Sleep

Keeping you healthy, one night at a time!

 

Sleep is friend and feared foe in our modern age. We spend time and energy procrastinating our bedtime routines, see early sleep as ‘boring’ or old-aged behavior and even tout the number of all-nighters in our lives as a bit of a badge of honor.

Contrary to popular culture, a good night’s sleep is not only a badge of youthful living, but will keep you young much longer that late night video games, excessive parties or even binge-watching your favorite show through the night.

 

Sleep has many dramatic influences on the body. It:

—  Enhances memory consolidation

—  Improves our metabolism

—  Recalibrates our emotional brain circuits

—  Restocks our immune system

—  Maintains a healthy microbiome

—  Regulates our appetite

—  Regulates our energy

—  Detoxes the brain

 

In other words – sleep keeps our brains young and our immune systems healthy!

 

Sleep even helps keep our cardiovascular system working at peak level.

 This is especially important when we consider that cardiovascular disease accounts for the top TWO causes of death, worldwide!

 

What To Do?

When sleep is elusive or disrupted, frustration can occur. This causes a spike in adrenal and stress hormones, making sleep even more difficult. Relaxation methods can reduce the stress response and make sleep a new reality.

The great news is that the lifestyle choices one makes during daylight hours can also help reduce sleep stress at night.

Morning Methods

A helpful first step to take to shift unhealthy sleep patterns is the start your CAR! 😊 (Check with your functional health care provider before beginning.)

 CAR

Cortisol

Awakening

Response

 

Here are the simple steps:

 1- Determine the time you would like to be waking up in the morning. Be realistic and yet hopeful when choosing this time.

2. Set your alarm clock for this time.

3. Within 15 minutes of waking, move at a high intensity rate for three minutes.

4. If absolutely necessary, you can return to bed afterward, but effects are amplified if you can stay up.

5. Repeat daily.

 

The circadian rhythm of hormones will begin to shift. This will result in a deeper sleep as soon as the next night. As this shift occurs, waking at the chosen hour will become automatic and pre-programmed.

Timing Matters

Shift your bedtime accordingly. Different ages, stages and health conditions require more or less sleep. Tune into your body and learn what number of hours is best for you.

Being asleep before 11pm each night has very specific hormone balancing benefits. If you feel a ‘second wind’ at night, take note of the time. Try to be asleep by this time the next evening to optimize this hormone balancing mechanism.

Your body has specific sleep needs. If it doesn’t get that sleep, a ‘sleep deficit’ occurs. This can trigger pre-diabetes blood sugar levels within 48 hours of sleep deprivation. Dietary cravings shift toward high sugar foods and heavy carbs with sleep deficit or sleep deprivation.

Check out your environment

Studies show that even small sounds and bits of light can keep the body from reaching the deep sleep that is necessary. Review your space to optimize your sleep.

Is there ambient light? Unplug any light-based clocks, add black out curtains to avoid street light and close any doors that are allowing house lights in.

Are there plants in your sleeping space? These living creatures can be too energetic for the sleeping space. Try moving them to your wakeful zones.

Are you watching TV before sleep? Cut screen time at least an hour before bedtime and move any viewing electronics out to the living space as well.

Do you have a peaceful routine? Just as evening routines help children create healthy sleep patterns, adding in a relaxation habit can remind your body that it is time to rest. Insight Timer is a favorite source of meditations to use each evening.

Are you charging your phone near your head? This flow of EMF energy is a modern culprit for sleep disruption. Put the phone as far away from your sleeping zone as possible. Even just across the room. In some cases turning off WIFI to the home has made all the difference.

Do a quick check on what is just on the other side of your bedroom wall. If a router or computer are nearby, consider making a change.

 Diet and Lifestyle Support

Eating healthy fat and protein throughout the day? Keeping your blood sugar balanced by eating healthy fats and proteins at each meal helps provide the stored energy needed to avoid the 2-4am wake up experience. Try a snack at bedtime if this is your time to wake.

Stay hydrated throughout the day.

Watch your histamine levels. High histamine at night can cause ‘monkey brain’ and keep us from falling asleep. Try washing linens weekly with a little bit of grapefruit seed extract in the rinse.

Get Help

If sleep is a chronic issue, consider getting a sleep study done. Many people with stubborn autoimmune symptoms are hampered by sleep apnea without knowing. See you doctor to get this checked out.

A dive into your nutritional needs with Thrive Alive Wellness can provide options for understanding your specific pattern and your nutritional and lifestyle pathway toward deep and restorative sleep.

For optimal health changes – sleep well!