Are You Waking Rested? 6 Ways to Get More Restful Sleep
Jul 12, 2023
Sleep changes everything. Restful sleep improves appetite, insulin sensitivity, mood, immune system, blood pressure, adrenals and much more. Are you getting restful sleep? Are you getting 8 hours per night? It is definitely something to consider when looking for a root cause to most all health concerns.
6 Ways to Establish More Restful Sleep
- Establish a regular bedtime routine. The body likes routine. It prefers to eat, sleep, and be active on a schedule.
- Decrease usage of electronic devices before bed. They are stimulating! Put away electronics 2 hours before bed. Reduce blue light exposure as it stimulates the brain and stress inducing.
- Stop eating several hours before bedtime. Eating right before bed disrupts digestion. Blood sugar imbalances also occur from eating late which results in disrupted sleep.
- Create a bedtime ritual. This sets the stage for better sleep. Some things that could be a part of the ritual are: reading, epsom salt bath, meditation, journaling, herbal tea, diffusing essential oils and making the room dark.
- Exercise and engage in physical activity during each day. A sedentary lifestyle can contribute to sleep disturbances. It is best however to exercise earlier in the day and not right before bed as it increases cortisol and affects sleep.
- Avoid alcohol and caffeine. Caffeine decreases melatonin and stimulates the adrenals. Alcohol interferes with REM (dream) sleep and increases sleep apnea.
Go through each of these 6 points and decide how you can make improvements for better sleep. Recently a client who was working on sleep, limited liquids 2 hours before sleep which alone made a huge difference. Remember we are all individuals and what works for one person may not be the thing that works for another. Most importantly though, having an open mind to look into some of these could positively impact you. It is worth a try!!
About the author
I am a certified integrative and hormone health coach from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. I believe our body's systems are all integrated into a whole and when one system is out of balance, it affects the whole. I have a passion for helping people conquer issues related to parenting, family health and gut health.
Moms have a huge job to create habits for their families that will prevent disease. I understand the forces at play against getting the true health information. We have so much to sort through with advertising and social media and not all of it has our best interest at heart. This is were I help moms eliminate factors that lead to disease for our families.
I also know all too well that if your gut isn't right nothing is!
Cramping, diarrhea, low energy, headaches, constipation, blood sugar imbalance, IBS, anxiety and mood swings are all related to the health of your gut. I know how quality of life suffers when you are living with these symptoms.
*The worst is they then begin to create other symptoms such as osteoporosis, infertility, PMS and menopause symptoms.
The only way to find relief is to find the root cause of your imbalances and take a whole body approach to wellness. I work with individuals and families to gain more energy, reduce stress, reduce bloat and discomfort and manage the challenges moms face.