Tips for Healthy Dose of Sleep

Sleep is a healer, many of you realize its importance yet are also not sure how to consciously improve your sleep routine.

Get ready for your healthy 7-9 hours of sleep every day.

Here are a few tips and suggestions on how to get your healthy dose of sleep, give them a try and let me know how it goes:

During the day:

– Stress builds up during the day, and makes it harder to fall asleep at night. Every few hours take a recovery break: stop what you are doing, bring your awareness to your breath to calm your nervous system down
– Exercise or at least walk every day
–  Cut down on coffee after 2:00 pm

Sleep habitat:

-       Decorate your bedroom as a place that will nourish you, relaxes, and calms you. Place that you look forward to spending at least 1/3 of your day.
– Get rid of clutter

-  Create space

- Have a room spray that relaxes you
– Get a new pillow, new pillow case – even a whole new bed set
– Have a special place for a book that you like and music to play

Before going to bed:

-   Set up a calming routine before bed, and let your mind and body prepare to relax. …allow yourself to wind down.
– Take a warm bath
– Dim down the lights
– Listen to soothing, relaxing music
– Read a book
– Practice deep breathing before bed, meditate
– Put on comfortable soft sleep wear to tell your body it is time to sleep
– Most importantly, banish all LCD screens (laptops, tablets, smartphones, TV) an hour or two before sleep.

The last point is being on of the most important factors, we are not obsessed but addicted to the screens. Try digital detox, promise yourself to stay away from emails, social media or any screen activity in the evenings or certain times of days that works best for you. Unplug. Carry your phone in your bag, not in your hand 24/7. “Impact of screens before sleep is huge…people expose their eyes to stream of photons from these objects that basically tells the brain, stay awake its not time to sleep yet. So its 10 pm, 11 pm or 1:00 am you are in your bed looking at the screens, checking emails, rolling thru social media, doing all kinds of things and the light beam tells your brain don’t release melatonin, it is not time for sleep yet.” Dr. Daniel Siegel (Melatonin: A hormone that plays a role in regulating biological rhythms, including sleep and reproductive cycles). Worst disruption of melatonin can contribute to obesity and cardiovascular diseases in addition many other harms of not getting enough sleep. See my previous article “Do Sleep”on the importance of sleep and harms of sleep deprivation.

Respect your Sleep time, give your body the proper time to nourish, your brain the rest it needs to consolidate learning and recover from the experiences of the day.