Improve your Sleep, Improve your health: Top Tips to Improve Sleep Naturally
Sleep is essential to every aspect of your health. Ensuring a good night’s rest is imperative for detoxifying and healing your body. During sleep, your organs have the time to clear out of toxicity and repair any damages that may have occurred throughout the day. But many of the women I see who are dealing with burnout struggle to get a full night's rest. Here are my top tips to get your sleep back on track.
Circadian Rhythm:
Your body is programmed to be in flow with the sunlight. In today’s society, we have gotten so discounted from the sunshine by staying indoors, looking at blue lights, etc. It’s IMPERATIVE we do our best to get our circadian rhythms on track!
Consistent Sleep Schedule: aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
Morning Sunlight: tells every cell in your body to WAKE UP! And set’s your cortisol/melatonin balance for the day
Limit Blue Lights: Blue light tells the body it’s time to get up and go. It sends signals that increase cortisol production and shut off melatonin. Limit screens 2 hours before bed and wear blue blocker glasses.
Bedtime Routine:
Every little kid gets a bedtime routine that parents know is essential for them to sleep soundly. Somewhere along the way we don’t think we need a bedtime routine. I’m here to tell ya, you do! Your body loves routine! If you set a bedtime routine that is easy and helps you unwind, you will notice a big difference in sleep quality and quantity. Here are a few things to consider when crafting your own:
Complete your stress cycle: have some movement at the end of the day (I love to go for a walk).
Relax & Unwind: do a relaxing activity that slows your nervous system and gets your body ready for sleep
Make it a pattern: do the same things night after night even the simplest of tasks (ie brushing teeth) to train your body to go “oh it’s time for sleep”
Here’s my bedtime routine: go for a walk, shower, brush teeth, pjs on, unwind/stretch, breathwork/meditation, reading
Optimize Sleep Environment:
Is your room supporting deep rest? Take a look around your room tonight. What do you notice here that is helping or hindering your sleep?
Lighting: opt for dark curtains, low/no lighting, and sleep masks
Temperature: cooler is best for most people
Sound: ear plugs or if you have a loud partner maybe it’s time to get your own sleeping room (there’s nothing wrong with that)
Shift into The Resting State:
As I mentioned previously completing the stress cycle is an imperative part of your bedtime routine. Why? Because we need to get the body out of the stress state and into the rest state so we can get a good night’s rest. Releasing any stress hormones from your body with movement and then shifting into the resting state with some breathwork! This routine is going to allow your while body to relax so you easily drop into sleep and stay in sleep.
Try 10+ minutes of breathwork before bed and notice the next morning how you feel! Get a free session and try it tonight!
What if I wake up at night?
The time of night you wake up can tell us a lot about what is going on in your body! Different organs are detoxifying at different hours of the night, and if something isn’t working well, you’ll wake up at that time. Anything from liver and brain detox or adrenals and kidneys, your organs might have something to do with why you're waking up and supporting them is key!
Waking up can also be from a blood sugar dip. While we don't want to eat a big meal before bed (this will have the opposite effect) having a simple blood sugar snack can help keep blood sugar stable all night long. Insight: if you’ve been stressed, eating poorly or drinking a lot, this dysregulates your blood sugar.
Blood sugar snacks: a slice of cheese, yogurt, 1/2 tsp of honey with apple cider vinegar.
Remember! The best way to improve your health is through 1% shifts. Start with a bedtime routine this week, try it out for 7 days and notice what happens
