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Can’t Sleep? Try This for the Best Sleep

by Nicole's Blog

Sleep is essential to feel good physically, mentally and emotionally. Insufficient rest can have a profound and even dangerous effect on our bodies and minds. Besides affecting our mood and ability to think clearly, consistent sleep deprivation can lead to serious heart problems. Because restorative sleep is essential to our health, effectively treating any bouts of insomnia, no matter how brief, is crucial for optimal health.

Quality Time in the Sun

Time in the morning sun is simple way to insure good sleep at night. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain is released by exposure to the sun. It’s also the precursor to the “sleep hormone,” melatonin. It takes about 12 hours for serotonin to convert to melatonin. To get enough light exposure, it’s recommended to walk for 30-45 minutes in the morning sunlight. Avoid wearing anything that blocks light from your eyes as they need to be exposed to direct sunlight for your brain to register the light. Thus, no sunglasses, visors or hats, but feel free to wear sunscreen. Don’t be discouraged even if it’s gray and cloudy outside. Even on overcast days, we can get the light our brain needs through the cloud cover.

Complete darkness

The sleep hormone, melatonin is also known as the “darkness hormone” as it is produced when our eyes experience darkness and can be affected by even the smallest amount of light. Light exposure also increases cortisol, the stress hormone that tells us to wake up and stay alert. Melatonin and cortisol work against each other but for our benefit. We need cortisol to wake up and melatonin to go asleep. Manipulating when and how much light you are exposed to can help you control your hormones.

Thus to encourage melatonin production, begin to reduce your light consumption in the early evening. Besides using less light at night, avoid the blue light emissions from electronic screens and wear eye masks to block any extraneous light that you can not be turned off or cover. When we reduce and then eliminate our light exposure at night, we are telling our bodies that it’s time to sleep.

Go to bed early

From controlling weight to improving skin appearance, it’s best to go to bed by 10pm. When we sleep, our brains experiences both non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) and rapid eye movement (REM). Non-REM sleep happens in the early part of the night while REM sleep occurs closer to sunrise. Both types of sleep are important and necessary but non-REM sleep tends to be more restorative. By going to bed between 9am-11pm and waking 5am-7am, we are honoring our natural circadian rhythms and will wake up feeling more refreshed and rejuvenated.

Sleep Aids to the Rescue!

Occasionally, our sleep patterns are disturbed. Whether it’s jetlag, stress or sickness, you don’t need to suffer. Instead of taking pharmaceutical chemicals like allergy meds and cough syrup to knock you out, try taking some melatonin, valerian root and magnesium. These tried and true sleep aids are backed by science and easy on the body.

Finally from time-to-time, stress can make it hard for our brains to shut off and go to sleep. First, try meditation by focusing on your breathing and letting your thoughts pass by without attachment. Then if you still have trouble with an overactive mind, consider taking CBD oil for anxiety as it is a natural remedy that has a calming effect as well as the ability to bring balance to our hormones.

 

 

Article by guest writer:  Erica Long

Erika Long loves corgis, curry and comedy. Always searching for the next great snuggle, flavor or laugh, she inspires people to live their best life now. When not writing, Erika can be found at her local brewery dominating Harry Potter trivia night.

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The Surprising Benefits of Meditation

by Nicole's Blog

The Surprising Benefits of Meditation

Yoga is more than just physical exercise — it is also a millennia old practice that can lead an individual on a path to enriching spiritual growth.

Yoga is about the search for truth and meaning and the quest for contentment and wellbeing, stemming from an ancient Indian philosophy from the Vedic civilization. As women, we can tap into our breath, body, and passion through integrating the practice of yoga into our daily life through meditation.

We can empower ourselves as women through healing introspective work. Through non-traditional methods of healing like yoga and meditation, we can yield some surprising benefits.

Gaining a New Appreciation of Rest

As today’s woman is constantly busy in a fast-paced life with competing demands, the practice of yoga and meditation helps you slow down, clear your mind, and simply exist in the present.

Clearing the mind through meditation is essential for well-deserved rest and experiencing deep healing sleep. Such quality sleep helps your mind and body replenish and restore, preparing you to face the demands of tomorrow.

Remember though that meditation can often provide deeper rest than sleep itself, while harnessing more energy than sleep. Consider reiki energy healing meditation music during meditation time and rest to aid in your level of relaxation, assist in natural healing, and develop holistic well-being.

Becoming More Connected to Self

Being self aware is about understanding who you are and possessing self-knowledge that guides your life. Part of self-knowledge is being present enough to be aware of your thoughts and feelings, to the extent that you can identify and understand them.

Introspection is the key to healing and transformation. Listening to your body and being kind and gentle with your body is part of self-knowledge and self-love as well. Building self-awareness takes time and energy, so be patient with yourself and allow yourself time and practice to learn this daily discipline.

