Do you get enough sleep? Do you get enough quality sleep?? If you are like millions of Americans, the answer is a big NO! It is one of the top health problems today, and it is only getting worse.
Sleep is absolutely vital to health and happiness. Lack of sleep means your body is lacking the time to heal and recover from the day. Your brain, endocrine, musculature, immune and digestive systems are not able to relax and repair, causing major disruption that can lead to weight gain, inflammation, depression, insulin resistance, and hormone imbalance just to name a few. Studies have shown that a night of poor sleep can have dramatic effects on appetite, cravings, carbohydrate tolerance and insulin sensitivity. It is a top forecaster for being overweight or obese.
We do know however, that many factors play a part in your ability to get a great night’s sleep; hormones, gut function and health, brain function and stress all play a part. Common things such as parasites, hormone imbalance, inflammatory foods, infections and heavy metal toxicity all can affect your ability to rest. Through functional testing and getting to the root cause of your symptoms and issues you can restore balance and get a restful night’s sleep. (Contact me to learn more about how I can help you!)
Here are 5 tips that you can implement today to help you improve your sleep tonight:
1. You may have heard“an hour of sleep before midnight is worth 2 hours after”
This is because earlier in the night your sleep cycles are made up of deeper non-REM sleep, whereas, later on through the night it is mostly composed of REM sleep. This is important because most of your repairing and renewing of your body takes place during those deep non-REM stages.
2. Reduce your exposure to bright lights. Television, computer screens and bright lights can hugely impact your production of melatonin and your circadian rhythm. Try to turn off the screen at least an hour before bed. Try reading, journaling, or taking a bath instead.
3. Try soothing essential oils such as lavender or frankincense (my fav!) to help calm you down and get you in the bedtime mode. Add them to your bath or lotion, or combine with water for a spritzing spray over your pillows.
4. Have the right amount of food in your belly. A lighter dinner can make it easier for most to fall asleep, this means your digestive tract is not working as hard and it can rest. If you are more prone to hypoglycemia, try a light snack before bed, of course nothing stimulating like sugar. Sorry, not the time for ice cream or dessert! A mix of protein and carbs will sit well, such as a handful of almonds or a few slices of turkey with baby carrots.
5. Stick to a schedule. It is best for your body to have a consistent sleep schedule throughout the week. Try to wake up within 30 minutes of the same time every day. Yes, I did say EVERYDAY, this means the weekend as well. Even if you are out partying late into the night, it is best to stick to your schedule and not sleep till noon.