Good Sleep Is Good Medicine

Dear friends,

If there were a prescription that could improve your memory, help regulate your blood pressure, boost your mood, keep your immune system strong, and even slow the aging process, wouldn’t you take it? Well, that miracle medicine already exists. It’s called sleep.

Give yourself permission to rest. In a world that constantly pushes us to do more, rest is a powerful act of self-respect. Sleep is necessary care for your mind, body, and spirit.

Consistent, quality sleep is one of the most powerful, and most overlooked, tools we have for protecting our health. And yet, it’s often the first thing we sacrifice when life gets busy.

I’ve come to realize that sleep deserves its own category. It’s not just part of your wellness routine, it is your wellness routine. Just like breathing, sleep is essential. Without it, we struggle physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The longer we go without it, the more our bodies and our lives start to pay the price.

Why does sleep matter so much? It isn’t just downtime, it’s an active process where your body heals, your brain resets, and your systems recalibrate. During the deepest phase of sleep, REM (rapid eye movement), your brain processes emotions, commits experiences to memory, and even solves problems. Your brain literally works while you dream.

When we don’t get enough sleep, or good quality sleep, everything suffers. We become more irritable, make poor decisions, forget things, and struggle to focus. There is a reason doctors and pilots have strict rules about rest. Mistakes caused by sleep deprivation can be fatal. But it’s not just high-stakes professions. If you’re driving a car, caring for others, making financial decisions, or even managing your household, sleep-deprived choices can have real consequences.

And it’s not just about how you feel, it’s also about what is happening beneath the surface.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says that chronic sleep deprivation increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and depression. It also disrupts hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism, which is why poor sleep is tied to weight gain.

And here’s something that might surprise you: sleep even affects your biological age. Poor sleep habits can accelerate aging at the cellular level, while deep and restorative sleep helps slow it down.

Now that we’re in the heart of summer, many people take time off or adjust their schedules. Vacations, long weekends, and lighter routines might seem like a good time to “catch up” on sleep. But here’s the truth: while you may feel better after sleeping in a few mornings, research shows that you can’t fully reverse the damage of chronic sleep deprivation.

A 2019 study from the University of Colorado Boulder published in Current Biology found that weekend recovery sleep does not make up for metabolic disruptions caused by weekday sleep loss. So yes, rest is good, but it’s consistency that counts most.

As a physician, I’ve treated patients who can’t sleep because of pain, hormonal changes, or stress. But I’ve also spoken with people who struggle silently, unsure of why they can’t stay asleep or fall asleep at all. For some, those 2 a.m. wake-up calls are just the tip of the iceberg.

When patients tell me they wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep, I listen closely. Sometimes the culprit is physical. But other times, it’s emotional because of issues around grief, depression, anxiety, lingering worries, or unprocessed trauma. The body may be still, but the mind is wide awake and very active.

This is especially true for people going through caregiving stress, job loss, major life changes, or the death of a loved one. If you’ve experienced this, you’re not alone, and you shouldn’t have to suffer in silence. Sleep disruptions can be a signal from your body that something deeper needs your attention. Don’t ignore it. Talk to someone. Reach out. Your well-being depends on it.

I’ve been known to lean on lavender to help calm my senses at night. Just a few drops of lavender essential oil on my pillow, a warm cup of herbal tea, and a deep breath can go a long way. But good sleep takes more than just good scents. It takes good habits.

Here are a few simple but effective tips to improve your sleep hygiene:

1. Set a sleep schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Your body thrives on rhythm.

2. Create a wind-down routine: Signal to your body that it’s time to rest. This might mean reading a book, turning down the lights, or listening to calming music. Avoid screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime.

3. Watch what you eat and drink: Avoid caffeine and heavy meals in the evening. Alcohol might help you fall asleep, but often leads to poor-quality rest and middle-of-the-night wakefulness.

4. Move your body: Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, but be careful not to exercise too close to bedtime.

5. Keep your sleep environment sacred: Make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary: cool, dark, quiet, and comfortable. Use your bed for sleep (and intimacy), not work, scrolling, or TV.

6. Pay attention to patterns: If you’re consistently struggling to sleep, take notes. When did it start? What’s happening in your life? Don’t ignore the signs, raise them with your doctor.

Give yourself permission to rest. In a world that constantly pushes us to do more, rest is a powerful act of self-respect. Sleep isn’t wasted time, it’s necessary care for your mind, body, and spirit. It’s your body’s way of checking in with you. It’s a conversation that lets you know if you are overwhelmed, out of balance, or overstimulated. It’s up to you to listen.

Let’s stop treating sleep like an option, because when you rest well, you live well. You’ve probably heard the old phrase from doctors, “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.” But as we now know, consistent, quality sleep may be the most powerful medicine of all.

With your health in mind,