. If that’s not possible, an air purifier or filtration system can also help.
3. More time outside to boost physical and mental well-being.
Spending more time outside is linked to increased physical activity, this in itself is great for promoting better sleep. In addition, being outside lowers levels of stress which, in combination with being away from the multiple distractions of our technologies, can restore mental energy, increase positive emotion and lower anxiety or rumination.
In addition, green spaces offer opportunities for social interactions and community engagement, all of which contribute to a sense of belonging and connection, helping us to sleep more soundly at night.
Lesley is now sleeping better. She chose to get outside into the early morning light more often and has relished the peace and tranquillity it provides before jumping into the mayhem of her regular day.
She’s also joined a local walking group to increase the amount of time she spends outside each week.
Her cough is improving (slowly), but she says the best thing is she’s feeling so much better in herself.
If you’ve been sleeping poorly, has spending more time in nature helped you?
