Are You Desperate For A Good Night’s Sleep?
Sleep is an essential pillar of our well-being and it has a huge knock-on effect to so many aspects of our life.
Did you know that getting a good night’s sleep is the single most important thing you can do for your health.
Deprived of it, our ability to function quickly deteriorates, and eventually crumbles.
Sleep Is As Critical To Our Survival As Food & Water
All too often we take sleeping for granted – but it’s as critical to our survival as food and water.
Lack of sleep is also related to a range of health problems including :
- diabetes
- cardiovascular disease
- depression
- poor immune function
- cognitive decline
especially in our later years.
Oprah’s Favourite Sleep Doctor Shares His 5 Top Tips
Oprah Winfrey and Arianna Huffington, two of the most influential women in media, have sought out expert help from psychologist and “sleep doctor” Michael Breus.
Click the video below to watch Dr Michael J Breus’ Life-Changing Sleep Tips:
So to recap – Dr Breus was saying:
STEP 1: Know Your Bedtime & Stick To One Sleep Schedule
- Most important – stick to one sleep schedule every day.
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
- When sleep has a regular rhythm, your biological clock will be in sync.
- All your other bodily functions will go smoother, including your sleep.
STEP 2 : Eliminate All Caffeine Starting At 2pm
- This is a tough one!
- Caffeine has what’s called a “half-life” of about 8 hours, which means that it’s level is reduced, but still in your system after this time.
- Caffeine is a stimulant and will prevent you from either falling asleep or having good quality sleep.
STEP 3: No Alcohol Within 3 Hours Of Bedtime
- Alcohol can make you sleepy, which can seem to be good at the time – But ……
- Alcohol keeps you from reaching the deep stages of sleep.
- Having a few drinks before bedtime will increase your NREM sleep (stages 1 & 2)
- But it reduces your REM sleep – The sleep that helps you organise & store your memories.
- Too little REM sleep can be devastating for the brain & body.
- Also REM sleep is the sleep stage where the most calories are burned!
- It’s full of empty calories – not good when you’re trying to sleep better or lose weight.
- It dehydrates you.
- It wakes you up in the middle of the night (usually to go to the bathroom!)
STEP 4: Stop Exercising 4 Hours Before Bed
- Yes, exercise is good for you – It keeps muscles & bones strong & maintains good cardiovascular health.
- Yes, it’s a wonderful sleep remedy.
- Exercise during the day will help you fall asleep more quickly & plunge you into deeper sleep for a longer period of time.
- It causes your body to produce growth hormones, which help to repair & revitalise itself.
- Exercising helps you to sleep better & feel more alert & rejuvenated the following day.
- Just make sure you stop exercising 4 hours before bed.
STEP 5 : 15 Minutes Of Morning Sunlight
- Give the sun a “High 5” every morning!
- Getting yourself outside in the sun for 15 minutes each morning helps to regulate the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
- Your internal body clock (the circadian rhythm) runs on a 24 hour schedule & functions best when you’re exposed to a regular pattern of light & dark.
- Try not to let the demands of everyday life dictate your times for sleeping and rising – This will have a profound effect on your sleep and your health.
- Be more like our “cave-dwelling ancestors who rose with the sun and retired with the moon!
How Can You Benefit From Good Sleep?
Good sleep:
- restores the mind and body
- physically rejuvenates us.
- supports mental and emotional recharge.
- gives us energy, strength & stamina.
- protects against disease and medical conditions.
- Boosts the immune system and metabolism.
- Protects the heart, supporting bone and muscle health.
- enhances productivity and performance, fuelling intellectual and creative abilities.
There’s virtually no skill, task, or function, no physiological process, no emotion or relationship, that isn’t affected by sleep.
The more we pay attention to sleep, the healthier, happier and more productive we’ll be.
Good sleep – plenty of high-quality rest in plentiful amounts – does much more than help us to survive.
Healthy sleep allows us to truly thrive!
Here’s an extra Bonus Tip – something else you might want to try ….
Falling Asleep Faster With 4-7-8 Breathing
To prepare for a restful night – practice 4-7-8 breathing.
Or if you find yourself waking up during the night and you’re struggling to get back to sleep, try this fast-acting technique ….
Unlike sleep medications, which often lose effectiveness over time, this technique is subtle at first, but gains power with practice.
It’s like a natural tranquilizer – Try it – it works!
Go to my “Breathing Exercise” page for video showing you how.
CLICK HERE FOR BREATHING EXERCISE VIDEO
4-7-8 Breathing can be practiced right before bed, as we mention here or anytime during the day to suit you.
It’s a wonderful “tool” to have in your “toolbox” when you’ve been triggered or you’re feeling stressed.
Time Now To Take Some Action
If you’re anything like me, you love to read and gather information.
But I’m sure your main goal is to stop that yearning for a restful night’s sleep and at last grab a great night’s sleep!
So, it’s time to take some action right away ….
Promise me you’ll make a conscious effort to incorporate Dr Breus’s tips into your lifestyle until they become a habit.
Also regularly practice the 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise shown in the video.
Do this and I’m sure you’ll notice a significant improvement in the quality of your sleep.
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