People have been sending me pictures and comments about how they are feeling better and sticking to the plan. Keep going and these will become habit very soon! As always I'd love to hear from you so send me any pictures, questions or comments on how you are getting on.
This week's change sounds simple but in fact is a difficult one to do! We all know we need more sleep but do we really know how much? And why? It varies from person to person how much is needed but a good ball park is 6-8 hours.
Step 1 of getting more sleep is figuring out how much sleep you are currently getting.
Step 2 is to try and increase this.
Step 3 Try and increase the quality of this sleep.
Check out the article I wrote about sleep a few months back. It contains lots of statistics on how much sleep top athletes get to be in peak performance, things that can interrupt your sleep and also tips on how to sleep better. You can find the link here.
OK I know this isn't the easiest thing to do, especially anyone who has children. I'm not going to pretend I know what it's like but the idea here is to try and get as much sleep as possible in your current lifestyle. Not only that but to try and get a better quality of sleep than you are getting at the moment.
So let's start at the beginning. Why do we need more sleep? If we don't feel tired then why bother?
Prevent/cure minor illnesses:
During sleep the body heals and recovers from the barrage of abuse we put it though throughout the day from our movements, the food we eat, chemicals absorbed through food, air and touch. Our immunity and other cells naturally die and need regenerating to fight infections and minor illnesses. This regeneration all happens when you are asleep.
Prevent diseases:
Lack of sleep and conversely too much sleep have also been linked to many serious diseases such as: Diabetes,
Stroke,
Coronary heart disease,
Obesity and
Aanxiety.
You can read more on this here. Sleeping helps the body recover and reverse the effects of these diseases either helping with their symptoms or aiding the reverse of the disease itself.
Rest our body and mind:
We spend so much of our time thinking, making lists, planning, stressing and worrying about things. We need to take a rest. The mind needs to switch off. Even when you are relaxing and feeling 'stress free' your body still has to remember to breath, beat your heart, stay standing etc. So the only way to truly rest the mind is through sleep and meditation.
OK so now you know why you need to sleep, how can you get more sleep?
Aside: These tips will also significantly help children get more and better sleep meaning you can do the same!
1) Ditch the electronic devices.
We have a 'No Technology' rule in our bedroom and I think it's one of the best things you can do. How much time do we waste watching TV in bed or being on your phone or laptop, on FB or Netflix? (Ironically most people will probably be in bed right now reading this!). Not to mention it might make you actually connect and talk to your partner more!
The light that is emitted from these devices plays havoc with your melatonin, your sleep hormone. The lights trick your brain into thinking it's day time and so your body prepares you to be awake. This significantly hinders you from falling asleep. Ideally you should have a 'black out' situation in your bedroom where there is no light what so ever from anything, street lights, clock radios, phones or chargers etc. Cover these with black tape or cloth if possible. Or ban them completely!
As you begin to approach bedtime, put away the phone, the laptop, switch off the tv, dim the lights and turn on low light lamps. These all resemble sun set and so the hormones in the body begin to prepare you for sleep mode. Resist any temptation to 'just check the phone one last time'. If someone needs you, really needs you, then they will contact you!
We got a Lumie Alarm clock for the bedroom and I think it's one of the best purchases I've ever bought. My husband loves it and says it really helps him sleep better. You can find out about them here. Basically it is a lamp and an alarm clock that mimic sun rise and sun set and so allows the body's hormones to naturally prepare you for sleep and being awake. So instead of going from bright light to dark in the evening and dark to bright light in the morning it slowly allows the body to adjust the the level of light. It's so much nicer to wake up in the morning to a gradual bright light as opposed to a loud sharp noise from an alarm clock. (Don't worry it has a back up noise in case you really are in a deep sleep!) We all know that feeling we get when we wake up naturally on a day off. You can have this every day! It will set you up for an amazing day of well rested activity. Trust me! Check out this great video on how this works.
2) Read a book.
Books are the greatest gift you could give anyone. And no, you can't use a kindle, the light from these, no matter how dimmed, will also disrupt the sleep hormone. I join the library every year. It's €15 and you have access to any book you desire. If they don't have it they will order it for you, no charge. They also have DVD box sets, travel guides, CDs, listening books, kids books, the list goes on and on. You can take 2 items out for 2 weeks and renew online if you won't be finished them on time. Click here for more information on Cork Libraries.
Reading before you go to sleep will help relax and prepare the body for sleep. It will help you unwind and switch off from the hectic world we live in. It's also good for your brain and you might learn something and enjoy yourself!
3)Listen to a guided sleep meditation.
Youtube has a wealth of sleep meditation videos you can listen to. Hyprocritically, this means using an electronic device but you can have it near the bed, turned face down or covered so the light doesn't disrupt you. Most are 15-30 minutes long and will help you drift off into a well rested, relaxed deep sleep. This will ensure you get really good deep quality sleep, even if it will interupted of for a short amount of time. Click here for one of my favourite ones or see below. These are really good for those days where you are just wound up and can not seem to switch off. We've all laid in bed exhausted but with our mind reeling. This is perfect for these frustrating nights. I guarantee you you will fall asleep no later than 20 minutes into listening to one of these. Not only does this help you fall asleep it will also help you get a better quality of sleep.
4) Disco Nap anyone?
Napping is also a great way to top up your sleep. You might not feel tired but laying down for 20-30 minutes can considerably increase your physical performance if you are feeling sleep deprived, playing sport or training heavily. It can also increase reaction times, focus, mental agility and awareness.
So this is it guys. Getting even 20 more minutes a day can really help you feel on top of the world. Remember sleep deprevation is a form of torture. Stop torturing yourself.
Remember you have to put the effort in in order to be able to sleep longer and sleep better. But the rewards are massive. You will:
- Feel better
- Look better
- Train better
- Live better
- Recover better
- Move better
- Get less sick
If you get up at 7am, you need to be asleep for 11pm whcih means electronics off and wind down begins at 10pm to get your 8 hours. Do you really need to watch another episode of Game of Thrones? Just record i! It'll be there when you are rested.
Sweet dreams Jeanies! You can do this!
Thanks for these tips! To add up to that list, here are more suggestions on how to prepare for quality sleep because having a good slumber is that important.
ReplyDelete- Regards from Bedding Stock