3 Tips to Help You Get Better Sleep
March is Sleep Awareness Month and as one tired, new mom, I am feeling the effects of not getting adequate sleep at this point! But I still wanted to talk more about how you can improve sleep hygiene and why sleep is so important.
In our culture we celebrate this “sleep when we die mentality.” But what really is happening is quite a disservice to us because sleep is so imperative to our health our well-being and our productivity. Sleep is an integral part of the mind body connection by playing a key role in regulating appetite hormones, fertility hormones, gut microbiome, and healing the body at a cellular level.
So what can you do in order to help promote better sleep hygiene? Here are three things that you can try.
#1: Go to bed and wake up at consistent times
This means waking up and going to bed pretty much every day at the same time. No matter what. So if you wakeup at seven during the week, then on the weekend that means you are waking up close to seven and if you usually go to bed at ten, also going to bed around the same time. If your body is used to going to bed around that time during the week, going to bed at midnight is really going to mess you up during that weekend. And for the rest of the week following it.
#2: Getting ready for bed before you are exhausted
Are you one of the people that fall asleep to the TV on the couch and then get into bed and get another wind? It’s the worst! That is why you want to get into bed before you are exhausted. So that means starting your bedtime routine process prior to crashing on the couch. So, what does that look like? Maybe two hours before bed you're starting to get ready. You're getting yourself together. You're getting in bed before you are really overly tired because this can impact our ability to get yourself in a mental state where you are ready to go to bed and not kind activating a second wind.
#3: Limit caffeine after noon
Everybody has a different caffeine threshold, but if you're struggling and you're feeling tired and wired at night or you're not able to go to bed, limiting or restricting caffeine after noon every day is going to help you get to bed and feel more rested.
A lot of times when I get clients, they describe all these different symptoms and when I ask about their sleep they tell me it is all messed up. Right away, this is where we have to start there because if they are not sleeping then anything else we do at that point is going to be null. So, if you are experiencing stubborn metabolism, cravings, feeling cranky, and just overall miserable or dissatisfied in your body, and you've been trying to diet doing all the things, but your sleep is still wack, this could be what is hindering your progress.
So those are the places that I would start with when it comes to proper sleep hygiene to help you build an ideal sleep situation. Choose one to start with that and then go from there on out to help you instill better sleep habits. I can't emphasize enough the importance of sleep in terms of metabolic function, fertility pathway function, immune function, brain function, and all the things. Want more energy, better mood, and a more mindful approach to eating and living? Go to bed! Get your rest. There is no substitute.
I know this can be a struggle if you are burned out and feeling tired but wired at bedtime. If you want support making your health and wellbeing a priority and healing your body so you can get your ZZZs, join my online program. This program is tailored to address the nutrition and lifestyle needs of burned out millennial women. Sign up on the website or learn more by sending me a message.
