How To Actually Get A Good Night’s Sleep
So many people (especially in the wild world of 2020) are struggling to get quality sleep. But, not to sound dramatic, but now is not the time to skimp on the shut-eye. Quality sleep is an essential part of the immune system response to infection and is vital to our mental health. Our bodies also cycle through an incredibly important phase of detoxification during sleep. Sleep is prime-time for liver function, which breaks down metabolic waste — sounds important, right?
For many, getting more of this delicious dream time is a work in progress, and that’s ok! We’re all special little snowflakes when it comes to finding the right cocktail of sleep habits. Personally, I need pitch black, ice-cold and lots of white noise. But the secret sauce to quality sleep actually has more to do with what we do during the day than how we set up the night.
Feel The Rhythm
The National Sleep Foundation recommends association tells us to stick to a sturdy sleep schedule, yes, even on the weekends. This means wake up *and* go to bed at the same times each day.
A natural way to do this is to sync your sleep with natural light: rise and rest with the sun. Our bodies naturally respond to light by activating hormones like cortisol and melatonin to help us wake up or wind down. This is, of course, much easier in the spring and summer, but you can emulate these types of light in your house. Research shows that blue light from tech mimics the light we see in the mornings and slows or even stops melatonin production. Try dimming lights in the evening and avoiding screens (blue light) at least 90 minutes before bedtime or grab a pair of blue-light blocking glasses. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Set The Mood (& the Mind)
We’ve all had nights of high anxiety and endless thoughts to try to keep anxiety and stress at bay during the day by using relaxation techniques like box breathing, nature walks, or meditation.
In the evenings, create an ambiance that feels ~lovely~ to fall asleep to. Explore ways to set the tone with sleep-encouraging herbs like skullcap, lavender, chamomile, and rose. Calm your senses with a warm bath or shower, slow stretching, candles, aromatherapy, or deep breathing.
Mind Your Meals
Keeping your blood sugar balanced throughout the day is super important for a restful night. Get your carbs in during the mornings and stick to protein, healthy fats, and high fiber foods later in the day.
Cutting caffeine can also help magnificently. While caffeine definitely has some benefits, high doses are known to induce anxiety, dysregulate sleep patterns, and disrupt the digestive system (yikes). So, reconsider you afternoon espresso for nervous system nourishing herbs and energizing foods. A few naturally-energizing alternatives are medicinal mushrooms, Rhodiola, water, and apples. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Originally published at https://rune.haus on October 19, 2020.
