In desperate need of a good night sleep?
To optimise sleep, you need to consider your environment, tools and tracking
We are living in an environment that depends more and more on caffeine, exposed to more artificial lights which are both setting you up for a poor sleep.
Light and temperature play a significant role in sleep. They are the body’s external cues to go to bed
Your core body temperature needs to drop by about 2 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit to initiate good sleep and then maintain deep sleep
A hot bath or shower of about 104 degrees Fahrenheit before bedtime that lasted for as little as 10 minutes was significantly associated with improved sleep quality, and increased the overall amount of time slept.
The way it works is this: For you to get your heat out of the core of your body, you actually need to release that core heat through the surface of your body, for example your hands and your feet.
And this is why hot baths actually work … for the opposite reason most people think.
-Reduce exposure to artificial light by wearing blue light blockers. We are a dark deprived society due to increased use of artificial light. We need darkness to release the hormone melatonin to help time our sleep.
-Hot showers before bed to lower body’s core temperature. Your body needs to drop it’s core temperature by 1-2 degrees Celsius to initiate sleep, that’s why You will always find it easier to fall asleep in a room that’s too cold vs too hot
-Melatonin- to help you get to sleep
-Nasel strips- promotes nasal breathing, preventing mouth breathing which can result in snoring
-Lavender sprays to help relax you before bed
-Limit caffeine intake to early on in the day. Caffeine is a stimulant and a diuretic, so not only can it keep you awake, but also encourage regular trips to the toilet.
-Establish a bed routine to help you unwind and prepare yourself for a good night sleep.
-Give yourself an 8 hour sleep opportunity. That doesn’t include getting ready for bed, reading a book etc.
Tracking
What gets measured gets managed. Do you know how much you are really sleeping? You maybe surprised at the quantity and quality of sleep, and maybe the reason for your bad workout, bad day at work, accidents etc. I recommend using apps like sleep cycle, sleep rate and Fitbit.
Bonus Tip
If you are regularly urinating throughout the night (nocturia), often electrolyte imbalance is the cause. Foods are often high in sodium, with potassium being neglected causing an electrolyte imbalance. A quick fix for this to consume a lot more ‘lo salt’ which is a 50/50 split with potassium and sodium.
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