Key Habits for Better Sleep
I don’t know about you but I love to sleep! Powering down after my very busy day is something I look forward to (almost as much as I look forward to my morning cup of coffee as I doze off). And the way I feel when I wake up after a good nights sleep makes it worth skipping a Netflix binge (has everyone seen 1883.....so good!) But I have to admit that there was a time I was not such a lover of getting my Zs. For a while, I fell into the “I can sleep when I’m dead” camp. I wore my 5 hours of sleep like a badge of honor that showed how dedicated I was to achieving my goals. Was I tired?? Yes. Was I over caffeinated?? Yes. Was I stressed?? Yes. Did I gain weight?? Yes! If any of that sounds familiar to you please read on.
Sleep is on of Crave Health’s “Pillars of Good Health” because getting good sleep is a determinate of your overall health. When we sleep our bodies and brains get to work repairing damage, cleaning out cellular waste and so much more. Dr. Mark Hyman, a leading functional medicine doctor, has said that he believes that sleep may be more important than nutrition!!! Without good sleep, over time we are likely to experience poor physical and mental performance.
The average adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep a night but the truth is many of us just are not getting it. As a matter of fact, recent research suggests that over 1/3 of Americans are getting less than 6 hours of sleep a night and poor sleep can lead to weight gain (or making it hard to lose weight), low energy, mood disorders, hormone imbalance, aging faster and more.
So, here are 3 Habits for Better Sleep:
Turn Down for Sleep.
About 30 minutes before bed time turn off all screens (yes, that includes your phone). The blue light emitted from all of our screens inhibits your body’s natural production of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Turning off those harmful lights can give your body a chance to release melatonin so you can get to sleep and get into deeper sleep states. Keeping your room as dark as possible when you sleep is also important to optimize sleep.
2.You’ve Got to Move it.
Daily exercise is not only important for your overall health, it is also a great way to improve your sleep quality. When your body works during the day it knows it needs to rest and repair at night. Daily activity can make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.
3. Just Say No.
Consuming caffeine, alcohol or food too late in the day can affect the quality of your sleep. We all know that caffein keeps you awake so try to avoid caffeine after 12pm. Even though a glass of wine makes you feel sleepy it effects your sleep all night long, causing you to wake up more during the night and keeps heart rate elevated. Lastly, eating before bed means that your digestive system is busy working instead of relaxing and that can have negative effects on your sleep. Try to finish eating at least 3 hours before bed.
There are lots of ways to improve our sleep, and as I have found to be true with my clients, you have to find what works for you. You can experiment with different strategies and if you have a device that monitors sleep use it and compare outcomes. If you don’t have a device, use a journal to record how you feel each morning and each night. But make sure that you are putting effort into getting good sleep because sleep is one of, if not the most important things we need to achieve good health.