How to get a better sleep
Our behavioural change coach, Rae, is here to talk to use about everything sleep!
Let’s talk about the importance of sleep baby!
Although not really "baby"; because I don’t know about you, but I call LIAR on ‘sleep like a baby’ being any kind of a good thing?!
I do want to chat to you about YOUR sleep though. And why it is so important you get GOOD sleep.
NOTE: We really don't want to make you feel worse about your sleep; if you’re in the young child trenches or if you suffer from a sleep disorder, I see you and I am sending love. "Control the controllables only."
The importance of SLEEP!
If you want to give your sleep hygiene a clean up, come with me as I chat all things sleep, it’s importance, and what you can do to make bedtime more successful.
On average, a sleep debt of 2 hours is normal. But who wants to be normal?!
For every 45 minutes of sleep debt your cognitive performance drops by 10%, meaning, our decision making skills slow down, and our ability to think creatively lessens.
Mum brain is a real thing, so, let’s treat ourselves with grace, and also captain our ship to clearer thinking.
Our sleep patterns are approximately 50% genetic, and 50% environmental, which means the scales are evenly matched, which means, we have a MASSIVE sway over our sleep patterns.
Some people will need less, some people will need more, but on average a ‘good’ amount of sleep ranges from 7- 8.5 hours.
Oversleeping is also not great
Oversleeping has a myraid of issues too, including supporting feelings of depression. It’s always a good idea to check in with the amount of sleep you are getting, and to do some trial and error on your individual outcomes.
A perfect sleep routine will differ from person to person, and there is so much room for personal preference, but the upcoming key steps are universal, and will completely change the game on your sleep routine (outside of a disorder or #mumlife)
Lack of sleep
Lack of sleep also leads to changes in our appetite hormones, ghrelin and leptin to name a couple, which regulate our hunger and satiety, even one night of poor sleep can see an increase in calorie intake. I don’t know the facts behind this anecdotal truth of mine, but I do know how much I reach for all things sugar and processed when I’ve had an interrupted night's sleep, and I’m sure I’m getting a few nods of recognition about this fact too right?!
Our glucose tolerance is also affected by sleep deprivation.
The risk of heart disease increases, blood pressure can become problematic, the chance of stroke rises, weight gain ensues, our immune system becomes compromised, our emotional processing gets sluggish, tissue repair isn’t functioning at its best.
Tips to support better sleep
There are so many reasons for us to become masters of the pillow; so let's get stuck into what we can do.
Circadian Rhythm
The first thing we should do upon waking is get outside. Sleep readiness kicks in between 12-16 hours after exposure to first light. A whole cocktail of chemical processes take place in the body which pertain to our circadian rhythm (our 24 hour clock) and first light plays a big part in it all. Our circadian rhythm underpins every single biological function in our body and nailing your support of this cycle will change the game.
Regular sleep times are also nectar to our 24 hour clock. A window of 30 minutes between daily wake and sleep times will have massive impact on the bodies ability to enter its resting state.
Alcohol and caffeine
I know many people who will agree with me when I say that alcohol acts as a sedative, and that they fall asleep quicker after a good drink. Although we will definitely feel sleepy from a glass or two of plonk; we will almost always have poorer sleep quality because of it.
Caffeine is a stimulant, and for most people it will inhibit a quick fall asleep time. Many people have zero side effects from a cup of Joe before bed though, and it’s really fab to track your tolerance yourself to see which camp you fall into.
Eating too closely to bed time
Especially if we’re having a good ol’ carb overload! Carbohydrates are definitely not the devil, they do cause blood sugar spikes which have a myriad of health implications outside of interrupting sleep.
Eating large meals close to bedtime can have the following side effects;
- greater risk of reflux
- longer time taken to fall asleep
- greater number of wake incidence during the night
Again, this is a highly individual science, and the best way to know your tolerance to bedtime eating is to test it, but for most of us, a period of 2-4 hours of not eating before bed is fab.
Bad sleep associations
Bed should mean bed, but, because we all live busy lives we are often multitasking right up until shut eye time.
We can often steal the moments of silence after kids are down to catch up on tv time, housekeeping, or work. This can then lead to a subconscious program that sees us create habits which aren’t getting us a good nights sleep. Sleep really should be our number one priority, I know its not popular and the norm is a numb out before bed time, but shirking the trend, or the habit of bingeing a series has really incredible side effects.
Reduce cortisol levels
Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and spun yourself into a shame or overwhelm cycle of all the things you should or shouldn’t have done the day before? Me too!
Many of us have fab habits around taking mindful minutes when the heat is on, but the key to reducing stress is to practice outside of these moments too. I am a master at crafting practices to calm the body, and I cannot wait to share more with you later on.
Inactivity
People who are active will need more sleep than their sedentary peers. It makes sense right? The greater the physical strain, the greater the need for recovery; and the best form of physical recovery happens in our deep sleep (slow wave sleep).
If you suffer with poor sleep, it can feel counterproductive to usher your body into states of exertion, but, it can often be the key to better quality rest.
Many of us have created an identity around being chronically sleep deprived (no shade being thrown!), it can take a deep layer of subconscious reprogramming to shift into a more health approach mentality. I’m here too tell you that it can be done, for EVERYONE. There is no point in life where we cannot embark on a behaviour change journey, be it alone, or with the guidance of a coach.
Physical exertion is key to great sleep, but just as important is mental exertion. Learning something interesting, novel and new is the most incredible way to spark greater periods of REM sleep (brain and mind recovery sleep)
Challenge set!
I challenge you to pick one habit from the list below and implement it immediately. I swear to you that it will help you on your way to a much more easeful life.
I truly know that sleep should be the very first place you start if you are wanting to create changes to your life.
- Set yourself a no food rule 2-4 hours before bed
- Say goodbye to alcohol, at least a few days a week
- Set solid wake and sleep times
- Avoid caffeine from the late afternoon
- Limit screen time a few hours before bed
- Get first light into your eyes as often as you can
Please remember if you have been diagnosed with a sleep condition, or if you are deep in the trenches of young babies, go easy on yourself. Absolutely implement changes that you can make, and just know that you finding it hard is so normal, and that I am sending you massive love and empathy.
Rae x
