Snooze News…

There is a lot of fancy science stuff when it comes to sleep, but I am going to keep it as simple as I can for you. An average of 50-70 million Americans have chronic sleep disorders like sleep apnea or chronic sleep disorders. One-third of adults do not get enough rest, and 80% of Americans experience sleep difficulties. Some common reasons people struggle is too much screen time, stress, disruptions associated with obesity, poor eating habits before bed, high cortisol levels, televisions in the bedroom playing all night and poor sleep hygiene. Chronic sleep issues can lead to diabetes, anxiety and depression, accidents and poor mental health.

Getting ready for bed should almost be a sacred ritual. It definitely is for me! lol. I love to go to bed earlier these days around 9-10pm. Some days it is earlier! I try to put my phone up at least 1.5 hours before bed if not sooner. I make sure my last bite was at least two hours before I lay down. A lot of people can struggle with indigestion, because they are eating too close to bedtime. Our metabolism naturally slows down the later it gets in the day. I love to lay down on my living room rug and stretch gently. It feels so good! Dim the bright lights in the house. Turn the tv down. Slow everything down. Bedtime is not the time for the body to be at work. It is time to rest all the systems and heal whatever needs healing while asleep.

Stress is hard to eradicate. We are all dealing with different levels of stress in our lives. Some things we can control and others we cannot. Control what you can control. If you have a toxic relationship in your life; it might be time to re-evaluate it. Dealing with a sick parent or child? This can keep our cortisol levels doing acrobatics all day and night. Do the best you can at self-care. Take a warm bath. Pray and meditate. God cares about every detail in our lives. Sometimes all we need to do is “ask.” Incorporate a daily walk into your routine. I cannot TELL you how walking has changed my life for the better. It doesn’t have to be an aggressive, power walk but brisk is good to get the blood pumping. It sends instant feel goods to our brains.

The most important science-related part of getting good sleep is regulating your circadian rhythm. It is your 24 hour clock that regulates physical, mental and behavioral changes. Our bodies are so intricately designed to be directly correlated with the sun. When we do not have sunshine, a lot of things can get out of synch. If the sun is shining, get it on your skin as soon as possible first thing in the morning. This will regulate your body for sleep later and it keeps our immune systems functioning properly too. Make this a habit. I have been leaving lights off more and more. As much as I love light, artificial light had no benefits to our bodies. When it starts to get dark, our bodies are preparing for sleep. Sleeping in a dark, slightly cool bedroom is wonderful for encouraging good restful sleep and melatonin is increased. Poor sleep can negatively impact our hormones, digestion, and body temperature.

To recap, suggestions to improve on sleep:
1) Tone down the noise factor in the house (hard to do with kids, but it is good for them too)
2)Dim lights if you can or shut them off
3)Slow everything down, get into some comfy jammies and take a warm bath if you wish
4)Stop eating at least two hours before bed
5)Read a book, pray or write in a journal instead of watching a bright tv
6)Reduce any stress you CAN control and commit to work on this daily to improve self-care
7)Get sunlight first thing in the morning if the sun is out; red light therapy is wonderful to mimic the sun indoors. There are lots of options now.
8)Sleep in a dark, cool room with darkening shades if possible
9)Go to bed early; 9-10pm is wonderful and gives the body time to heal and recover during sleep
10)Stay in an attitude of gratefulness even when it seems hard; this will bring a bigger, healthier perspective and create a sense of calm over time

Sleep well my friends…..if you have more questions reach out to me on FB at Vital Women’s Health page for a more in depth look into your sleep routine. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

When we “know” better, we can “do” better.

Nighty-nite,
Em