Essential Tips for Optimizing Sleep: Advice from a Board-Certified Sleep Physician

Paula: [00:00:00] Hello, welcome to yet another episode of Chatting with the Experts TV show with me, Paula Okonneh, as the host. Every week I bring to you women from Africa or the Caribbean or the African diaspora. And sometimes not even the African diaspora, but they’re just women. And I, on some occasions I bring men. And our mission is to educate, to empower and inspire women globally. That’s been our mission for some time. Today, it’s another great episode because I have a fantastic guest and we’ll be going, we’re going to be talking about optimizing sleep and wellness. So my guest says sleep is a critical aspect of health and wellness, yet [00:01:00] it is often neglected.
In this episode, we’ll discuss the benefits of healthy sleep, the impact for sleep and practical strategies to optimize sleep. I need all of that because for years I thought sleep didn’t matter, but I’ve learned otherwise. And with me to do that is Dr. Funke Afolabi-Brown. I’ll tell you a little bit about her. She’s a board certified. I can’t speak. She is a board certified sleep physician and the founder of Restful Sleep MD. She helps women and their children to prioritize sleep to achieve optimal health to thrive and to live life to the fullest potential. And with that, I invite Dr. Funky Afolabi-Brown to the show. Hello. Hello. Hello.
Dr Funke: Thank you [00:02:00] so much for having me. Hi. How are you?
Paula: I am great. And I will always feel even better when my guests come on because it’s so exciting to me and this topic is of particular importance to me because I didn’t like to sleep. I thought sleeping was for people who weren’t strong, who didn’t know how to take care of life. And I found out it’s a lie. Sleep is good.
Dr Funke: Yes, it is.
Paula: So I just said a little bit about you. I always ask my guests to embellish what I’ve said. Can you add more to that?
Dr Funke: You said everything. I mean, my mission is really clear. One of the things I say also is to just help people change their relationship with sleep. I think sometimes at the beginning, the relationship with sleep is what gets in our way of eventually getting the sleep we need. And so that’s really what I’m here for. That’s what I’m here to do.
Paula: Awesome. And you say [00:03:00] that optimizing sleep and wellness is your priority. Well, let’s roll because I need to know this. I’m better, but I could even be much better at sleeping. So here goes. So, what’s the benefit of sleep? Is it beneficial? Is it really what I call the waste of time?
Dr Funke: Oh, no. Sleep is just so important. It has so many benefits. One of the things that we say is that sleep is not just a cure for sleepiness. I think that’s the misconception that you’re sleeping because the day is over. So you’re sleepy, you’re tired, and that’s all. So yes, it helps with that. It helps with restoration of your energy risk. It helps with repair of sleep. your body. It also helps with just clearing your brain. So to speak. So this was something that was relatively more recent that they found that when you sleep, you, or when you’re awake, you actually have deposits, waste [00:04:00] products build up on the surface of your brain all day.
So in the night when you go to sleep, sleep, you actually get your brain gets into the system of cleansing and washing off those deposits. And now we do know that those deposits over time can accumulate and cause conditions like Alzheimer’s. So that’s just one really big one. And then, you know, we talk about the immune benefits, right? It helps boost your immune system, helps with your metabolism, all the hormones in your body. Many of them get regulated by sleep helps with curbing your appetite actually. So pretty phenomenal. And so sleep is not just something you do because you’re sleepy doesn’t just kill sleepiness. It is completely important for you to be able to live life to your fullest.
Paula: You know, I wish I had known this years ago, you know, I mentioned that I thought sleep for those who. You know, they didn’t have anything better to do. There were so many things to [00:05:00] do. And that came from, you know, growing up with a mom who was very industrious. And she was like, okay, when you’re up, make sure you have things doing, don’t just be sitting, doing nothing. And that was either spoken or unspoken. I don’t even know. Sometimes she said it, but it’s just as understood. Or at least that’s the way I internalized it. So I was always busy when the night came and it was quiet. I thought, wow, this is even better. Let me get things done. So, you know, I really wish I had known that toxins that are building up in our bodies and when we sleep, sleep helps, you know, get rid of those. Wow.
Dr Funke: Yeah.
Paula: So what got you into sleep medicine in the first place? I mean, this is an interesting topic and then not too many MDs I know who are doing this.
