I know your workouts are important to you! That’s why you are up at 5am to get in THE WORK before those family duties kick in. Or, your hitting the gym at 8pm after the kids are in bed. I see you!

Early morning workouts are great if your getting to bed early enough to get 8 hours of sleep, but lets be honest, most of us aren’t! And I hear the folks out there who say “I’m good on 5 hours of sleep, I’ve been doing it for years and feel fine.” – but guess what, there less than 10% of folks who have the genetic ability to truly function long-term on such little sleep! The rest of you are running on caffeine and cortisol – and not to be a Debby downer, but it will catch up with you!

“It is a common myth that we can learn to get by on little sleep with no ill consequences.”
– Matthew Walker, PhD

The best book I’ve read about the importance of sleep is by Matthew Walker, PhD and is called “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams“. If you need motivation to prioritize sleep, READ THIS BOOK! The research he has complied and stories he intertwines in this book make it a fascinating read! I’m actually going to read it again!

But Dr. Walker isn’t the only one talking about the importance of sleep these days, I feel like everyone is starting to see the light (yes, pun intended). A number of researchers and ‘influencers’ are talking about the importance of morning sunlight. If we expose our eyes to morning light within 1 hour of waking, we literally set our circadian rhythm for the day! And word of caution – this doesn’t mean to stare directly into the sun!! But get yourself outside for tea/coffee on the porch or a morning walk. It seems strange, that what we do in the morning impacts our sleep 16 hours later, but it literally begins a hormone signal that sets us up for success at night!

“Without sleep, there is low energy and disease. With sleep, there is vitality and health.”
– Matthew Walker, PhD

Ok, I’m sure you have heard it all before, but did you know that regular, high quality sleep is one of the best ways to improve your physical and mental performance without the use of drugs?! We all look to various powders, pills, and even foods like beet juice or caffeine to enhance our performance when we could save ourselves $100’s – $1,000’s by just prioritizing our sleep! Read to the end to learn some of the lesser known tips for optimizing your sleep.

“Sleep is the greatest legal performance-enhancing drug that most people are probably neglecting.”
– Matthew Walker, PhD

Being sleep deprived over the long-run can negatively impact many aspects of our health including:

• Shortened life span
• Lack of blood sugar regulation
• Mental Health – worsening of all disorders (depression, anxiety, etc.)
• Increased obesity
• Increased dementia risk
• Increased risk of developing diabetes
• Increased risk of cancer
• Memory loss / Retention of learning
• Weakening of immune system
• Less ability to be creative
• Increased risk of heart attacks and stroke

You get the point – it basically impacts EVERYTHING!

In light of the recent time change in most of the Northern Hemisphere for daylight savings time, people have just lost an hour of sleep! Did you know that just this 1 hour change has statistically lead to a spike in heart attacks the following day?! And also an increase in automobile accidents! And that is just 1 hour of loss. It just shows you how powerful sleep is!

“The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life span.”
– Matthew Walker, PhD

Let’s talk about how you improve your sleep quality and quantity?
Remember – both are important!

“Sleep Hygiene” is term that is used to describe the various strategies listed below that all prepare your mind and body for a restful sleep.

• Prioritize sleep and go to bed in enough time to allow for 8 hours of actual sleep.
• Get up and go to sleep at the same time every day/night (within 30 mins).
• Avoid caffeine after 11am and alcohol in the evening.
• No screen time / blue light 2 hrs prior to going to sleep.
• Read a paper book or from a non-backlit e-reader (like the Kindle Paperwhite).
• Wear blue light blocking glasses after sundown.
• Put your house lights on a dimmer, use warm bulbs and dim lights after 5pm.
• Use your bed only for “S” – sleep, sex, and sickness.
• Avoid naps.
• Avoid hard/high intensity workouts less than 3 hours prior to bed.
• Wash your face with warm water and perform the same nightly hygiene routine. (signals to your brain that it should start preparing for sleep).
• Keep your bedroom cool (65 F has been shown to be ideal) and dark (or use an eye pillow). Cover any lights from clocks or electronics.
• If you cant sleep after 20 mins, get up and do something relaxing and then try again. Try meditation or light stretching.
• Manage stress (more on that below) to avoid being wired and tired!
  

Stress Management Tools

• Meditation
• Yoga Nidra Meditation
• Yoga
• Journaling before bed – to help get “to-do’s” out of your head
• Acupuncture
• Energy work – ThetaHealing, Reki, Breathwork
• Traditional Therapy
• Nutritional Therapy (that gut/brain connection is powerful!)

“Ten days of six hours of sleep at night was all it took to become as impaired in performance as going without sleep for 24 hours straight.”
– Matthew Walker, PhD

Need more options?! Here are some lesser discussed tools!

• Take magnesium before bed (200-400 mg of magnesium glycinate is my favorite as there is no bowel impact like magnesium citrate).
• Try a sleep promoting herbal extract like “Sleepy Time” from Earthly Wellness.
• Try CBD before bed. I love this CBD Plus from Earthly Wellness that also includes apoptogenic herbs that help with sleep!
• Doing a short sauna session prior to bed can promote deep sleep because the drop in body temperature promotes deep sleep cycles. I usually follow a 20-35 min session with a cool (not cold) shower. If your wondering this is the sauna I have.
• Are you a mouth breather? Read about how to stop mouth breathing and how it impacts not just your sleep, but your overall health as well. Check out “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art” by James Nestor. And consider trying sleep taping (Yes, taping your mouth at night). This was a game changer for me!
• Consider using a wearable like an Oura Ring, Fit Bit, or Apple Watch, etc. to track your sleep quality and quantity. Its very interesting to see how stress from higher volumes of workouts can impact your sleep!

Regular and consistent sleep cycles can literally change your life. You will wake up a whole new person and will watch your physical and cognitive function skyrocket!

If you still don’t know where to begin, reach out! We can figure this out together!
Click HERE to book a free Discovery Call Today!

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