Tips on how to sleep, breathe and drink water more effectively, according to an expert
Sleeping, breathing and drinking water sounds easy, right? Well, many of us aren't doing these daily tasks effectively, one expert says.
Michael Breus, clinical psychologist and author of "Sleep Drink Breathe: Simple Daily Habits for Profound Long-Term Health," joined "CBS Mornings Plus" Wednesday to share tips on how to optimize these seemingly simple staples.
"What are the three things we've got to have? We've got to sleep, we've got to hydrate and we've got to breathe. And if we can make just some small tweaks, we can do really well," he said. "So many of us are doing it wrong to the point where we're not getting any of the positive effects of these three things. And these three areas are fundamental to overall health."
Getting better sleep
"It's not that sleep is difficult, it's that life seems to get in the way of sleep in many cases," Breus said. "We unfortunately put hurdles in front of us that we don't mean to like caffeine or alcohol or an irregular schedule."
But there are some simple steps for more successful snoozes, including:
- If you can, wake up at the same time seven days a week.
"For most people, if you wake up at the same time, here's what happens: Your melatonin production — remember, that's kind of the key that starts the engine for sleep — that is now consistent," he said. "That's like your internal sleeping pill. So by getting up at the same time, you make consistency at the back end, and it's really helpful."
- Remember, sleep problems don't just magically go away.
"Sleep is a great window into your overall health. So if you're not sleeping well — quantity, quality, something like that — there's a very decent likelihood that something else could be going on," he said.
Hydration tips
Breus' top tip for hydration: Sip, don't gulp.
"Your body can only absorb a certain amount of water at a period of time," he said. "Think of your body like a kitchen sponge in the morning — it's like this hard brick. When you go to the faucet, if you open up the whole faucet on it, what happens? The water hits, it splashes off. But if you open up the faucet halfway, like taking a sip of water, not a gulp, as it drops on, the sponge expands, and now you have a useful tool."
Breathing better
Most people breathe too shallow, Breus said.
"They only use half of their lung, which makes it so that they have to use twice their heart rate to get the same amount of oxygen throughout the system," he explained, adding the way people breathe deeply could also be adjusted.
"If you turn to somebody and say, 'Hey, take a deep breath.' Watch their shoulders," he said. "If they breathe and their shoulders go up, they're not expanding their lungs. What we want to see them have is when they breathe. We want to see their belly experience. They want to breathe horizontal, not vertical."
Below is a short excerpt from the three-week program "The Sleep-Drink-Breathe Plan," included in Breus' book, which includes ideal timestamps for what Breus terms chronotypes — a way of categorizing sleep and activity preferences with labels that mimic different animal patterns — and other tips to improve energy and mood. This excerpt covers only two of the five sections of Week 1. The other sections include post-lunch, pre-dinner and pre-bedtime steps.
WEEK 1
During the first week, get used to the new routine.
Start the day well. Bear: 7:00 a.m. Lion: 6:00 a.m. Wolf: 8:00 a.m. Dolphin 6:30 a.m.
UPON WAKING
Sleep To-Do's
- Get up when the alarm goes off. Do not snooze. You are going for consistency with your wake time! Very important.
- If the sun is up, go outside and get 15 minutes of sunlight. This will signal to your master clock that the day has begun and that it's time to be fully awake. During winter, if the sun isn't out yet, grab time in the sun as soon as you can. If you live a cloudy environment, consider buying full-spectrum light bulbs or a light box to get that morning boost.
- Input morning data into your sleep diary.
Drink To-Do's
- Sip 16 ounces of water, about an ounce per swallow.
- Check morning urine color and skin turgor and input the data in your hydration diary
Breathe To-Do
- Take fifteen deep breaths. The simplest technique: Inhale for four counts, extending the belly, and then exhale for four counts, drawing the belly button toward the spine. Imagine your inhalation sends air to every nook and cranny of your lungs. Every exhalation fully empties them.
MID-MORNING
Keep the wellness going. Bear: 10:00 a.m. Lion: 9:00 a.m. Wolf: 11:00 a.m. Dolphin 9:30 a.m.
Sleep To-Do
- Have one or two 8-ounce servings of caffeinated coffee or tea to slow down your sleep drive. Now that morning cortisol and adrenaline have faded, you can use the adenosine blocker in caffeine to keep up energy and concentration for the rest of the morning.
Drink To-Do's
- Coffee and tea count toward hydration. If you have only one cup, have another 8 ounces of plain water or unflavored seltzer for a total fluid intake of 16 ounces.
- Input mid-morning urine color and skin turgor data into your hydration diary.
Breathe To-Do
- Take fifteen deep breaths. This week, stick to the most basic techniques. While seated, practice 4-4-4-4 box breathing. Inhale for a count of four; hold for four; exhale for four; hold for four. Repeat another fourteen times.
Excerpted from SLEEP DRINK BREATHE by Michael Breus, PhD. Copyright © 2024 by Michael Breus. Used with permission of Little, Brown Spark, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.