Dr Funke: Yes, I know. And I think it’s a combination of my own personal journey. So like you, you know, raised, born and raised in Nigeria, you just, you were just at it nonstop. You don’t, there’s no [00:06:00] such thing as tired. You push through, you hustle. And then I went to medical school and that hustle culture was ingrained, right? And so burning the candle on both ends and really studying and doing all the things without really listening to my body. And then, you know, fast forward residency. See, even when I came to the US.
Paula: Mmm-hmm.
Dr Funke: It was still a struggle for me to be able to settle down to sleep. And then, you know, then the kids came and it’s like, they didn’t read the memo. They just like, well, we’re here. So now you have someone who was already frazzled, I was already tired, I was already anxious and sleep deprived, now lay that on top of having a newborn. And around that same time, my dad passed away. So it’s a combination of things. It was a combination of sleep deprivation. But also insomnia which had two different things. Sleep deprivation means like, Oh, you’re hustling. You don’t want to sleep because you’re doing all the things.
But insomnia is like, okay, I get into bed and then my mind is just racing. I can’t sleep. So I had all of [00:07:00] that and I just hit a wall. And so navigating all that. You know, which just really took some intentionality, prioritizing my sleep, prioritizing my wellness, my mental health. And then it was like, I got a new lease on life. And so it was one of those things where you’re like, okay, I got to get more people to understand how important this is. And really that was the beginning points of me saying, you know what, I want to do this when I grow up. Yeah.
Paula: And I think a lot of us can relate to what you’re saying. Yes, especially with the Nigerian background where you’ve got to be busy. You’ve got and there’s always so much to do. There’s studying to do. And you better pass those exams. So…
Dr Funke: Yeah.
Paula: Nothing else. It’s that anxiety of if I fail, what’s going to happen. So exactly.
Dr Funke: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And it’s a vicious cycle. And the problem is after that, the exam, you pass the exams, you get done, but now it’s this ingrained. And so it becomes the next thing, the next thing and the next thing. And the next thing I [00:08:00] need to get that paper in, I need to apply for that grant. I need to get into, you know, that job opportunity. I need to finish up what my boss tells me. So there’s always going to be something and it never ends.
Paula: It never ends. All right, so you said that research has shown that, you know, what we talked about the toxins build up and, you know, it affects our hormones and it leads to, I mean, they’re seeing the connection between lack of sleep and neurological diseases and as we age, Alzheimer’s, dementia. Whoa. So now that there’s an awareness, what is being done to prevent us from, you know, feeling that there’s people like me for feeling that sleep is a waste of time.
Dr Funke: It’s I think there’s been a lot, I would say, this is one of the things, one of my friends says she says, sleep is having a moment. Literally, we’re hearing a lot more. You probably are hearing out there. There’s a [00:09:00] lot more sleep experts and sleep, you know, influencers and coaches. And so there’s a lot of attention focusing on educating people. And I think that’s important. That’s a first place to start. It’s just not enough though. So it’s one thing to understand and say, Oh my goodness. Yes, sleep is important. If I don’t sleep well, I can have diabetes or I can develop Alzheimer’s over time, but then you have to also help connect that bridge to say that, well, what can I do? And so educating is one thing, but helping people set the intention to make the right choices, the right decisions, and provide information for them to achieve that is really the next thing to do.
Like, what are things that you can do practically? Now you understand that sleep is important. Now you understand sleep is non-negotiable. What are practical steps that we can take to make sure that you are getting the sleep that you need? And so I think those are the next steps in that process. But it’s very important to understand [00:10:00] the why, because some of those things will involve shutting down your phone or turning your laptop off and so when you understand the why, then you can set the healthy boundaries or at least take a critical look and say, okay, where am I struggling and where do I need help?
Paula: Yes. And you know, you said something about switching off your phone, closing your laptop because blue screen, I think that’s what it is. It’s real. I used to that was another thing. I used to be like, ha ha, you’re right. You’re always going to have something, but it’s true. I even found out that, you know, that you fall asleep in front of your laptop and you wake up and you switch it on and suddenly you’re awake. And there’s a lot more, of course, now you’re in front of your laptop, there’s a lot more things that you feel need to get done.
Dr Funke: Yeah, exactly.
Paula: So, what are some, you explained, okay, we need to know why. So what are some of the tips you can give us, you know, for optimal [00:11:00] sleep pattern, changing our sleep pattern, bad habits?
Dr Funke: Yeah, yeah, I know different things. So I would say the first step, I would say set boundaries, right? It’s okay to say no, make sleep a priority. And so create a situation where sleep is not just the first thing you’re going to sacrifice. And so that may look like saying, I’m going to set a curfew. Like after X time, I have to put my phone away. You may need to set a reminder on your phone, but these are healthy boundaries to set. Like you may need to put a, do not disturb, do not interrupt on your phone. So I think that’s really important. And then the second thing I would say would be more like those practical tips to optimize your sleep. So having a consistent bedtime and wake up time and making sure that consistency really goes through the weekend. So you’re not like waking up at 6 a. m. or 7 a. m. on the weekday and then on the weekend you’re sleeping till noon. That just kind of throws off your rhythms [00:12:00] completely. And it does more harm than good. The second thing is, you know, bedtime routine, bedtime routines. We usually have routines for our kids. And then we, as adults are like, well, I’m just going to plop into bed after a long day.
No, you need to create a routine, a routine serves as a buffer that both separates that daytime run, run, run, rush to, you know, to the nighttime to say, okay, we’re transitioning now to relax. So find a few activities, two or three calming activities, you know, reading a book, listening to a podcast you know, taking a warm bath, all those kinds of things will help your body wind down for better sleep. And then E, that’s so I’m using an acronym, it’s called CREATE that I made up, which I think is so helpful because now you’re not wondering what should I be doing? So C is the consistency, R is the routine E is really about the environment. So you want to look around and say, what are the things in my environment that can disrupt sleep? [00:13:00] So you want your room to be cool, to be dark, and to be noise free. And so that will promote healthy and deep sleep. So that’s E.
And then the next is A which is assign the bed for sleep. And sleep only in bed. So the bed should not be where you’re doing all the things, eating, watching TV, arguing with your spouse you know, doing your work, final emails. No, you shouldn’t be doing that. Your bed needs to be a place where you’re sleeping. So that’s A. Then T stands for tackle technology. So really having a device plan, right? Technology is here to stay. It’s very beneficial. Look at us now talking, you know, having a conversation, but you have to set boundaries. So avoiding electronic devices, I usually will say about 30 to 60 minutes before bed, because like you mentioned a lot of these devices release the you know, blue light. And that can suppress our brain’s melatonin. So it makes it really [00:14:00] hard for us to wind down to sleep. So you got to make sure you have a plan for that.
You know, sometimes you may need to charge your phone outside and get a regular alarm clock or like put your phone on the other end of the room. So you’re not tempted. You might say, Oh, I’m just going to look at the time. And then suddenly you find yourself on TikTok, right? So minimize those temptations by keeping your phone, making sure your phone is not too close to your bed. And then the final E is eliminate. So things like, you know, are you drinking caffeine or alcohol or things like that, which can fragment your sleep and make it hard for you to fall asleep. So I think those are just really some of the top tips that I suggest or I recommend. for folks to to give a try. And then, you know, if you’re still having sleep struggles after that, then you need to say, okay, maybe I need help. I need to see a sleep specialist or something.
Paula: Wow. I love this acronym. You might’ve seen me looking down. Cause I went to get a piece of paper to write this down. Create, create [00:15:00] sleep. In other words, I’m thinking consistency. What was the R again? I didn’t write that down.
Dr Funke: Oh, it’s routine. Routine.
Paula: Routine. E was?
Dr Funke: The environment. So your environment should be cool, should be dark and noise free.
Paula: Okay, noise free. So like get a blackout curtain or something like that.
Dr Funke: So yeah, so things like, yeah, blackout curtain to block out the light. You could use a sleep mask. For the noise, you can use an old ceiling fan, especially if you notice there’s a lot of external noises, you can use sleep, we call them sleep buds or earplugs so that would just kind of mask any noises that might disrupt you. And then you want it to be cool, like, because when you’re hot, you don’t sleep that well. So making sure that your room temperature is as cool as possible is very important.
Paula: I’m always freezing. So I always do the reverse. I have to make sure I’m warm. Sometimes I put a heated blanket and everyone else is looking at me. For me, warm and comfy.
Dr Funke: Yeah. As long as you [00:16:00] sleep well, that’s the most important thing. Most people tend to wake up when they’re very hot, like their sleep becomes fragmented. So you just need to pay attention to that.
