Sleep! Oh, what a sexy word.
When you have it, you don’t think about it. When you don’t have it, it consumes every cell in your being.
You’re reaching for the coffee and dreaming of your bedsheets… ‘when will that sweet time come, before you can make your way home and crawl under the covers?’
In some people’s life, a good night’s sleep is seen as the Lock Ness Monster. BUT, does this have to be true?
I don’t believe so!
This year for the first time in my life I was a shocking sleeper. I was falling asleep like a peaceful dream but waking up shortly after as my dream turned into a nightmare. I was not able to drift back off, at all!
My exploration of this elusive sleep began.
In my discoveries I found many things that helped, all with varying effects.
From getting the sunlight to hit my eyes in the morning to ensuring I earth myself throughout the day. Both of these are effective however below are the big bangs that I found dramatically helped me stay asleep and increase the quality of my sleep.
Add these tricks into your routine, and you will be well on your way to a superior night between the sheets.
1. A dash of Ashwagandha in your life
What is it?
This super-herb and beautifully nourishing adrenal tonic are for those who are wired, exhausted or depleted.
This gentle adaptogen works along-side your body to ground you and bring you back into balance.
This, amongst many other tricks ashwagandha has up its sleeve, aids your bod to fall asleep faster and have an increased REM sleep.
How I use it:
Very heat sensitive! Avoid heating it. Warming however is ok but be mindful not to let it .
I would toss between adding it into my smoothies or making a night time drink with it. Usually with a nut mylk of the week and a tiny bit of honey.
2. A sprinkle of Reishi
What is it?
This ‘shroom is known as the ‘medicine of kings’ and the ‘mushroom of immortality’ and has been used as a tonic and strengthening medicine for thousands of years.
Reishi is the legendary wizard of all the superior medicinal herbs because of its apparent medical efficacy and the absence of unfavourable side-effects and toxins resulting from consumption.
With a plethora of incredible health benefits such as
– demonstrating significant improvements for those suffering Alzheimer disease ;
– improving effects of asthma;
– reducing muscular stiffness; and
– boosting your immunity.
The biggest one I feel is SLEEP promotion.
There have been incredible reports within my community of people not having slept properly for years, having their first full night’s sleep after consuming Reishi. Not just one or two people but MULTIPLE… just brilliant!!!!!
How I use it:
This wonderful shroom works WONDERS for me. Although I am highly sensitive to it, I have to be mindful of dosage. 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon is ample for me.
Used in the same way as the ashwagandha, mostly alongside it, like lovers.
3. Wear blue light blocking glasses
All of us are lucky enough to live in a tech-filled world with all the convenience and information overload that that brings. Heck! You wouldn’t be able to read this without it, disaster!!!!
One of the down sides of all of these flickering lights (from your computer, your TV, your phone, to name a few) is the effect of the blue light on our bodily systems.
Once this light penetrates to the back of our retina it suppresses the delta brainwaves, which induce sleep and boost alpha wavelengths, which create alertness. Melatonin is not produced efficiently in the presence of blue light, and we all know that we need melatonin to sleep!
There is a solution!!
Blue light blocking glasses! I actually love them so much I wear them as just an accessory a lot of the time!
But seriously…
These glasses will block blue light waves from touching the back of your retina. Allowing your precious melatonin to be produced, so when you decide to lay down… sleep is yours, my friend.
4. Increase EMF protection (Electro Magnetic Field)
EMF, in this context, relates to anything with wi-fi attached to it or going through it.
Some people are definitely more sensitive to this than others, but arguably it affects us all.
Ensuring you don’t have any wi-fi in your room is optimal in creating a harmonious room for a restful sleep. The magnetic frequency transmitted by wi-fi, can result in an unrestful sleep. Don’t be too harsh on yourself, I have been guilty of watching a movie in bed, (with my blue blockers on of course). Just remember to turn the wi-fi off afterwards.
Potentially turning your wi-fi off at the modem before bed is another option. To sleep with no waves whizzing around your house, heaven!!!
One of my mentors would toss and turn every night, so much so, that he would wear away the sheets underneath him. His wife happened to turn the wi-fi off one night and that night, he didn’t move. He was so sensitive to EMFs that they were disrupting his system to that degree.
Just because you can’t see it does not mean your body cannot feel it.
5. Get your meditation on
Can you spare five minutes before going to bed, to focus on your breath and wind down? Just to be present in the moment.
Watching TV, even with your blue blockers or drinking your adaptogens doesn’t count as meditation), sorry guys.
Here are some ripper apps that we love to help you on your way:
– Insight timer
– Head space
– Calm
– One Giant Mind
– Smiling Mind
Note: Download it or set it so you can listen to it with flight mode on.
And always set your alarm before starting 😀 (I Have learnt that the hard way)
6. Rub magnesium oil on your calves and the soles of your feet
Whether you ingest it or spray it, this wonder mineral is an absolute must!
Even if you eat perfectly, have ‘organic’ everything, don’t drink alcohol or coffee, and have no stress in your life (firstly, who are you? I need to know your secrets), the soils are so depleted today that it is incredibly tough to get enough magnesium into our systems.
A few magnesium deficient symptoms are:
– muscle twitches,
– cramps,
– fatigue,
– weakness,
– numbness or tingling in extremities,
– mental numbness or lack of emotion,
– osteoporosis and
– high blood pressure to name a few.
I like to mix it up. I supplement as well as using a spray topically to get into those sore muscles directly. I also spray on the soles of my feet for faster uptake.
When your body has sufficient magnesium, it helps activate the neurotransmitters that are responsible for calming the body and the mind …. A dreamy night ahead.
7. Ensure you eat as early as you can
Trying to fall asleep on a full stomach is never a great idea. Not only may it increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease, but your body will be too busy trying to digest your food than allowing you to have a rejuvenating sleep.
Putting your sexy bod in rest and digest is best. Perhaps playing around with an optimal eating window might work for you too.
Research is suggesting that for men this window of eating is optimal between 8-10 hours and for women 10-12.
Allowing the body lots of time for healing.
8. Get your booty to the gym as early as you can
When you exercise you increase your systems cortisol (stress hormone). When the cortisol is high, your melatonin (sleep hormone) will be low. These two hormones have a symbiotic relationship, meaning they work in harmony. When one is high, the other is low and vice versa.
If you struggle with sleep, I would highly recommend trying to put your exercise in the morning. Working with your body’s natural wave of cortisol.
Also use the meditation techniques we have offered above at night and this will help to lower your cortisol.
However, if you feel like moving your body later in the day perhaps trying some gentle stretching, tai chi or qi gong.
9. Breath in those gorgeous essential oils
I find essential oils are a beautiful way of creating an energy in the room that you can feel. Essential oils can be used to improve focus, ignite passion, increase energy or induce sleep.
Here are a few ways we love to incorporate them into our bedtime routine.
1. Place a few drops into your favourite diffuser and allow yourself to be immersed. I often find it will entice me to take a huge breath, breathing in all the goodness, resulting in changes to my energy straight away.
2. Mix with a carrier and rub on the soles of your feet, pop a pair of socks on and melt into bed.
3. Spritz on your pillow and sheets.
Oils to have next to your bed include:
– Lavendar (Of course )
– Roman Chamomile
– Ylang Ylang (one of my favs)
– Bergmont
– Sandlewood
– Cedarwood
Even just playing around with a few of these suggestions can have a profound effect on your sleep. Start with one or two and incorporate more when you’re ready. Which ones pull you?
Sleep well my friends.
