Discover how to get a good night’s sleep with these easy tips! If you’re struggling with insomnia or other sleep issues, this post is for you.
We all know that getting a good night’s sleep is crucial for our health and well-being, but sometimes it can be hard to achieve. If you’re struggling to get the zzz’s you need, don’t worry – we’ve got some hacks for better sleep that can help. Keep reading for tips on how to fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling refreshed.
One of the most underlooked things in healthcare and one that contributes to so much in the body is sleep. There are so many issues that sleep has an influence over, pain, mood, and other systems. It’s such a simple thing but people ignore it.
We had a patient recently who came back to us. She had been doing really well until her job switched over from day shift to night shift. All of a sudden everything that we had worked on in the past seemed to come undone.
She was falling back to where we had first started … and the only thing that had changed was her sleep schedule.
We take sleep for granted
Interesting right? So what goes on in your brain for all of this to happen? What’s going on in your body for this to happen? Our bodies are in this go go go mode when we’re awake that we forget we’re like a cellphone and need charging!
It’s not always easy to get a good night’s sleep, but our bodies are elastic enough that even when we’re tired and exhausted from insufficient rest the next day there is still some energy left in us. You see this with how humans were able to run away from bears during prehistory because they would have been too wasted after being attacked by one all evening long without getting any sleep!
Every time you move, gates open up and ions flow in and out. Most of the time everything gets back to a balance point. But over the course of a day, you start to create these small deficits of chemicals.
And when you sleep, that’s your body’s opportunity to clear out all the clutter. Now we don’t have to put all of our energy and all of our priority into action. We can put it into restoration. And so the chemistry of your body just has an opportunity to reset.
Recovery happens in every system of your body
From our digestive system, your neurological system, your muscles, your tendons. Obviously, when you wake up in the morning, everything is not going to be sharp and ready to go because it’s still transitioning from that rest and regenerative stage.
And that’s why a lot of people will notice the moment they step out of bed things feel worse. That’s because it takes the rest and restorative stage a little bit of time to wake up.
Simple Recovery Hack
It’s not like they are damaged, your body just needs time to restore things. What you should do is drink a full glass of water right when you wake up… then hit the snooze button again.
This is because you are dehydrating as you sleep. When you wake up in the morning, all that water is being used for restoration and it’s not going to be in the places that need action. So your tendons, your ligaments, your muscles, those are not going to have the same elasticity as they do as your body warm. And that’s why when you wake up, you are kind of achy and cranky, because everything needs to be rehydrated.
I always have a glass of water by the bed.
Most people believe you can just close your eyes and go to sleep… and there is no effort to it, yet actually, it does take effort and that effort needs to start BEFORE you are in bed wanting to go to sleep.
Tip Number one for better sleep
Lights, you have to be mindful of the lights because just having bright lights, TVs, blue screens, cell phones, all of these things have a stimulating effect on the brain.
Recommendations are to dim the lights towards the end of your day and you can use blue blocker glasses if necessary.
There are also apps that you can have on your phone and computer which will shift the colors to take out the blue light.
It doesn’t interrupt your ability to work but as it gets closer to your bedtime the color starts to shift. This way you’re not going to interrupt your sleep by getting extra blue light into your eyeballs which inhibits melatonin.
Pitch Black Room
Many people are really sensitive to any light so using an eye mask or getting blackout curtains will be important. Getting your room as pitch black as possible will definitely help you sleep more.
This also means getting rid of any blinking lights in your room. When you start to notice these things they will really stand out.
Cut back on the spicy food
I love spicy food. Love it. And it’s good and healthy for you. Just not right for you go to bed. Those spices will have your stomach waking you up.
Caffeine… Cut it out!
We love coffee in the afternoon… maybe after dinner… But did you know it takes 12 hours for caffeine to be eliminated from your body?
So if you have coffee at dinner time, think about how long that stimulatory effect will be.
Alcohol isn’t your sleep buddy either
It’s counterintuitive because alcohol decreases energy and lets you relax a bit. But, it actually also interrupts or alters your sleep cycle. And so do some medications like benzodiazepine, which are commonly prescribed for sleep.
And our patient who was having issues made some changes, made some of these changes that we recommended, and actually her mood got substantially better.
It’s not always easy to get the sleep we need, but it is possible if you’re willing to put in a little effort and time. We hope these hacks will help you find your way back to those precious hours of shut-eye so that you can feel rested and refreshed when morning rolls around. If this blog post has given you some great ideas for how to improve your own night’s sleep, schedule a discovery call with our team today!
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DISCLAIMER: The information in this email is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content is for general informational purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional
