The science of sleep with neuroscientist Louise Baker

Why can we feel completely exhausted and yet still struggle to sleep? And what can we do during the day and in those important minutes before bedtime to help our brain and body move more naturally towards rest? 

In our Science of Sleep webinar, Louise Baker MSc explored the neuroscience behind sleep and shared practical ways in which we can create better conditions for rest, relaxation and recovery. 

One of Louise's most important messages was beautifully simple: 

“We don't make ourselves sleep. We create the conditions in which the braincan transition into sleep.”

Rather than seeing sleep as something that simply happens when we get into bed,Louise encouraged us to think about the whole day. Our exposure to natural light,levels of stimulation, movement, stress, routines and the way in which we prepareour nervous system for rest.

Louise placed sleep within five interconnected pillars of wellbeing:

Sleep • Nutrition • Movement • Community • Mental Health

We don't need to feel that every area has to be perfect. Instead, the important point is that each influences the others. When one is under pressure, it can have a knock-on effect across our overall wellbeing.

Louise described three important influences on our ability to sleep:

our natural sleep drive • our circadian rhythm • our thinking

Understanding all three helps explain why simply feeling tired doesn't necessarily mean we are ready to sleep.

One of the simplest takeaways was to get outside and experience natural daylight early in the day.

Our relationship with light helps our body understand where it is within the day/night cycle. Louise therefore encouraged us to get outdoors when we can, particularly as we move into the darker months and even when the weather is less than inviting.

Late-night emails, scrolling, upsetting news, exciting television, gaming, or even deciding that 10pm is the perfect moment to tidy the house (!), can all keep us stimulated when what we actually need is to begin slowing down.

Louise explained the relationship between this stimulation and our sympathetic, or “fight or flight”, nervous system. Rather than expecting sleep to switch everything off for us, we can build a transition period into our evening and consciously reduce stimulation.

This doesn't have to mean a perfect, elaborate bedtime routine. It might simply mean putting work away earlier, choosing something calming rather than stimulating, dimming the pace of the evening and allowing ourselves some genuine quiet time before bed.

A particularly fascinating part of the session explored touch, rhythm and the nervous system.

Louise demonstrated simple bilateral movements, breathing and slow self-touch that can form part of a calming bedtime ritual, or to be used when we wake during the night with a busy mind.

The first step is simply to notice how you feel. Louise suggested giving that feeling a number between 0 and 10 before beginning a slow, rhythmic activity. This act of noticing can itself help shift attention away from becoming consumed by the problem.

She then demonstrated techniques including:

• slow, rhythmic bilateral movements
• gently crossing the arms and stroking down them, almost like giving yourself a hug
• slow facial stroking and self-touch
• slowing the rhythm of movement while breathing deeply and gently.

Louise also explored the importance of the trigeminal nerve and the large number of sensory receptors within the face, helping us understand why slow, mindful facial touch can feel so profoundly relaxing.

This has particular resonance with the Made for Life approach. Our treatments have always deliberately used slow, mindful and compassionate touch, and Louise's explanation helped attendees understand more about why clients can experience such a deep sense of relaxation and safety during these rituals.

Perhaps one of the most useful ideas was to avoid immediately turning a period of wakefulness into a problem that has to be solved.

Instead of thinking “I have to get back to sleep”, Louise encouraged us to step away from the cycle of thinking and create conditions that allow the brain to settle again.

Slow bilateral movement, self-touch, gentle breathing and a reassuring internal message such as “I can leave my brain to sort this out while I sleep” can form part of that process.

Sleep isn't simply an absence of activity. Louise described it as the time when the brain begins its “night shift”, supporting processes including memory and learning, immune and metabolic regulation, cellular restoration and emotional processing.

She also introduced the glymphatic system and the role that fluid movement around the brain plays during sleep. This was another fascinating reminder that rest is an active and essential biological process.

1. Get outside early.
Give your body exposure to natural daylight and reinforce the natural day/night cycle.

2. Think about sleep before bedtime.
A good night's sleep starts with what happens during the day, not simply when your head hits the pillow.

3. Reduce stimulation before bed.
Late-night work, news, scrolling and highly stimulating entertainment may make it harder for the brain to transition towards rest.

4. Use slow, rhythmic touch.
Gentle bilateral movements, breathing and self-touch can become simple tools for settling yourself before bed or following periods of wakefulness.

5. Don't try too hard to sleep.
Instead of trying to force sleep, concentrate on creating the physical and emotional conditions in which sleep can happen.

Perhaps the loveliest message from the whole session was that sleep doesn't have to become another thing we need to “achieve”.

We can simply become better at creating the conditions for rest.

Our huge thanks to Louise Baker MSc for sharing her knowledge so generously and to everyone who joined us and contributed their experiences and questions.

This webinar forms part of our ongoing commitment at Made for Life Organics to connect compassionate touch with a deeper understanding of the body and brain, giving therapists practical knowledge that they can use both for themselves and in supporting the people in their care.

This summary is provided for general education and wellbeing information and is not intended as medical advice. Anyone experiencing persistent sleep difficulties, sleep apnoea symptoms or other health concerns should seek appropriate medical advice.