Getting A Good Night Sleep.
Natasha Nicholas
5 min read.
Sleep is a way to nourish our body, mind and spirit and is an essential component of good health and peace of mind. Good quality sleep is the biggest deposit in your life tank. Without it, your body loses vitality, important repair functions are not carried out, digestion and internal housekeeping is compromised, important hormones are not secreted, and your mind is not given the time that it needs to consolidate memories and events and do its own glymphatic clean up. Some studies suggest that chronic poor sleep comprises longevity.
Studies have shown that insomnia or poor sleep affects around 25% of Adults in Westernised countries, with 10% developing chronic insomnia.
Today's over-stimulating lifestyle often keeps our minds and bodies tense throughout the day and without intentionally turning off we drag this tense alert state along with our stimulating lifestyle habits into our evening sabotaging any chance of a restorative sleep. Many people, despite spending 8-12 hours in bed, wake up feeling exhausted.
Turning the sleep bus around is simple but not easy, as it asks us to change habits and lifestyle design. It is tempting to go to your Dr and ask for a sedative to be prescribed but this is not a long-term solution. More and more healthcare professionals are recommending more natural mindfulness-based techniques to learn to relax the body and cultivate a better sleep / wake cycle. These techniques are powerful and very effective but need the right foundations in place and need time and consistency to work.
Multiple factors influence sleep, and challenges can be unique to each person. Some people will need medical support or 1:1 sleep therapy, to support and reset sleep. For those people working shift work, tailored programs are often needed. Most of us though experiencing sleep challenges or poor-quality sleep share the same root causes:
Disrupted Sleep/ Wake Cycle
Hyper stimulated Nervous System
Body Tension and Inflammation
A mind full of unresolved conflicts
Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda can address all these root causes and have you on your way to a sweeter slumber. The first foundation is re-setting your Circadian Rhythm (sleep/wake rhythm) so here are a few tips to start. Try them consistently and honestly for 14 -21 days and see if things improve for you.
Sleep/Wake Cycle:
· It's all about rhythm baby. We are naturally wired to wake up with the sun, where our body's internal systems become more vital, awake, and stimulated by daylight and movement. Conversely, we start to slow down and prepare the body for restorative repair work as the sun goes down and the natural light begins to disappear.
· Unplug and Dim Down: Our uses of devices and artificial light way into late evening keeps the body stimulated. Blue light has a simlar effect on the brain and it's melatonin cycle as sunlight, so give body a fighting chance and unplug 1-2 hours before sleep. Lower or reduce the artificial lighting the house, replicate the natural cycle of day and night.
· Rise and Shine: Get up at 6am or a few minutes before , as the sun is generally rising, even if you are tired or slept poorly. Perhaps leave blinds open a little so natural light enters the bedroom which will also correspond with lighter phases of sleep, making it easier to wake.
· Daylight Groove: we are designed to move in daylight hours. See if you can plan exercise in the morning or during the day. Move as much as you can. Take stretching breaks, walk the stairs, get your steps in during the day. Rather than trying to smash a HIIT work out in the evening. Even yoga in the evening should be more restorative and calming, save the spicy vinyasa for daylight hours.
· Eat light and early: our bodies are not designed to be digesting heavy meals before we sleep. Full belly's make for bad sleep and redirect the body's restorative functions of the night to daytime digestive functions. Plus many foods are quite stimulating.
· Cafe Closed by 1pm: if you are a coffee drinker, like me. The cafe bar need to be closed no later than 1pm. Caffeine has a long life and will keep the body stimulated well into the evening. Move to calming herbals like Whole Flower Camomile tea or passion flower.
· Sunset stretch: taking time in the early evening before bed to stretch and breath slowly can ease tension of the body and start to calm the nervous system. Adding this into your evening routine is easy and makes for a more relaxing and restful sleep.
· Early to bed: this is perhaps the hardest lifestyle change to make next to unplugging before bed! Ayurveda recognises the body's internal rhythms. 10 - 2 are busy times for the body and mind. During the day, this is the time where we can best focus and produce quality work, where the mind and digestion peaks. At night though, we want to use this rhythm for internal housekeeping and not invite the mind to the party to start solving problems that keep us awake. Late to bed is one of the biggest contributors to sleep latency (difficulties with falling asleep). Try to start winding down 8.30 - 9ish so you are in bed by 10pm. This may be hard at first but stick with it. Eventually the body will cue you that this is the time to retire, so don’t miss those subtle signals and miss the 10pm sleep bus.
These are basic foundations and a place to start. When I work with clients 1:1, we lay these foundations before creating a more personalised sleep therapy protocol and before we bring in Ayurvedic and herbal sleep remedies.
If you would like to learn more, join me at Kula Body Turramurra, for my master class on Getting A Good Night Sleep, 3 Feb 2024, 3pm - 5.30 where we will be exploring how to address the root causes of sleep disturbance and restore our cycle with Yoga, Ayurveda and herbal remedies or contact Three Points Clinic on 0408465928 for Sleep Consultation. To book, link is below
https://momence.com/Natasha-Nicholas/Getting-a-Good-Night-Sleep-/98127324