SELF CAFE TIPS Let's Talk About Sleep4 Ways to Improve Your Sleep by: Chat Mills I used to be the kind of person who could stay up as late as I wanted to, get everything done, and wake up ready to rock the next morning. It wasn't until my late-30s that I realized this wasn't a viable plan. Yeah, I know. My freakin' late-30s. Unbelievable! When the pandemic hit and all the stress and worry about the future set in, I realized I had no productive coping mechanisms to manage stress. And as luck would have it 37 years of repressed stress decided to make it's way back into my life like an obnoxious family member at Thanksgiving. The first aspect of my health that took a hit was my sleep. And this was my sign that something was off in a BIG way because I have never had any issues falling asleep. I am 100% the person whose head hits the pillow and I'm out. When I tossed and turned, I knew something was wrong. When the to-do list just kept growing and growing in my head, I knew something was wrong. When I couldn't shut out the thoughts, I knew something was wrong. When I didn't sleep through the night, I knew something was really wrong. Here's the thing though - how the hell do you raise a family, work your job, be a parent, and a spouse and a friend, and oh yeah, manage all the freakin stress that brings, so you can get restorative sleep to be rested enough to lower stress for the next day?? What the actual.... Why Prioritizing Sleep Is ImportantYou already know that it's important to get a good night's sleep. The benefits of proper sleep go beyond just feeling rested. Sleep improves your mental and physical health in many ways, but what if you are "the person who doesn't need much sleep?" It can be easy to push your bedtime back an hour and wake the next morning thinking you're rested. But that hour loss can create an impact that can build over time. In the short term you could be impacting your everyday life - from being less alert, to impaired memory and cognitive function, to being more fatigued throughout the day. Your patience can become low and strain relationships at work and home. In the long term you could impacting your overall health in a more serious manner. Some of the more serious health conditions include high blood pressure, heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and diabetes. Sleep deprivation also affects the way you look. Nothing feels shitter than not getting enough sleep and having someone say, "you look tired!" Lack of sleep can increase the hormone cortisol. When the body has higher levels of cortisol this breaks down collagen. Collagen is a protein that keeps hair, nails, and skin strong and smooth. Over time our bodies produce less collagen which is why we can see the visible signs of aging. Less sleep can increase these levels and thus contribute to more wrinkles! Cortisol levels also have an impact on weight. It is possible that if you have been trouble losing weight your lack of sleep is a contributing factor. A lack of proper sleep can throw off your cortisol, ghrelin, and leptin productions contributing to weight gain and/or making it more difficult to lose weight. Crap. Alright, hold on, this isn't a guilt trip. It really is helpful to know how your body is impacted so that you know what changes need to be made. And this is just a reminder that you have all the power to make the changes needed to reverse any damage done by lack of sleep. And thankfully it is easier than you may think! 4 Changes I Made to Get More Sleep1. Have a Nighttime Routine
Once I started tracking my habits I had a place to work from. Some night's sleep are better than others. This week in particular I've been stressed about my to-do list (largely in part because I haven't been taking the time to organize myself before bed). I crawl into bed and the thoughts start circulating. This serves as a reminder that I need to get my shit together BEFORE I get into bed. So what if I get into bed and I suddenly remember that I forgot to switch the laundry? I have to ask myself if this is really worth the extra cortisol. My routine helps me mentally prepare for sleep. If I move away from these habits then my stress levels are going to rise. So our clothes get washed for a second time (or third, or fourth). At least they're clean! I will plan better the next day because I have adequate sleep and my cognitive function will be on point! However if the stress of leaving the laundry in the washer isn't worth it you then by all means switch it over! You need to do what is right for you to balance those stress levels and get proper rest. This is my routine and your routine can be what you want it to be, in any order you want it to be. Just keep it consistent. 2. Prep Your Bedroom for Sleep
Sleeping in total darkness helps the body produce melatonin because there is no light keeping the brain from thinking the body should still be awake. Remember back in high school when your teacher would roll the TV/VCR cart in and shut off all the lights and close the blinds? Yeah, that's that the kind of sleep I'm talking about! The idea is the same here for your bedroom. Using light blocking curtains and/or a sleep mask are great ways to make it dark, especially if you live in the city. Keeping the room cool helps lower body temperatures and slows your heart rate which promotes sleep. Your body starts to produce melatonin and the hormones adrenaline and cortisol are lowered allowing for more restful and deeper sleep. 3. No Electronics a Half Hour Before Bed