Paula: Okay. Ooh, I love that. So now with the melatonin, I know you mentioned that the blue light stops melatonin. I I never knew about melatonin until I went, I traveled to China and of course there were 12, there was a 12 hour change in the time zone and I got there at mid day and of course it was midnight where I was coming from and I was with my husband and he was like, I’m going to bed because it’s midnight where we came from. And I’m like, it’s bright. That’s the first time… no, it wasn’t then. It was like two days later. My sister was like, of course, with the 12 hour difference. I hope you took melatonin. I’m like, what is that? But now I’m hearing some people saying melatonin is not, you know, applying it to whether some people roll it on that they know some people squeeze it in the mouth or they take the tabs and there’s some [00:17:00] downsides of that. True. Or am I, I mean, am I, okay. Is that a question that you can answer or am I, you know, making life hard for you by throwing out that?
Dr Funke: Oh, not at all. So melatonin is, our brain produces more than enough melatonin. Let’s just put it that way. Very, very low dose. Melatonin just cues your body to say it’s time for bed. That’s all it does. It’s not like a sleep medication. Okay. But we also have over the counter melatonin. So that’s probably what your sister was talking about. And there’s some situations where melatonin is indicated. A jet lag, shift work. Essentially what happens is melatonin comes up in the evening as you’re about to fall asleep just because it’s responding to darkness.
But if you’re at a place that is completely out of sync, meaning that you’re supposed to be asleep yet it’s bright out, then things are just all over the place. And so you may need melatonin. So I usually say the lower, the better you don’t need high doses. People that tend to use high doses tend to report excessive sleepiness in the daytime. [00:18:00] Some of them have nightmares and things like that. And I think the other piece that’s really concerning is that it’s not FDA approved yet in the U S so anybody can sell melatonin and put it in the stores. So as a result of that, there’s such a wide variability in what you’re getting. You might say, Oh, I’m only getting three milligrams of melatonin.
We don’t know that you might be getting zero. You might be getting like, you know, 55 milligrams. There’s such a wide range. So that really makes people concerned. And then there are also issues with, you know, sometimes, especially again, if you take higher doses, like nightmares, sleepwalking, some of those bedwetting. Some people say we see it more in kids, but still, you know, you just want to be careful. And this is where you always will recommend that, you know, seek help from your doctor. Don’t just kind of start meds and, you know, and walk away. So I think that’s really. What I would recommend. [00:19:00]
Paula: I needed to hear you, to talk with you because yeah, I am. Oh, I am a work in progress. A work in progress for sure, you know,
Dr Funke: yeah,
Paula: Many a time, I’ve done quite a lot of things that you mentioned that set my do not disturb put that on my phone, a lot of alarms at 10 o’clock, 10pm that goes off.
Dr Funke: Oh, that’s awesome.
Paula: It would be better if I obeyed it. I think I’m like, okay, all right. I guess it would go off an hour ago.
Dr Funke: I think it’s really choosing progress. And you know, honestly just looking. So that’s the third. So the first thing I said was boundaries. The second thing is, you know, create healthy sleep habits. And then the third, I would say is what I usually will say, take stock and thanksgiving because just like everything, right. When you set an intention. You want to look back and say, how far am I from the goal? And then [00:20:00] also you want to celebrate your wins. Like what has worked? Whoa. I, you know, I am consistent or I have a bedtime routine. We’ll celebrate that and then say, okay, what are the next things that I would need to do to make sure that I continue to move the needle forward?
So I think that’s also something that’s important to embrace. And and yeah, don’t. It’s not just about like, Oh, I didn’t do it right. It’s more like, but what did I do? Right. Even if I felt like I didn’t do all of the things and almost like apply that 80, 20 rule where it’s like, okay, if 80 percent of the time I’m doing a decent job, then that’s good.
Paula: I like you. You’re encouraging. I love the fact that it says celebrate your wins. That’s what I, instead of saying, oh, I didn’t go to bed, the alarm went off at 10, but I still went to bed at [11:15]. So I’d say, okay, but at least I went to bed at [11:15] instead of [3:15] AM.
Dr Funke: Exactly. And it takes us to gratitude. Gratitude practice before bed has been scientifically proven to help with your sleep quality. So when [00:21:00] you’re thinking about, oh, what are some things I could do for my routine? Include gratitude, like just go through your day and say, okay, what are three things I’m thankful for? It doesn’t have to be anything sophisticated. And it switches your brain to a different mode completely, which can actually help with sleep.
