5 Tips for Better Sleep
Quality sleep is vital to health because during sleep our cells are able to repair and restore. Sleep can also aid in mental health, good quality sleep or a lack of can affect your mood, causing anxiety, stress, and depression. Our society generally says that sleep isn’t important or it’s just something that gets worse with age, but that doesn’t have to be true. It may be common to be experiencing sleep issues but it shouldn’t be normal, even as you age. There are lots of factors that can affect sleep and making simple changes can have a huge impact on helping you sleep better.
Sleep is a big part of holistic nutrition and health because you can be eating all the right foods but if your body doesn’t get the rest it needs, achieving health and healing can be a lot more difficult. Today I would like to share 5 simple tips that will help you to get better quality sleep all throughout life.
5 Tips for a Better Nights Sleep
Get morning sunlight. Sunlight is essential to a healthy lifestyle. I know that is opposite to what most of us have been told, but the sun plays a vital role in the health of our bodies and our circadian rhythm. The best time to get sunshine is in the morning. Before breakfast, shortly after waking, try to step into the sunlight. This can look like opening a window and exposing your face to the sun, stepping onto the patio, or eating breakfast outside. You don't want to stare directly into the light but you do want to expose your face and eyes to it, without any coverings or sunscreen. Sunlight and darkness are signals to our bodies to prepare for wake-time and rest. This morning exposure to sunlight is important for our body's natural rhythm aka circadian rhythm because it will help us to know when to produce specific hormones that aid in sleep. This is especially important if you work in an office or under fluorescent lights.
Limit blue light exposure in the late afternoon/evening. Our eyes take in our surroundings and light, helping them to know what time of day it is and what to prepare for. Blue light exposure from screens tricks our bodies into thinking it is time to be awake and this can especially be a problem when we use screens at night time. Blue light exposure also blocks melatonin production, an important hormone for sleep. If melatonin production is blocked it will lead to poor quality sleep and even insomnia. There are two ways you can block blue light in the evenings, First, you could cut out all screen time after dinner or you could wear blue light-blocking glasses. I like to wear blue light-blocking glasses after dinner and all the way up until bedtime and I have found that I can tell a difference in my sleep if I forget to wear them. It’s important to also mention that keeping your room dark and comfortable can aid in better sleep. A couple of ways that you can make sure your room is dark are to use blackout curtains or wear an eye mask so that your body and hormones know it is time to rest and sleep. Having a comfortable bed and pillow is also so helpful. That may seem obvious but it is amazing how your sleep can change when you evaluate your bedroom and make sure it is comfortable for you. Keeping your phone in a different room or on the other side of the room to limit distractions can also be helpful.
Be consistent with your bedtime and get enough sleep. Being consistent in your bedtime can have a huge impact on your sleep. During sleep your brain is processing your day and having the time it needs to recuperate and recover, this helps to improve mood and mental clarity. Sleep has also been called an antioxidant for the brain because during it free radicals that can damage the brain are removed. Rest for our bodies and minds is beneficial for all systems, helping to balance hormones and blood sugar. According to studies sleep also aids in immune function giving your body the ability to fight off sickness and disease. Our bodies love consistency and can thrive when they know there is rest coming and when it is given the amount it needs to restore. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night, even if it takes time to get into the habit of going to bed earlier, over time your body will adjust.
Eat a real food, nutrient-dense diet. Real food nourishes your body by providing it with the nutrients (vitamins, minerals, and energy) it needs to function properly and this also plays a role in sleep. If your body isn’t nourished well it can affect your sleep in a lot of different ways. Do you wake up often at night, around 2 or 3 am? This could be a sign that your adrenal glands are needing more nutrients to keep stress hormones in check. Using real food like an adrenal cocktail can help nourish your adrenal glands, aiding in sleep. Another reason lots of people wake up in the middle of the night is because their bodies are craving nutrients and they are hungry. This can be helped by eating more nutrient-dense foods during the day. If you’d like to learn more about how to do that and where to start check out my Nourished Living Course.
Drink a tart cherry juice nightcap. Drinking a tart cherry juice nightcap is probably my favorite way to get a better night's sleep. This drink easily replaces a glass of wine and helps you to fall asleep. The minerals found in tart cherry juice are needed for many functions in the body, but magnesium specifically aids in helping your body to relax for sleep. Tart cherry juice also contains melatonin. As mentioned above melatonin is a hormone your body produces that aids in sleep. Lastly, tart cherries contain tryptophan, an amino acid used by your body to make melatonin. Both of these nutrients combined are the magic in tart cherries that aids in sleep. Trust me, the tart cherry juice mocktail helps me to sleep every time and it is worth a try.
I hope this information is helpful and gives you easy, practical ways to get started on your journey to better sleep. As always, remember to take it slow and implement which ever step you can first. I would always suggest nutrition first but some of the simpler things like keeping your room dark and minimizing screen time can be done with little to no extra effort. If you love these tips I would love for you to share this post with all of your friends or anyone you think it may benefit. And please follow along on social media @nourishedmommaandco