Selfesh

Brain fog? chronic Illness? no appetite? Exhausted all the time? 

These can be symptoms of bad sleeping habits, otherwise sleep hygiene.

What is sleep hygiene really and why is it important?

Sleep hygiene consists of healthy habits, and behaviors, as well as adjustments in your environment that you do to promote uninterrupted sleep. Being consistent ultimately leads to restorative sleep that we need for our overall wellness. 

During our sleep, our body actively repairs our muscles, balances our hormones, clears out toxins, and so many other beneficial processes that can go unnoticed once we are awake.

Learning about sleep hygiene has definitely opened my eyes up to so many things, the most important being about healing. Whether it be emotionally, or physically I am here for it all. Here are some tips that I use in my everyday life to help me promote a full night’s rest.

Having a consistent schedule

I understand life is life, we have responsibilities, obligations, you may not be able to be as consistent as you want. I am here to tell you that it’s not about being on time to bed everyday. Not everyone feels the want to just leave in the middle of a social gathering “Well it’s 7 PM I need to start going home and getting ready to go to bed!” If you have those strict boundaries that’s awesome! That’s great that you are putting yourself first. There are many times I have chosen to spend more time with my friends or stay up working on something I am passionate about. 

It’s about trying your best to adhere to your routine, having some leniency hee and there won’t be crazy detrimental to your health, it is about balance. If I know I have plans that are running late I just know the next day I’m sticking to my routine, I start winding down at 9pm and I am in bed by 10 pm. I try to aim for at least eight hours of sleep, so I make sure to set the alarm for 7am.

 Yes it can be hard but you know what you have to do for you!

Sunlight Exposure

From a former night shift worker, this was the hardest thing for me. I remember coming home from the hospital after a 12 hour shift and not wanting to sleep sometimes because my body was awake from the sunlight. I had to end up getting black out curtains, just to sleep! In the long run I understood the night shift wasn’t good for my physical health, but mentally it was a relief.

With our natural circadian rhythm, we respond to the sun. If you work the night shift as soon as you leave your shift I suggest putting on some sunglasses and booking it home- safely of course! For those of you that work regular day shifts, set their own schedules, maybe work from home. Your body naturally rises with the sun, so make sure you pull those curtains open or step outside to let your body fully wake up.

Remove the screen

Phones, tablets, TV’s, they all project blue light which messes with our internal clock- meaning our melatonin production. Without our body producing the natural melatonin we need to naturally fall asleep, we tend to stay up later than intended. So 30-60 minutes before bedtime we’re ditching the screens.

 If you are struggling try just 10, or 20 minutes before bed and see if that makes a difference. Sometimes we just want background noise which is fine. Put on an audio or cover the screen so that blue light isn’t throwing off our internal clock.

Sleep aides and substances that affect our sleep

I love matcha,and  I love coffee! I could drink it anytime of the day, but caffeine doesn’t like sleep. It can be conflicting especially with those with brain hyper activity where caffeine can actually make you tired instead. Not consuming any caffeine before bed is recommended, I’ve noticed at times I’ll have coffee later in the day and it makes me actually sleepy when I want to to be active, but then all of a sudden it creeps up on me and now I’m up until 2 in the morning!

I start to wonder why I am so awake and remember that larged iced latte I had at 3 pm. I have a strict no caffeine policy 8-10 hours before bed, the recommended timing of your last dose of caffeine is between 12-2pm depending on your schedule and how late you go to bed. I have noticed a difference in how it is easier for me to fall asleep, sometimes I do slip up and have an affogato.

I have definitely used melatonin and this can work for some people as a natural sleep aid, for others it can leave you groggy. I use cbd or sometimes a combo of cbd and cbn which relaxes and promotes sleep. Consult with a doctor if you are struggling with issues related to sleep you could potentially have a condition contributing to your lack of sleep.

Last Meal

I hate feeling too full, I wake up all sluggish and bloated. My great grandma used to tell me to not eat after 7, I always thought “why would that matter, if im hungry, im hungry.” Just was absolutely right! I would get bad acid reflux from my meal trying to digest while i’m laying down. This would keep me up giving me poor sleep quality, ultimately throwing me off track.

Try to have your last meal 2-3 hours before you go to bed.

Your environment

For most if not all, we need our conditions to be just right to really get an uninterrupted full night’s rest. For me, it’s enough blankets, and a meditation playing in the background, and the majority of the lights off. For others it’s complete silence and darkness, and that’s ok.

Making sure our environment is how we like it is how we achieve optimal sleep, if you need a more comfy pillow, get one. Need a fan? Grab it. Do what you have to do whether it’s having AC blasting, to wearing an eye mask.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, I hope some of these tips you can implement truly help.