Clear your mind of racing thoughts, ruminations, and worries, and focus on the mind-body relationship. Use meditation to become more self-aware, leading to becoming a greater listener, a more compassionate person, and possessing a more adaptive mindset.

Generating Kindness

Forms of meditation can increase positivity through feelings and actions toward yourself and others.The loving-kindness meditation known as metta has to do with building self-esteem through first developing kind thoughts and loving feelings about yourself.

Through time and repetitive practice, these self-effacing skills can be applied toward others, to the point where you can even build loving-kindness thoughts and feelings toward enemies. This meditation helps you cultivate love, where you let it grow and spread toward others.

You can’t love others until you love yourself. It can be harder to accept and receive love than you think, especially from yourself. Try out a loving-kindness meditation technique today.

There is a deep, often untapped power in each of us as women that gives us personal insight and energy. Meditation helps us unlock these personal sources of life that help us lead more meaningful lives as women according to who we individually are.

Through meditation, we reap a multitude of benefits, including but not limited to the value you place on your rest, the value you place on yourself through self-care and self-knowledge, as well as cultivating the love you have for yourself as well as others.

Authored by:  Guest Blogger Laurie Larson. She is a freelance writer who enjoys writing on health and wellness topics to help others make the most out of their lives.

Photo by Erik Brolin on Unsplash
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5 Tips for Beating Sleeplessness Without Medication

by Nicole's Blog

Written by guest blogger/author, Gabriel Patel

Sleeping poorly? Waking up tired? Feeling groggy all day? You’re not alone. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over one-third of Americans fail to get enough sleep on a regular basis. Since sleep deprivation causes disruptions to various brain functions, people who don’t get enough sleep often face challenges with decision making, problem solving, lowered immunity, mood control, and memory. They also have a heightened risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity. Although prescription sleep aids can help, they come with many side effects and can be extremely addictive. So, instead of heading to the pharmacy, try out these natural sleep hygiene tips for healthy ways to improve your sleep.

1. Exercise Regularly

Did you know that you can track your fitness progress by analyzing your sleep? Physical activity—even in small amounts—can result in a huge improvement to your sleep quality. Exercise increases the amount of time your body spends in the deepest, most restorative level of sleep that is vital to healthy daytime functioning. Getting your body moving can also help you fall asleep more easily at night because it burns up excess energy in your body, preventing restlessness at the end of the day. Ideally, you should aim for at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week.  You don’t have to pay for the gym, you can try this no-gym workout resource to get in peak shape. Getting outside in the natural sunlight for a morning jog can help reset your natural sleep-wake cycle, while working out in the afternoon can help your body relax more easily in the evening.

2. Make Your Bedroom More Comfortable

According to The Alaska Sleep Clinic, a comfortable sleep environment is paramount to a good night’s sleep. Your bedroom should be dark, cool, and quiet. If it’s not, consider putting up blackout curtains, purchasing a white noise machine, and turning your thermostat down in the evening. If your bed isn’t very comfortable, you may want to buy a new mattress and replace your bedding with something soft and breathable, like bamboo or organic cotton sheets. It’s also a good idea to remove clutter, workout equipment, and electronics from the bedroom and stick to calming décor.

3. Go to Bed at the Same Time Every Night

Our bodies run on a natural sleep-wake cycle. When we follow a regular bedtime, our bodies have a much easier time falling asleep at night and waking up in the morning. So, try to go to bed at the same time each night and stop sleeping in on the weekends. Aside from improving your sleep quality, this will also help your body regulate other functions, including digestion.

4. Cut Back on Caffeine

If you’re sleep-deprived, you may be relying on caffeine to keep you going during the day. Unfortunately, consuming caffeine as early as noon can prevent you from falling asleep at night. Feeling restless in the evening or waking up frequently during the night may be indicators that caffeine is disrupting your sleep.

5. Fix Your Nighttime Habits

Most of us have bad bedtime habits that prevent us from falling or staying asleep. For example, watching TV in the evening encourages us to delay our bedtime—while the light from the screen prevents the production of sleep hormones in the body. This goes the same for your phone, which should be put away at least 30 minutes before you hit the sack. Practice a calming bedtime routine to help your body relax and free your mind from any stressors or nagging items on your to-do list. Some great before-bed activities include yoga, meditation, reading, or taking a warm bath. Finally, avoid snacking on fatty foods or those high in sugar, since these prevent sleep onset. If you look forward to your bedtime snack, reach for a banana, some almonds, or sugar-free oatmeal instead.

There’s nothing more frustrating than lying awake at night, unable to sleep as you watch the clock tick closer to your early-morning alarm. Although it’s normal to have difficulty sleeping once in a while, particularly during times of stress or upheaval, chronic sleeplessness can quickly get in the way of your physical health and mental functioning. Instead of turning to addictive sleeping pills, use these wellness and lifestyle tips to help you slumber more soundly.


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