As we all know, it has been a period of great stress over the past few years for almost the entirety of planet Earth. Our once carefully balanced lives thrown into a tailspin, and we had to add another overwhelming concept to our already overloaded lives.
The stress that many of us have felt over this time, manifested in a variety of forms. The stress being insidious. At first, we faced a strange extraction from the normally hectic routine of life. This, we thought, would provide a much needed break from the unrelenting everyday stress. But as we soon discovered, we just replaced our old familiar stresses with many other novel forms of stress. The scaffold upon which we built our lives was dismantled, and we had to re-frame our existence in a background of uncertainty.
This stress manifested for each of us differently. While we were busy coping with changes, stress management mostly suffered.
For me, disturbed sleep was the first sign. As a person who has dodged sleep problems for most of their life, this came as a rude shock. And it was the first time that I urgently considered the habits required on a day-to-day basis to ensure a healthful rest each night.
We have seen amongst some of the most successful a glorification of very little sleep, but it would be certain that they are compromising something along the way, and that it is not sustainable.
During sleep, two important processes take place:
Our body undergoes repair
And the processing of cellular wastes in our brain
Without optimal sleep, we cannot function at our peak. Our brain processes are sluggish with impaired memory and reduced ability to learn new skills. Any of us who have been sleep deprived would be all too familiar with how this feels.
The fact is sleep is very important! Preparing for a good night’s sleep takes place over the whole day, and our actions in that time period will determine the quality of our slumber. So I will share with you a few simple techniques that I used to improve my sleep when my shut eye was getting compromised.
1. Gentle exercise in the morning - walks with exposure to the morning sun
Morning sunlight enables your body to utilise effectively the cortisol release in the morning and stimulates the circadian rhythm. It also ensures that the decline in cortisol at night, which effectively helps you to sleep, takes place naturally. This was one practice I found very impactful, and I would turn toward the rising sun and, with my eyes shut, look in the sun’s direction for a few minutes. It is a gentle, relaxing and enjoyable morning practice.
2. Sleep hygiene
We need to associate the bedroom with sleep. In order to do this we need to keep our work out of the bedroom! Create a space that is conducive to sleep. No televisions or work related devices. This simple process tells your mind this space is for sleep, rather than mentally stimulating activities. In addition, keep the room cool and dark.
3. Strict sleep time
Rather than being hap-hazard with my sleep times, I created a regular and predictable sleep pattern. This routine ensured that I met the waves of tiredness with an opportunity to drift quickly to sleep.
4. No caffeine 10 hours before sleep (or not at all)
Yes, 10 hours is a long time before sleeping to avoid caffeine, I agree. This left me with a tiny window of caffeine opportunity in the morning. This can be a hard practice to implement if you are a heavy caffeine drinker, and readjusting to this may take time.
5. Avoid eating 3 hours before bedtime
This will allow your body to use the time you are asleep to detox and repair, rather than digesting food you have eaten.
6. Avoid screen 1 hour before bedtime
The screen stimulates our brain so we are more active and awake, making it more difficult to fall asleep. In addition, the blue light from the screen suppresses melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating your sleep/wake cycle. I leave my phone on aeroplane mode in another room. This disconnect is vital for my sleep hygiene.
7. Relaxing chamomile tea 1 hour before bed - ‘Sleepy Time’ chamomile tea, honey and apple cider vinegar
This is an interesting drink I came across on a Tim Ferris video. He mentions that sleep has been something that he has struggled to regulate during certain periods of his own life. I gave this a go, and yes, it absolutely worked for me. Drink it approximately an hour before bed, and it results in peaceful, undisturbed sleep. I used Sleepy Time chamomile tea, with 1 tablespoon raw, organic ACV with the 'mother' and 1 tablespoon raw honey, in warm to hot water. This drink is incredible! I drank it through a straw to protect the enamel of my teeth from the ACV.
8. Meditation/Mindfulness before sleep
It is well established that mindfulness meditation can improve sleep. By calming our sympathetic nervous system, it puts us in a state of calmness and restfulness. Even starting with 5 minutes of meditation before bed can make a difference, and there are many apps and resources online that you can use to assist you with this.
By applying even just a few of the suggestions above, you may find that the quality of your slumber is improved. After my experience of less than optimal sleep, I realised the importance of prioritising it, and although I don’t implement all the above every day, I try to implement at least a couple to maintain healthy, quality sleep.
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