Sleep Hacks For Your Best Night's Sleep, Every Night
Did you know that how much sleep you get plays a role in your hormone health, metabolism, immune system and your ability to deal with stress?
Lack of adequate sleep can result in increased production of cortisol, a stress hormone, and can result in overeating. Both can cause weight gain over time.
In our society we place too much value on staying busy and deprioritizing sleep. It should be the other way around! We need to aim to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Adequate sleep increases your ability to tackle day to day “normal” life.
Follow these easy hacks to set yourself up for success and live a life you love!
Reduce blue-light exposure at least an hour before bedtime: Many of us have adopted a crazy work schedule during the Covid-19 quarantine, which means we might be working late hours and staring at screens right before bed. Even if that’s not you, you might still be guilty of the pre-sleep instagram scroll. Most all devices emit blue light (yes- including your tv) which interferes with your body’s production of melatonin, aka our body’s natural sleep hormone. Make sure to turn on Night Shift on all devices, and wear blue-blocking glasses (also great for reducing eye strain during the day).
Supplement with Magnesium: our bodies naturally contain magnesium, but for the most part its difficult to consume enough of it through our diets, especially diets filled with nutrient-poor processed foods. However, magnesium is still present in some delicious foods, like dark leafy green veggies, legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas) and nuts (almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts), dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), bananas, avocados & fish. Be sure to eat these on the regular to help supplement your deficiency!
Magnesium is so important for sleep because it calms the overactive mind & promotes relaxation. You should be able to fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and wake up feeling rejuvenated. Magnesium glycinate is a favorite as it’s the best absorbed form of magnesium and gentlest on stomach.
Create a soothing bed-time environment: Create the optimal sleep environment, if you don’t already have one. I love using lavender oil (interacts with the GABA neurotransmitter to quiet the brain and nervous system), lowering the temperature (the optimal range is 60-67*F), and keeping it noise free - use earplugs if you travel often or live in the city!
The bit about temperature is perhaps the most important, and equally mind-blowing bit - our bodies core temperature lowers naturally when we sleep so introducing your body to a cooler environment helps stimulate sleep. In fact, temperatures outside this range can disrupt our body’s ability to reach REM (the restorative phase of our sleep).
Conflicting sleep temps with your partner? No problem! I have just the thing - DM me on Instagram for my recommendation.
Limit caffeine, alcohol, and eating late at night: Skip that afternoon coffee and replace it with sparkling water, decaf tea, or lemon water. I personally never drink coffee past 1 pm, and my body thanks me for it when it comes to bedtime.
Leave your body at least 3 hours of time before bed to digest - digestion places added stress on the body, and also causes blood sugar to spike, further disrupting your sleep pattern. If you do need a quick nighttime snack, stick to a small, nutrient-dense food, such as 20 roasted unsalted almonds.
Lastly, skip the nightcap - alcohol is a diuretic and also blocks REM sleep. It also had a rebound effect - it may seem like a harmless and relaxing at first, but it has a rebound effect that can cause you to wake up in the wee hours of the night.If you do have a drink, try and limit it to one. Sometimes it’s totally ok to end the day with a glass of wine, but just don’t get into the habit!
Exercising, and doing do earlier in the day: It’s no surprise that being physically exhausted improves sleep quality. It’s actually best to exercise in the afternoon if you have sleep issues, leaving at least 5 hours before bed. This is because body temperatures rise during exercise and take as long as six hours to begin to drop. Because cooler body temperatures are associated with sleep onset, it’s important to allow the body time to cool off before sleep. Exercise too close to bedtime can make it harder to fall asleep because you feel energized due to increased body temperature.