Bye Bye Sleeping Through the Night.......

6/25/2017

Have you said “bye bye” to sleeping through the night?

Are you feeling exhausted or “running on stress hormones” all day?

Do not fear, because I have some great tips (and an amazing recipe) for you!

The science of sleep is fascinating, complicated and growing and I’m completely obsessed with it!

Sleep is this daily thing we do and yet researchers are just beginning to understand how it helps us and all of the factors that affect our ability to get the recommended amount each night.

I really need to stress this - Sleep is super DUPER important because it affects just about everything in your mind and body!

Studies have shown that people who get less sleep tend to be at higher risk for health issues; including diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. OMG, right?

Not to mention the side effects of slowing down your metabolism and contributing to weight gain, hormone imbalance, and inflammation. Ugh, stress fat is real!

And don't forget the impact lack of sleep can have on moods, memory and decision-making skills.
It may even negate the health benefits of your exercise program? (Gasp!)

OMG – What aspect of health does sleep not affect, right???

Knowing this, it's easy to see the three main purposes of sleep:

To restore our body and mind. Our bodies repair, grow and even “detoxify” our brains while we sleep.
To improve our brain's ability to learn and remember things, technically known as “synaptic plasticity”
To conserve some energy so we're not just actively “out and about” 24-hours a day, every day.

Do you know how much sleep adults need?

It's less than your growing kids need but you may be surprised that it's recommended that all adults get
7 - 9 hours each night. For real!

Try not to skimp!

(Don't worry, I have you covered with a bunch of actionable tips below.)

5 Tips For Better Sleep

The biggest tip is to definitely get yourself into a consistent sleep schedule. Make it a priority and you'll be more likely to achieve it. This means turning off your lights 8 hours before your alarm goes off. Seven. Days. A. Week. I know weekends can easily throw this off, but by making sleep a priority for a few weeks your mind and body will adjust and thank you for it.

Balance your blood sugar throughout the day. You know, eat less refined and processed foods and more whole foods (full of blood-sugar-balancing fiber). Choose the whole orange instead of the juice (or orange-flavored drink). Plus, make sure you're getting some protein every time you eat.

During the day get some sunshine and exercise. These things tell your body it's daytime; time for being productive, active and alert. By doing this during the day it will help you wind down more easily in the evening.

Cut off caffeine and sugar after 12pm. Whole foods like fruits and veggies are fine, it's the “added” sugar we're minimizing. Yes, this includes your beloved chai latte. Both caffeine and added sugar can keep your mind a bit more active than you want it to be at bedtime. (HINT: I have a great caffeine-free chai latte recipe for you below!).

Have a relaxing bedtime routine that starts 1 hour before your “lights out” time (that's 8-10 hours before your alarm is set to go off). This would include dimming your artificial lights, nixing screen time, having a bath or perhaps reading an actual book (not an “e” book).

Here's Caffeine-Free Latte Recipe for your Afternoon “Coffee Break”)

Tip: You can try this with other nut or seed butters to see which flavour combination you like the best. Cashew butter anyone?

So how many of these tips can you start implementing today?

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