Paula: That’s another good tip. Oh my gosh, I love that. The gratitude one, because yeah, as you start remember and recounting, you know, the day has gone by even looking back for two or three weeks. There’s so much to be thankful for.
Dr Funke: Absolutely.
Paula: Yeah. Oh my gosh, we’ve been talking for over 20 minutes. So Any additional tips? I mean, I know I asked you that and you’ve given me some, I mean, you’re giving me some hope, gratitude. I’m looking at my notes and celebrating my wins with a lot of gratitude, setting boundaries, and then of course the acronym, I’ve written that down, CREATE. [00:22:00] Consistency, routine, environment, assignment, technology, watch that and eliminate any last tip to share. Because I know you’re going to have a lot of questions from the audience and the more we have to write down now.
Dr Funke: Yeah. One big one I would say after all of that is this. There might be an underlying sleep disorder. So depending on what, where you are, you might have sleep apnea, you might have restless leg syndrome. These are just a few. So if you’re doing all those things and sleep is still not getting better, you should speak with someone. And then also, if you have a child who’s not sleeping, you want to make sure, because many times as women, especially we minimize the impact of our kids sleep, what it has on us, right? For me as well. If my kids were not sleeping. And because, and that became another reason why I was struggling. So [00:23:00] finding ways to help your child also learn how to sleep, speak with a sleep with their doctor as well. I think really looking holistically and say what else could be going on, especially when you get to that point where you look back and you try to take stock and you’re like, Oh my goodness, I’m still tired. I’m still waking up unrefreshed. Then you may need to say, okay, what are the next steps that I need to take?
Paula: That’s a good one. Yeah. So now that we have heard some, not everything that we need to hear because of time, how can people contact you if they want to know more about, you know, talk to a professional, a sleep professional like you, a sleep MD like you, where can they find you online?
Dr Funke: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And this has been such a joy. I have a few ways you can reach me. I’m on social media. I’m on Instagram, on Facebook, on LinkedIn, on social, on Instagram. I’m restfulsleepmd. And then on LinkedIn, I’m Dr. Funke Afolabi-Brown, so you can find me there. [00:24:00] And then I have my website, it’s restfulsleepmd. com. And on there, you’ll get a lot. So a lot of what we’re talking about today, practical tips, I have a blog there. You can get access to my YouTube channel on there. And then I have a book that’s coming up. So if you’re…
Paula: Reminding you on that.
Dr Funke: Yeah. So if you’re on there, you’ll be able to find information about how to get the book. It’s a book on sleep for children and their families. So I think it will be very applicable for most people. And yeah, so those are ways to, to contact me.
Paula: And do you have a physical practice that, I mean, after all of that, they can actually come see you?
Dr Funke: Absolutely. Yes. So if you go to my website, you’ll see the link that will take you to information about my practice. So if you’re in Pennsylvania, if you’re in California, if you’re in New Jersey and Tennessee, I’m also licensed in Tennessee. You can make an appointment and that can be a virtual appointment or an in person appointment to see me. If you’re [00:25:00] not in those states, I would love for us to have a conversation because I also do have a coaching practice. So this way we can at least talk through what is getting in your way of sleep and then I can kind of guide you to know where else and what are the next steps you need to take.
Paula: Thank you so much. And as I said to you at the beginning of the show that I have amazing guests, guests that will educate you, inspire you, empower you. And we’ve certainly gotten that from Dr. Funke Afolabi-Brown. And now I invite those of you who are listening, if you’d like to be a guest, please reach out to me on my website, which is chattingwiththeexperts. com. I’m on LinkedIn. I like LinkedIn. Just for Paula Okonneh there. I’m on Instagram at chat_experts_podcast and I’m on Facebook and I always hesitate because Facebook is a place that I am getting acquainted with.
Not because it hasn’t been there, not because [00:26:00] it’s new, but it’s just me. Ah, I’m not too much of a Facebook person, but I’m working on it. And so thank you so much, so much, so much Dr. Funke. I know you, you’ll have a lot of questions to answer because everybody needs sleep. That’s one thing that we all do, we sleep. Even if it’s for an hour, like I used to be, or more, we all sleep. Yeah. So much for coming on Chatting with the Experts.
Dr Funke: Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.