Five Tips for Better Sleep
Sleep is a core need and restorative sleep is best. Without good restorative sleep for long stretches of time, people can develop serious medical diseases and complications such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.
All these diseases are related to the poor choices made when one’s sleep is not restorative. For my clients, if they come in with multiple problems and want to change their life, I discuss the importance of sleep and prioritize that being improved first. That lays the base for strong core health habits to be developed. Here are a few tips to set that foundation:
Set the same bedtime and wake time for all days of the week
This is very important as you are establishing a rhythm and consistency is key. Vary only 1 hour in either direction if you must.
Stop all artificial/blue light at least one hour before bedtime
The blue light immitted by electronics like your TV and phone all stimulate the pineal gland and can stop you from getting restful sleep. The best situation is to sleep in a completely dark bedroom with no ambient light while sleeping. Try sleep masks or black out curtains to achieve this. If you are using electronics at night, use blue blocker technology to remove the blue light spectrum.
Journaling
I strongly encourage journaling before bed. You can release the thoughts of the day unto paper, or as I love to do, reflect on the day writing down things that I am grateful for. It puts you in a calmer state. If you have racing thoughts, you can place them on paper to come back to when you awaken.
No strenuous exercise at least 3 hours before bed
Hopefully we are all exercising daily as it is wonderful for us in general and it helps us to get good sleep. Exercise is great, but it stimulates you. If you must exercise in the evenings, complete it no later than 3 hours before your bedtime.
No meals within 3 hours of bedtime
Digesting food is a lot of work and is a task your body prioritizes. Eating a major meal before bedtime can lead to disturbed sleep due to reflux, indigestion, and just the work of digesting. It is best to give your body time to digest which usually takes 2-3 hours.