Sleep: Three Surprising Tips
“I’m so tired.” Many of us suffer from insomnia in some form. Sleep is so undervalued in our caffeinated, go-go culture. Army sharpshooters have 99% accuracy on 8 hours of sleep. When they have 6 hours - goes down to 79%. Five hours, 35%, which is the equivalent to how they would perform after 2 rounds of beer or wine. Humans are meant to sleep on average between 7-9 hours. Sleep is when our brain’s super cool trash collectors get to work and clean up all the toxins we build up just by thinking. Lack of sleep majorly messes up all of our hormones: melatonin, ghrelin (hunger hormone, it goes UP), thyroid, and cortisol (fight/flight/adrenaline).
If we can think of ourselves as we would a 4 year old child, how would we have them schedule their days and evenings? Would we:
Have them sit all day inside
Eat a huge dinner at 8 or 9 at night
Followed by a sugary treat (ice cream, popsicle, candy)
Have them watch an exciting, possibly scary show during the sugary treat that gets their brain all revved up
Maybe have a difficult discussion or ask them to do math problems at that time too
Then, after that kind of a day/evening would we put them into bed with a device and just expect them to fall asleep, sleep well, and wake up rested?
We are still that 4 year old, we’ve just been hanging around a bit longer.
Maybe you’ve tried some remedies already. In my research about “sleep hygiene” I ran across these tips and facts (all data driven) about sleep and found them surprising. I hope they help you!
Morning light. Studies show that light exposure in the morning triggers more melatonin production at night.
Gratitude. If you start a gratitude practice, such as journaling, thinking grateful thoughts, or thanking your teenagers for doing their chores, this can improve your sleep quality and quantity.
Regular Exercise. Researchers found that people who get regular exercise during the day, moderate aerobics 4-5 times per week for 30 minutes is equivalent to some brands of anti-depressants for mood, and may be equivalent to prescription sleep medication. Moderate exercise could be something simple like a brisk walk, yard work, or biking on a stationary bike.
Drop me a line and let me know if this was helpful for you.
You Deserve to Feel Healthy.
