MIND YOUR SLEEP
As with everything else in our lives, what stands out as a key factor in establishing sleep hygiene is mindfulness. Making conscious decisions about your routine; like keeping regular sleeping hours to help synch your brain to your body clock for ultimate rest. Try going to bed and waking up at the same time on most days of the week, if not all.
Meditation helps, more so if you meditate regularly already. Mindful meditation will help you focus on how your body and mind feel at that precise moment, letting go of any negative energy and accumulated stress. Yoga Nidra or Yogic Sleep is a type of meditation that mimics the qualities of sleep. It is meant to be a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping. When you focus and give your attention on different parts of your body, you reach an ultimate state of relaxation. Through guided meditation, you can achieve a calming state whereby your nervous system slows down and you are able to relax. If you cannot find live Yoga Nidra classes in your area, search online for tutorials and learn the technique. Remember: You need to avoid screen time prior to going to bed, therefore it may be a good idea to learn meditation techniques adequately enough to do them without the help of screens guiding you.
A foot or head message, ideally performed on you by someone else will help release tension. Stimulate the pressure points at the base of your skull by massaging in circular motion. Lavender essential oil is perfect for a head massage and Chamomile oil applied topically to the bottoms of the feet has a stress-relieving effect. Other oils that can be used are essential oils like Vetiver, Frankincense, Ylang Ylang, Cedarwood and Neroli, all known to help induce sleep due to their relaxing and soothing properties. Always read the labels for safety precautions.
EAT CLEAN TO SLEEP CLEAN
There is a strong connection between clean eating and clean sleeping as a healthy and balanced diet clearly contributes to overall health and sleep quality. Our diet has a direct effect on hormone production and sleep patterns are controlled by hormones in our body. In scientific terms, there are three substances key to understanding how nutrition effects sleep quality. After being absorbed by the gut through food; Tryptophan reaches the brain and becomes serotonin, which in turn becomes melatonin, a chemical necessary for making us fall asleep.
Try a 12-hour fasting window which will allow your body to properly digest what you have last eaten. If you have dinner at 7 p.m. (the earlier the better!), your next meal should not be consumed any earlier than 7 a.m. Your body will have detoxified your last meal only after eight hours has passed. A solid four hours of undisturbed sleep is needed after that for you to wake up restfully.
