Want to improve your health, creativity, confidence, clarity and decision making skills? Without spending a fortune?
Sleep is the answer!
Many people now struggle with getting to sleep, staying asleep and having a good quality sleep. There are many different reasons – children, pets, sleep apnoea, hormone fluctuations, shift work, screen time, stimulants are just a few!
Poor sleep, or sleep deprivation, has been associated with higher stress levels AND a greater risk of heart disease.
Tips to Improve Your Sleep
Create a sleep ritual– having a pre-bed routine is great for helping your body settle down and get ready to sleep. Part of this is having a routine where you go to bed and wake up at a similar time each day to train your body clock. Try taking a bath, meditating, some yoga or stretching or listen to calm relaxing music.
Minimise artificial light– artificial light, computer and TV screens are the most effective suppressors of melatonin (your sleep hormone) ever!
If you have a lot of stimulating food or drink in the afternoon or evening, like caffeine, starch and sugar, this can wake your body up and prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep. So can exercising intensively too late in the day.
Try eating your evening meal at least 2 hours before bed so that your body isn’t still digesting when you’re trying to fall asleep.
Go to bed when you are tired. If you go to bed as soon as you start yawning and feel tired you should fall asleep easily, but if you delay going to bed the sleepiness will pass and you’ll feel wide awake again.
Drinking chamomile or passionflower tea will help you feel relaxed (chamomile is a natural sedative) and to fall asleep.
Eating foods abundant in tryptophan, magnesium, calcium and vitamin B6 all have positive effects on sleep. Tryptophan is a key component in melatonin – it can be found in cashew nuts, chickpeas, turkey and walnuts. Calcium helps the brain use tryptophan, and is easily found in green leafy vegetables and dairy. Magnesium helps you stay asleep- it can be found in green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, brown rice, fish, beans and lentils, avocados and cacao. Vitamin B6 is used by your body to make serotonin and melatonin. Vitamin B6 is found in sunflower seeds, walnuts, tuna, salmon, turkey and chicken.
Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep
Getting eight hours sleep can help you look younger!
Good sleep boosts your sense of wellbeing.
Being sleep deprived can worsen skin health and conditions.
Good sleep can help with weight loss. Poor sleep increases ghrelin (a hunger and appetite hormone) which means poor sleep will make you hungrier!
So there you have it…. Tips on how and why to sleep better! Need more personalised help or advice? Talk to one of our health coaches or naturopaths today (02) 9651 5559!
