Get the Sleep You Need

Are you sleeping? Top 5 things that improve your sleep.

Oh the miracles that good sleep brings! We don’t quite realize this until we are deprived…My whole life I had been a good sleeper. I loved getting sound uninterrupted 8-10 hours of sleep… that was until my second child was born. Fortunately my first child, my daughter, slept through the night within 6 weeks, but my darling boy woke up nightly several times -for a year! Somehow, my sleep has never quite returned to be as sound since. I know the mama’s out there really know about this! Not only does not sleeping leave you groggy the next day, lack of sleep is linked to a shortened lifespan and degenerative diseases.

It is so important to get your Z’s!

Sleep is when our body recovers from the stresses and strains of the day. This is when true healing begins. And if that isn’t enough, new information on poor sleep and weight gain gives us another challenge for our waistline. We need to have at least 4 cycles of REM sleep per night to feel well, keep healthy, and stay slim. 

So what can you do to set yourself up for success?

• Get it out of your head! Write down the to do’s, worries and concerns so you can clear your mind. (From the Journal Queen Katherine Torrini)
• Turn lights down low ½ hour before bed (Stimulates Melatonin release)
• Turn it off- yes, all of it! 1 hour before bed.
• Gentle stretching to calm the muscles and stimulate the Parasympathetic nervous system (you can do this when everything is off-yoga by candle light anyone?
• Make it a habit!-Train your body. Go to bed at the same time every night (preferably before 10pm)

In our fast-paced busy busy lives, we may need to consider some of these practices. If you are sleep deprived, consider changing just one of these things in your nightly schedule. Every small step counts.

Also, you may not know that we produce less and less melatonin as we age. So sometimes people, myself included, supplement with Melatonin to get their sleep in rhythm. (Usana makes a sleep supplement that I take and I really like.  I’m happy to talk to you about it, if you want more info).

I hope soon you will be sleeping like a baby and finding some ZZZZs.

Remember we are all on a journey in this life, our own journey, and the way we get there is practice, not perfect, give it a try. Sweet dreams.