Sleep – Get enough!

Sleep – make sure you get enough!

Remember that time you slept and woke up feeling completely rejuvenated?…Yeah me too…But how long ago was that?…If you’re struggling to remember…That isn’t healthy!

‘Sleep quality refers to the restfulness of a night’s sleep and how well it rejuvenates the body, and does not necessarily reflect sleep length’ (Examine.com)

So how important is sleep? Well a ‘proper night’s sleep’ pattern in line with your circadian rhythm appears to regulate a large number of body systems. Proceeding to disrupt sleep may affect these particular systems:

➢ Provoke obesity
➢ Hinder regulation of testosterone
➢ Increase cortisol,
➢ Limit fat loss,
➢ Restrict weight loss.

All systems we want to be regulating optimally.

So how on earth do we manage to get a good night’s sleep!? It starts by making sure you’re sleeping in a completely dark room. Invest in some black out curtains/blinds and cover or dispose of any blinking lights, standby lights, TVs, laptops etc.

Next, either turn off your phone or place somewhere walking distance away from your bed. Emerging evidence suggests that our phones produce radiation which may affect our sleep cycles (Robertson et al., 2013).

Robertson and his team of bed time nerds suggest exposing yourself to sunlight when first waking improves our cortisol awakening response, meaning the higher the cortisol levels at the beginning of the day may result in a better night’s sleep… You can thank Robertson et al later!

How many times have you been told to relax before going to bed!…take the hint and try it!…I like to read nonsense before hitting the hay… You might find 50 shades of Grey relaxing…who knows!

If reading 50 shades of Grey isn’t working for you, then try another approach by writing down what’s making you anxious. By doing so you’re potentially putting your mind at ease!

Or finally try some deep breathing…separately to reading 50 shades of Grey…that’ll be weird…don’t be that guy!….Relaxation practice or meditation can calm mental chatter!

If all else fails…(this one’s for the older generation)…have yourself a ‘hot totty’!

Heath is the new wealth!

Over and out!

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