"Seven Ways To Limitless Sleep"
Seven Ways To Limitless Sleep...
Sleep is such an important part of our lives. The old saying...”I’ll sleep when I’m dead” is such an icky way to live, and will get you to that outcome quicker for sure.
Your body and mind require adequate recovery time.
You wouldn’t run your car engine wide open all day long would you? What do you think the end result will be?
You will probably be walking to work because you no longer have a running automobile.
The same is true with your body and mind. You can’t run too hard for too long without something giving in. Your body is very resilient, and always protecting itself from danger and too much fatigue. Something will give for sure...your health. No fun.
Proper sleep and recovery is just as important as working out and good nutrition. It is part of living a healthy life.
Let's examine 7 easy ways you can help your slumber effort and wake up refreshed ready to approach the day and live your best life.
Consistent bed time and wake up time: As far back as the cave man days our ancestors established their circadian rhythms with the sun light. Awakening with the sunrise, and going to bed with the sunset.
This is the ideal sleep schedule, but with the invention of electricity and indoor lighting, corporate greed of adding third shifts as a “normal” work shift, and the business of life that some cannot handle due to poor time management, some are staying up way to late trying to “catch up” with the day.
This is horrible for your health.
Start your morning by making a list of all things you need to accomplish for the day. Then prioritize the list of putting the most important tasks first, and so on.
Do the best you can to accomplish your list, but be realistic when you are writing it. If you don’t accomplish the last few things, simply add them to your list for the next day, no worries...easy breezy.
Set your wake and bedtime, and commit to those times, and don’t waiver.
Get some sunshine, Your circadian rhythm as we spoke about above is set to sunlight. Sunlight helps to keep your circadian rhythm healthy and working in your favor.
Proper sunlight exposure helps with the amount of energy you have throughout the day, as well as your sleep duration and quality at night.
Sunlight also affects the proper function of your hormones, body, and brain.
If you can’t get outside in the sun, you can use red-light therapy to help supplement your exposure ( I utilize my Joovv elite every morning).
If you can do both! Get Joovvy...and then get outside :)
Tune out the blue lights in the evening hours: Blue light are everywhere now. In every screen we look at, our phones, tv, tablet, laptop, led lights, airports, etc.
The blue lights disrupt your circadian rhythm by telling your brain that it is daylight and time to be awake. Your body mistakes it as sunlight, but without any benefits of sunlight.
Ways you can reduce your blue light exposure are are wearing blue light blocking glasses in the evening, or while on your device at night. I wear my Swannys blue light blockers every time I fire up my Mac. Most phones now have a darker setting you can adjust in the evening hours. You can also purchase a filter for your laptop or Mac.
If you can stay away from your devices and blue light for two hours before bed time, this will help you will have a better night sleep.
Stop Caffeine early in the day: I Love coffee as much as the next person and I use to consume coffee all day long. I thought just because I was drinking it black it was healthy. It is healthier
than coffee with all the sugar and artificial shit that some choose to add to their cup of Joe. But moderation is the key with anything, and coffee is included.
I know have two 20oz cups in the morning, and none for the rest of the day. And I sure do feel amazing! And I have slept better for sure!
Start with baby steps. Maybe stop caffeine consumption at 3pm for one week, then 2pm the next week, noon the following week, etc. Until you're down to just your couple of cups when you first awake. You got this!
Your bedroom environment: Your sleep space should be a sacred place to you. Your bed should only be used for sleeping and sex.
Not watching tv, playing on your phone, work, etc. Just sleep, and sex. Also sleeping with your phone and devices in airplane mode, and in the other room away from your body is best.
If you use the alarms on your phone for a wake up, they will still work in airplane mode. An alarm clock with a battery backup is best, and having your device no where near you.
We use an alarm clock that uses light to wake you, I will put the link below.
Also invest in a good matress, a mattress topper, good pillows, grounding mat pillow cases and sheets. These steps will all help in your good night of sleep.
You can also purchase an emf blocker to plug into a wall outlet to help reduce the dirty electricity and icky wifi/bluetooth in the air.
Dont sleep with an activity tracker on (apple watch, Fitbit,etc). If you want to track your sleep you can use an Oura ring. These are amazing because you can put then in airplane mode while you sleep, and connect them to the app on your device when you awake in the morning, Easy Breezy.
Here are links to all of the above mentioned products:
Take a bath or shower: Thats right! Studies have shown that a hot bath or shower taken within 90 minutes of your regular bed time adds to your quality of sleep.
A hot shower tells your body you are done with the day, and can mentally “wash away” the stress and icky energy from the day, letting you relax mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Quieting your mind also greatly improves your sleep quality. Being able to relax your mind and body with a hot shower is win win.
Do not exercise before bedtime: A consistent workout schedule is crucial to good health... just not before bed. Give your self a three hour buffer between your workout and the time your head hits the pillow.
Exercise raises the hormones adrenaline and epinephrine, and increases your alertness level. Both of which are not ideal for a good night of sleep.
Studies have shown that normal exercise in the daytime hours increases your level of good sleep and recovery at night. As we say at Limitless health and energy...it is all part of a healthy life...exercise, nutrition, recovery, sleep, mental and physical wellness, relationships, all of it adds to your best life for sure.
Melatonin supplement: Melatonin is the hormone released by your brain telling your body that it is time to go to bed. If you are doing all of the other steps to a better night sleep, and still not achieving your best sleep, you can utilize a melatonin supplement.
I use melatonin a few times a week to make sure I am getting ideal sleep, and waking my best self.
Melatonin is non habit forming, and a good tool to have in your tool box. Melatonin is also Awesome when you are traveling to reset your circadian rhythm once in a new time zone and to decrease jet lag.
Make sure you read all ingredients on the label though. Some melatonin contains wheat and soy, which goes against everything in my nutrition, and makes you feel like shit.
There are good melatonin supplements out there, just read the label to know what you are consuming, as you do should be doing with all thing for optimum health :)
I know these tips will help you sleep better, I am so super excited for you and your good nights sleep. As with anything the biggest part is being consistent will all of your new sleep tools. You got this.
Here's to your health...
Cheers!
