Expert Advice: Make Your Bed A Sanctuary Only For Sleep And Sex

Losing sleep does not make anyone more productive at work and can even ruin personal relationships, according to a neurologist and sleep specialist, who is on a

mission to help more people develop better circadian rhythms so they can avoid the pitfalls of habitual sleeplessness.

A circadian rhythm, or circadian cycle, is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours.

In an era characterized by the hustle culture, Dr. Deborah Bernardo understands that a lot of workers are not getting enough sleep these days, leading to high levels of stress and anxiety, which must not be taken lightly since it can adversely impact their overall physical, mental and emotional health.

According to a recent survey, Filipinos ranked fourth among the most sleepless people in the world.

Bernardo said a lot of people associate sleeplessness with productivity totally ignoring the adverse health consequences that lack of sleep brings.

At a webinar hosted by online business community Bounce Back Philippines on Sept. 13, Bernardo advised everyone who are currently following a work-from-home (WFH) routine amid the COVID-19 pandemic to stop treating their bedrooms as workstations. 

“There is no cure for sleeplessness besides getting enough sleep. But there are behavioral changes that we can do to improve sleep. You should make your bedroom a sanctuary… We want the bed to be used only for sleep and sex,” she said.

“You should go to it when you are ready to sleep and you want to go to sleep. Exercise helps. Exposure to the sunlight early in the morning helps a lot in synchronizing our circadian rhythm,” the sleep specialist added.

While experts still recommend having a minimum of seven to eight hours of sleep for adults, and at least nine to 12 hours for school-aged children and adolescents, Bernardo said this cannot be expected of everyone the whole year because the quality of sleep changes as people age.

Forcing ourselves to fall asleep by putting so much pressure on our brains to switch off is counterintuitive, she explained, acknowledging the fact that chronic insomnia and other types of sleep disorders are connected to underlying mental health problems.

“Insomnia or hypersomnia—difficulty falling asleep or sleeping too much—is a manifestation of anxiety and depression. People who sleep less are also prone to anxiety and depression. This is a vicious cycle,” Bernardo said.

Research has likewise shown that prolonged sleep deprivation, especially during mid-life, may put people at risk of developing dementia and other brain diseases in the future. “So, you want to start improving your sleep as soon as possible,” the neurologist emphasized.

For these reasons, health and wellness firm Wellspring Philippines created melatonin gummies, a food supplement that can help people relax and calm their minds before going to sleep. Melatonin is defined as a brain hormone responsible for controlling the body's sleep cycle. It is also an antioxidant. 

Wellspring PH chief operations officer (COO) Casey Ching clarified they are not marketing this product as a “sleeping pill” or an antidote for insomnia, but more like an alternative vitamin to help improve the quality of sleep.

“Hindi siya ‘yung parang kakainin mo and then knockout ka kaagad. Hindi siya ganoon. (It’s not something that you take and instantly knocks you out. It doesn’t work like that.) It’s a light way of promoting a deeper and more restful sleep,” Ching stressed.

The company COO said their melatonin gummies were formulated with natural ingredients made of herbs and fruit extracts to help address the frustrations of people who have trouble sleeping due to work-related stress and family obligations such as freelancers and hustling parents.

“When we lack sleep, we tend to not function optimally. We are stressed and when we wake up, we don’t feel well-rested. That feeling hampers our productivity generally speaking. So, it is important to give ample time for sleep and rest,” Ching said in a mix of English and Tagalog.

Freelance content writer Mark Darwin Balaswit and working mom Vanna Rodrigo-Reyes of Madiskarte Moms PH said they could relate to this problem, having struggled with sleeplessness over the years due to the unconventional nature of their jobs under the gig economy.

Balaswit used to have a full-time employment with a Manila-based Japanese company on top of his side hustles, which prevented him from getting a normal amount of sleep that later on affected his productivity at work. He eventually resigned from his previous post to focus on his freelance gigs.

He accepted the findings of sleep experts like Bernardo and is now advocating for the culture of sleep deprivation and over fatigue among Filipinos to stop, debunking commonly held beliefs that sacrificing sleep makes you a more efficient worker.

“People, especially Filipinos, kind of wear this (as a) badge of honor when they don’t get enough sleep, thinking that it makes them better or hard-working… So, it becomes a joke or it gets normalized, and I think it needs to stop as soon as possible,” Balaswit noted. 

