DON’T SLEEP ON SLEEP!
Healthy and adequate sleep are crucial. Notice I didn’t immediately say for women, men, weight loss, physical health, mental well being, etc. This is because it is CRUCIAL for all of the above. A hard pill for most of us to swallow is that we optimally need 7 or more hours of sleep a night. The propensity to say we thrive on 4 hours is just a fallacy!
Don’t believe me? Check out this study in the National Library of Medicine. Their conclusions included:
“Sleeping less than 7 hours per night on a regular basis is associated with adverse health outcomes, including weight gain and obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke, depression, and increased risk of death. Sleeping less than 7 hours per night is also associated with impaired immune function, increased pain, impaired performance, increased errors, and greater risk of accidents.”
There is good news though, you can work on your sleep hygiene and these challenges will not be your destiny. Making changes to your nutrition and your movement can be great helps, and research has show that behavioral interventions can impact sleep quality. The intervention we’re talking about here is building a healthy sleep routine. It is about doing all that you can to set yourself up for success. Here’s our advice!
Exercise, but not before bed!
Getting in a good workout during the day can set you up for better sleep. If you do it too soon before bed though you may have trouble getting ready to sleep.
Screentime
Our phones, tablets, and televisions provide overwhelming stimulus to our brains. Doing your best to put them down and turn them off an hour before you get into bed can help get your mind ready for sleep.
Set the scene!
Having your bedroom ready for sleep time is important. Stepping into it and being reminded of unfinished tasks can be very distracting. Also, falling asleep to the television is an awful environment for healthy sleep. It is possible to break yourself of this habit! Another challenge here is if you tend to do work in your bed. Associate your bed with sleep only, not things that can cause stress.
Cut the caffeine
We all may love a good cup of coffee but late afternoon and evening caffeine can have a huge impact on sleep quality. You don’t just still need to feel the energy boost or jitters from it for it to be a problem.
Make an appointment with yourself
Most importantly to a sleep routine, is the word routine. Set a realistic bedtime for yourself and see it as important as a doctor’s appointment. Also set a wake up time. Do you best to stick to them and understand that like exercise you get better at this with consistency!
We want to emphasize that this can be a process making your sleep health a priority. The biggest fallacy out there you see online is “We all have the same 24 hours in a day!” As active individuals with busy lives you know there are non-negotiables when it comes to your schedule. Be realistic and don’t see yourself as failing at this if you can’t implement that “perfect” routine immediately. Identify the steps you can take now, and build goals towards what you want to achieve. Your body will thank you for it!
Need help working on your healthy sleep routine, building good habits, and more? Talk to one of our coaches by clicking here!
