Get to SLEEP!!!
Quality Z’s…
A popular topic in the Goodrich house lately is sleep… mainly because now it’s a massive challenge, and we have to be intentional about making sure we get it. Some cues to tell you that you are not getting quality Z’s:
- You’re falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow
- Dozing off in meetings or during movies
- You hit the snooze button more than once
- Almost as soon as you’re awake your body feels like sleeping more
Seems a bit obvious, but these are warning signs that are often ignored and, according to Cheri Mah, M.S. a Stanford University sleep researcher, it’s like credit card debt – “Over time that accumulated debt can affect performance and mood.” Impacting health, stress, keeping your heart rate higher and your nervous system on constant alert. Yuck!
Tips to get better Rest:
1. Be Consistent: Stick to the same sleep schedule – ALWAYS – yes even weekends. Sleeping in on the weekends actually does your body more harm than good. When you have a regular schedule your body will get in the habit of releasing sleeping hormones around the same time each evening. Mess that up over the weekend, and you have a rougher start to the week. Plus you have to fix it again!
2. Hibernate: Make your room your sleeping cave at night – dark, quiet, and cool. Invest in some black-out curtains, white noise machine (we use our fan), and block out any glowing lights.
3. Power down… literally: Turn off all the electronics and UNPLUG. Their blue light blocks the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, says Shelby Harris, Psy.D., Director of Montefior’s Behavioral Sleep Medecine Program. So you are not helping yourself by watching TV until you knock-out.
4. Drink a wee bit less: (get it?!) If you want to prevent middle-of-the-night bathroom breaks then cut back on water about 3 hours before bed. You don’t have to stop altogether but don’t chug 16oz. before falling asleep. Also, alcohol may help knock you out… but “night-caps” backfire because they disrupt later deeper stages of sleep.
5. Caffeine cut-off: Caffeine can stick around in your body for more than 6 hours after consumption. So switch to decaf after 5pm.
6. Snackage: A SMALL snack of protein and carbs can be helpful if you have a grumbling tummy before bed. It also provides the materials to make more melatonin later in the night.
7. Pain?: Ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory can actually keep some folks up at night. Instead try taking fish oil or glucosamine chondroitin. Another helpful item may be a chamomile-lavender lotion.
8. Be patient: This is not a quick-fix, it takes a few days of a healthy before-bed routine for this to kick in and the results are WORTH IT.
9. Pregnant tip!: Build a pillow fort. Make sure your back and front are supported with a good pillow wall. Also invest in a good head pillow – your neck determines a lot of your nightly movement.
Happy Z’s! |
