Sleep Better

How is your sleep?

Does your sleep feel like this?

Or does your sleep feel more like this?

Sleep is simple powerful medicine. And the pace of life is getting faster. It makes it harder to get the rest that we need. With a majority of our day doing everything at full-speed it can be difficult to fully relax and unwind for sleep.

Sleep is one of those things that’s the first thing to get out of balance when I’m stressed. Even in my teenage years, I recall issues with sleeping. It is very common. Many people think that they fine without a full night sleep. For a while, you may do ok, but the sleep debt is building.

I remember while I was in medical school laying in bed with all the things that I have learned that day, that quarter, that year, running through my head. Sometimes it would be deafening. I had to learn many different tricks and tips and ways to help myself through the transition from the extremely busy day into a state where I could actually relax and sleep.

How do you know when you’re not getting enough sleep?

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you need coffee or caffeine to wake up in the morning?
• Do you look for sweets or more caffeine later in the day to pick up that late afternoon fatigue?
• Does it take you a while to peel yourself out of bed?
• Are you tired all the time?
• Do you wake more than once in the night?
• Are you able to fall asleep quickly?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, it is likely that you have some sort of sleep disturbance.

These may come and go through life. Getting worse when there’s a higher level of stress whether physical, emotional, or spiritual.

You can use these tips to help you sleep a little better in these times of stress and to make sure that these tendencies do not turn into habits.

When we get proper sleep our body has a chance to heal. It is important to get enough deep sleep in order to be able to rebuild your health-mind, body, and spirit.

Today we’ll explore about 5 ways to support optimal sleep.

1. Keep a regular bedtime: go to bed and wake-up around the same time every day.
2. Sleep in total darkness: shutting off lights helps the melatonin your body makes to keep functioning through the night.
3. Avoid electronics: Keep TVs, computers, tablets, and phones out of the bedroom. Put your phone in airplane mode if you need to use it as an alarm.
4. Avoid screen time before bed: Turn off your screens (phones, computers, tablets) at least 1-2 hours before bed.
5. Create a routine: have a bedtime routine like meditation, stretching, or journaling to help relax and unwind before bed.

What change can you make to boost the quality of your sleep today?

Leave a comment below and tell me what changes you will make tonight!