What Is 'Clean Sleeping' and How You Can Do It
Clean sleeping is the next frontier in wellness all thanks to Goop founder, Gwyneth Paltrow. Coined by the Goop goddess herself, clean sleeping is about making sleep a priority above everything else. Which makes sense since sleeping is how we start and end our days and recharge our bodies. And while Gwyneth gives out occasionally impractical lifestyle advice (getting stung by bees for beauty, anyone?), this one is both practical and helpful. And it has to do with getting comfy in bed and sleeping, which we’re 1000% here for.
But, why should you clean up your sleep? According to nutrition experts, poor sleep can affect your metabolism and hormones. Weight gain, bad moods, impaired memory and brain fog throughout the day, reduced immunity, are all health concerns that can happen from not getting enough shuteye. So here are some Goop-approved ways that you can get your sleep squeaky clean:
1. Go to bed at the same time every night. By getting used to a consistent sleep schedule, you’re helping your body stabilize your internal body clock. That little helpful thing our body does to keep us on track and tells us “Hey, it’s time to hit the sheets.” This limits the stress you put on your body by having varying sleep times every night.
HOW YOU CAN DO THIS: 10 p.m. is suggested, but pick a time that works for you. Set a reminder on your phone that lets you know 30 minutes before sleep time that it’s time to get ready for bed. Or download an app that both lets you know when its time for bed and tracks your sleeping patterns. Our personal favorite is Sleep Cycle and it’s available on Apple and Android devices.
2. Turn off your devices before bed. The blue light emitted from your devices (phone, laptops, tablets, etc.) suppresses the production of melatonin which in turn promotes wakefulness. The body is sensitive to this kind of light and its natural rhythms get confused when you’re taking in blue light when it’s nighttime out. By turning off your devices, or even putting them on “Do Not Disturb” mode, you’re not confusing your body as to what time of day it is.
HOW YOU CAN DO THIS: There are many ways to get rid of device usage at bedtime. You can turn off your devices completely, put them on “Do Not Disturb” or “Airplane” mode, or you can have them charging in a different room. If you do want to use your devices before bedtime, download an app that turns your screen light yellow (which filters out that blue light.) Google has a bunch of resources for both Apple and Android devices.
3. Ban bedtime snacks. By having snacks before bed, or eating late, your digestive process working to break down those foods is going to interrupt your sleep. Instead of your body detoxifying and cleansing itself while you sleep, it’s going to be working to digest the food you ate and sleep quality will fall to the wayside.
HOW YOU CAN DO THIS: Keep a 12-hour fasting window. If you finish dinner at 9 p.m., you shouldn’t eat breakfast until after 9 a.m. the next day. This gives your body enough time to slip into detox mode and get enough sleep to do its detoxifying job properly.
It’s not as difficult as it seems to get into clean sleeping, even the little changes you make can greatly improve your quality of sleep. Some changes may be tough at first (you mean I can’t eat Goldfish crackers while scrolling through my phone and binge watching Netflix?!), but the beauty and wellness payoff is well worth it.