He said sleep deprivation actually made him more anxious. He had days when he was just staring at his computer screen with disorganized thoughts running around his head, which not only affected his performance, but also made him question his self-worth.

“If you already know that it (sleeplessness) has negative effects on you, physically, mentally why make it a joke? Why not do something about it?... I really hate it when people don’t take this seriously,” Balaswit added.

While having sleepless nights is sometimes inevitable in his line of work, the freelance writer underscored the importance of giving oneself a break and prioritizing sleep as well, so that people don’t end up wasting more time and energy in the process.

Rodrigo-Reyes echoed the same sentiments. As a devoted wife and mother of three, who side hustles as a content creator, she understood the difficulty of juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities at once, which pushed the need for sleep at the bottom of her list of priorities.

She said she and her husband, an information and technology specialist often working on shifting schedules, were not immune to frequent bouts of sleeplessness and this was affecting their relationship.

“Nawawala ‘yung (We are losing) intimacy with our partners kasi (because) we are loaded in the brain,” Rodrigo-Reyes noted. One day she went out and bought Wellspring melatonin gummies for herself and was pleased to know that it did improve her quality of sleep.

“I’m grateful there is such a thing as melatonin (gummies). Na-try ko siya. (I tried it.) Thank God nandiyan si (there is) Wellspring,” the working mom said, crediting the product for putting her mind at ease. “‘Pag kalmado ang utak (If the brain is calm), everything will flow smoothly,” she attested.

Rodrigo-Reyes also advised parents like herself to help build a better foundation of sleep for their children. She agreed with Balaswit in saying that sleeplessness must not be considered as an indication of success.

“Kailangan disiplinahin natin bata pa lang (We need to discipline our kids while they are young). Let the kids know how sleep is very important in their lives… You can succeed if you have a good foundation of sleep,” she said.

Rodrigo-Reyes is aware that electronic devices can ruin the sleep cycles of adults and children these days, so she follows the advice of experts like Bernardo, who recommends keeping light-emitting gadgets away at least an hour before your proposed bedtime.

“Fragmented sleep is not good because if you try extending your sleep in the morning, it’s no longer a restful or restorative sleep. Better set your alarm (clock) at a time you really want to get out of bed,” Bernardo said.

Bernardo noted taking power naps during daylight hours, especially around 30 to 40 minutes after lunch, could help students and working people compensate for the sleep they tend to lose at night. In other countries, adjustments are already being made to incorporate this practice.

In the United States, for example, she said there are already high school administrators who decided to move the start of their classes later in the morning because they recognize that teenagers need to sleep longer. This is based on research done by doctors specializing in sleep medicine.

Bernardo appreciated the insights that Balaswit and Rodrigo-Reyes shared, saying that promoting better sleep among students and the working-class should be taken as “a collective project of the entire Filipino community.”

“We would like to call on employers also to make sure that their employees have enough sleep. Kasi (Because) they will be more productive if they get enough sleep,” she said, noting that working without sleep is no different to someone who is drunk. It affects your levels of concentration.

As regards the use of melatonin pills, Bernardo agreed this is generally safe as long as it helps. For most of her adult patients, she said she normally recommends at least one milligram of melatonin, but it varies depending on the seriousness of sleep-related problems that they want to address.

“They do not work as well for people with insomnia and you’re supposed to take them at a much, much earlier time if you target a specific (sleep) time,” Bernardo advised, adding that these pills are commonly used by people who have jet lags or irregular work schedules.

“You are just supplementing what the brain already produces. It’s also very helpful to the elderly population [because] their brains are no longer functioning just as well, and they may be producing less amounts of melatonin,” Bernardo explained.

Ching also mentioned that people with pre-existing conditions, including children, need to seek the advice of their respective doctors first before taking any kind of food supplement like the Wellspring melatonin gummies.

Wellspring PH’s sleep aid gummies come in three variants: the standard Melatonin, which contains one mg of melatonin; the Extra Snooze, which has 2.5 mg of the active ingredient; and Night Time Beauty, which has three mg of melatonin with collagen plus hyaluronic acid for better skin. 

Ching said they intentionally created the food supplements in the form of gummies with fruit flavors to make it more enjoyable for people to consume. Their products are now available in their official online store via Shopee and Lazada as well as different Watson’s department stores.