I've learned to keep my phone at a distance where I have to physically get out of the bed to get it should I need it. I also implemented do not disturb after 9pm and I place it face down to avoid light if somehow a notification should pop up. What do I do instead of scrolling if I'm not tired? I'm a Xennial ('82 baby!!) so the phone I grew up with was attached to wall. I also had that horrid alarm clock radio that I had to situate just right to get my favorite radio station. So finding something else to do other than using my phone wasn't challenging. Reading, journaling, deep breathing exercises, gratitude lists, and conversations with my husband have not only lowered my stress but allowed me to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Honestly putting the electronics away an hour before bed is ideal but you can start gradually with a half hour before you're ready to sleep. You'll begin to notice an improvement in how much faster you fall asleep and how much longer you sleep in a weeks time! 4. Commit to an Earlier Bedtime
You want more than 7 minutes of me-time before you crash on the couch. You want to feel like you've had some semblance of a day that didn't include work, cleaning up the living room because the kids turned it into their own personal "The Floor is Lava" game, or crawling under the couch because the dog threw his ball under there (again), or tucking your children back into bed and realizing your youngest has decided he hates clothing. Then you go to bed and get up and do it all over again. See! I get it! It sucks! But also, there is no amount of time that you can get back that will be meaningful to you if you are sleep deprived. The god's honest truth is that you need to sleep, because it sucks more to be tired and grouchy while you're trying to connect with your partner, or doing a workout, or hanging with friends, or learning to crochet (I don't know?). Being rested is going to give you the energy you need to tackle work, your children's energy, and connect to something that bring you joy (apart from your feral children). The bedtime sweet spot is between 9pm-10pm. And you want to get anywhere from 7-8 hours of sleep to feel the benefits of sleep. Start simple. If nighttime is the only time that you and your partner get to spend together then start by going to bed 15-minutes earlier than you normally would. You can increase the amount of time, over time, until you're in a place where you're getting to bed at a reasonable hour with enough time to actually get sleep. You'll see a big difference in how you approach your day with more restful sleep in just a week's time. I wake up with enough time to fit in some combination of a workout, breath/meditation work, planning my day, and journaling before I need to passionately explain that Crocs and shorts are not enough protection against the elements when you live through Maine winters. Having some me-time in the morning before we hit the ground running makes the extra sleep worth it! Bottom line: Keep It SimpleThere are so many things you can do to get more restful sleep but remember to keep things simple. The idea is to implement strategies so they are helpful. If one of your strategies isn't working, then don't do it! My routine has grown over months of practice and yours should too. I didn't add new strategies until I needed them. The routine I have works for me because everything I do is something I am actually able to do. I am not trying to be the Pinterest mom of sleep here. I simply want to maximize the benefits of restful sleep to improve my overall health and not burn the house down when my kids roll their eyes and call me "bruh" simply because I asked them to wear a coat. And the best part is being able to eliminate strategies that you no longer need. There was a three week period where I was taking supplements nightly to aid in sleep. Once I started implementing other strategies to my routine I noticed that getting to sleep was easier and the need for that supplement was no longer necessary. Processed simplified! Now It's Time to Say Goodnight. Goodnight, Sleep Tight.
Your health journey is all about creating consistency. Consistency comes from taking one step at a time towards progress. Give yourself the time and grace to make mistakes and learn. In the end you'll be proactive and have an easier time rebounding from setbacks and that is something we can all rest easy about. See what I did there. I'll see myself out. Goodnight everybody! Goodnight everybody, everywhere. Resources:
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/benefits-of-sleep https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2013/04/benefits-slumber https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/beauty-sleep#sleep-and-skin
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After going through a difficult loss, I had lost myself and was putting everyone and everything ahead of myself. I wanted my energy back, to find my passion for the activities I enjoy, to reconnect with my body & my inner athlete. Now that I am on that path, I teach busy people to prioritize their health so they can live a happier, healthier, sustainable lifestyle.
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