Sleep ... not just for kids
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Spring is a time for renewal. To renew and maintain your body and brain, sleep is essential. If you want to succeed in life, sleep is not a luxury. It is mandatory.
Here are a few renewals that happen when you sleep ...
- REPAIR YOUR CELLS and HEALS YOUR MUSCLES AND ORGANS
- REMOVES TOXINS FROM YOUR BRAIN AND BODY
- RECHARGE IMMUNE SYSTEM
- REST YOUR MIND FOR FRESH IDEAS and IMPROVES CONCENTRATION and INCREASE MEMORY AND PLANNING SKILLS
- REGULATE YOUR HORMONES – including hormones that impact your appetite and stress levels, so it helps with weight management
- RISK IS LOWERED FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
- SLOW THE AGING PROCESS (I would have loved the "R" for Reverse, but I've not seen a lot of compelling research on reversal. But sleep definitely slows the aging process.)
(Cue music) Here's a story, of a man named Sleepy...
One gentleman I’m working with was tired of being tired. He used to deprive himself of sleep by staying up late reading blogs or watching videos. While he didn’t like being tired and wanted to change his habit, the tiredness itself was not enough to motivate him to turn off the devices and go to sleep on time. That is fairly common, so don’t feel alone if this describes you.
The times he did get enough sleep he was more productive in his business, in a financially measurable way. You can guess where this went. I asked him to quantify his tired productivity vs his alert productivity. We attached those dollars to segments of time. It was then his choice: “I’ve played enough to relax. If I watch more videos it will cost me X hundreds of dollars tomorrow.” The devices got turned off and he’s now living alert. His income has increased to the level he said “This is the first time I’ve not had to worry about having enough money for me and my family. I've never been this focused on my health, and I've never had this much success in my business. I'm happier with my business and income than I ever have been on almost 7 years of business.”
So if you want to be healthier and have greater energy for work and family and life...how do you get better sleep? Follow a few Don'ts and Do's ...
The Don’ts
O Don’t put your blood sugar on a roller-coaster. Don’t eat a lot of simple carbohydrates – like desserts, a bowl of cereal, or sweet drinks – before bed.
O Don’t drink caffeine – or at least cut way back. Why? It increases your stress hormones (which as a side note can increase your appetite and weight) and can remain the body for 20 hours. So those extra cups of coffee in the morning and the energy drinks during the day, can keep you awake at night.
O Don’t use Nicotine. Don’t drink alcohol before bed. Both of these disrupt sleep and often cause insomnia.
O Don’t do intense exercise right before bed.
O Don’t watch TV or use computer screens an hour before bed.
The Do’s
O Evening snacks that aid sleep? Plain yogurt, peanut butter, turkey.
O Take a warm shower/bath before bed, especially with magnesium (Epsom) salts.
O Drink a hot herbal tea that is known for its relaxing properties (like chamomile or valerian root) an hour before bed.
O Take a break during the day. Why? It lessens the stress hormones, so you fall asleep faster at night. And if the break is a walk in sunshine, even better.
O Exercise. 30 minutes of exercise, such as walking, 4 times a week significantly improves sleep. Numerous research studies show that people who begin exercising for just 30 minutes 4 times a week are able to sleep about an hour longer and fall asleep in half the time compared with before they started exercising.
O Keep your bedroom clutter-free, dark and at a cooler temperature.
O Take care of personal “keeps me awake” issues…cold feet, drinking too much water right before bed, going to bed “too hungry.”
O Experiment with various relaxation techniques before bed: journal, light candles, look through pictures of nature, read something uplifting, meditate on scripture, pray and cast the cares of the day on Jesus…
O Do seek professional help for more complicated issues – hormonal imbalances, a snoring spouse.
