Does that sound elusive to you?
Not sleeping well is a bit like suffering from headaches. You get used to it, right? It's part of daily life and you manage...until you don't and the wheels fall off. Only when you burn out or your health reaches state of dis-ease, does it become a priority to sort out.
Sleep is more important than you think.
> if you drive on less than 7 hour's sleep, your driving impairment is equivalent to drink driving
> a lack of sleep has significant causal links to every major disease
> deep sleep removes the protein that is linked to Alzheimer's
> one hour on your device delays deep sleep by 3 hours and reduces melatonin release
> every mental health condition affects sleep and vice versa
The leading cause of insomnia is stress and anxiety. The nervous system was not designed to be active and alert all day, but it has become a lot harder to switch offhand rest the mind since we became attached to technology. In the 1940s, the UK averaged 6.75 hours' sleep a night; now we sleep for an average of 6.75 hours.
For those of you who don't like to stop DOING, be comforted by the fact that our minds and bodies are very busy through the night, repairing, processing, detoxing and enabling our organs to function optimally.
Here are 5 Top Tips for a Better Night's Sleep
Regularity; get into bed by 1030 so that you can be asleep by 11 (when the circadian rhythm switches to alert mode)
Darkness; dim lights in the last hour or so before bed and put your devices on charge outside the bedroom
Keep it cool; an optimal temperature for sleep is 18-18.5 degrees
Leave the bed; if you're awake and feeling alert, move to another room and return when you're feeling sleepy again
Alcohol and caffeine; be aware of their effects and make informed choices
And life becomes easier this way.
Are you looking for a way to improve your sleep? Let's have a chat about sleep recovery solutions and sleep retreats.
Nicky Dye is a certified sleep therapist, experienced yoga teacher and Chinese Medicine Practitioner.
The Sleep Roadmap helps to you sleep better & stress less: