All right…enough of listening to clients and friends who go to bed too late and get up too early. As well as to kids and teens who are over scheduled and not getting nearly enough sleep and recovery time. Here we go…lets start with a few questions for you to answer:
On average ….what time do you fall asleep?
What time do you wake up with an alarm?
What time do you wake up naturally?
How many hours of solid sleep to you get per night?
Well if you are not asleep by 10pm and awake around 6am as well as sleeping a total of 7-9 hours of sleep…you may be missing the root cause for a lot of our health challenges.
Sleep could be your “area of opportunity” as I always say to improve your fat loss, health and performance. Yes sleep is an essential part of the “WHOLESTIC Method” to being healthy from the inside out.
We need our sleep…specifically we need 7 to 9 hours of quality sound sleep per night in order to stay healthy inside and out. We want to be asleep by 10pm at night and wake up around 6am…as you can see above a lot happens inside our body at a cellular level that we don’t want to miss out on. Sleep deficiency can be connected to chronic health problems, stress management, weight issues and more.
How many times have you woke up on the wrong side of the bed?
- Have you woke up feeling edgy, moody, sensitive, short tempered and impatient?
- Exhausted instead of energized for the day to begin?
- What about the evenings…are you able to wind down and fall asleep quickly?
- Do you find your are tired but wired at night?
- Do you wake up around 2am and can’t fall back asleep?
If you reset your circadium rhythm with a few tips and tricks, you can return to burning fat for fuel while you are asleep. We can also learn how to relax, calm down and unwind before bed instead of telling the body that it is still daytime by staring at a computer screen or a TV screen.
I suggest looking out for your red flags on why you are not or can not get enough sleep… and dig deeper to determine your “why” then discover your root cause to sleep and health.
Here are some of my suggestions to improving your sleep:
1. Don’t eat after dinner. Kitchen is closed. Stop eating by 8pm.
2. Avoid deep fried, heavy and spicy meals before bed and alcoholic beverages.
3. Get a routine for bedtime and schedule each night weeknight and weekend.
4. Get off the TV or computer screens at least one hour before bed that emits artificial light.
5. Avoid strenuous exercise right before bed.
6. Avoid caffeine after 2pm in the afternoon.
7. Block out bright flashing lights in your room as clocks and alarms.
8. Keep bedroom cool and dark.
9. Use a relaxation techniques as the SweetBeat Heart Rate Variability app
10. Listen to relaxation music on a timer before bed as “relaxation radio” or “calm meditation” on Pandora …I use it on Sonos in our bedroom and set timer for 30-45 minutes.
11. Read before bed to unwind …my goal is to read three pages or more to get sleepy and relaxed.
12. Write in a daily gratitude journal and write goals for the next day before bedtime to help you clear your mind and “to do list”.
13. Light candles or use essential oil diffuser in bedroom to relax and calm the mind.
Start adding one or two of these sleep tips and tricks to help your body reset it’s circadium rhythm. You will improve your bodies recovery and repair which occurs during 10PM and 2AM as well as your immune system and physiological repair between 2AM and 6AM.
Let me know how it goes and start going to bed earlier… get those 7 to 9 hours of sleep and you will improve your fat loss, health and performance in life and sports!
My WHOLESTIC Method works… start from the inside out if you want to be the best version of you! Get to the root course…what is your “why”?
Coach Debbie Potts
