I’m obsessed with sleep. I was on a girls trip to Orange County a few weekends ago and the group I was with liked to stay up later and we hung out talking until midnight both nights. I slept terrible both nights and woke up feeling hungover (despite not drinking) both mornings. I looked at picture of myself my friend took at the airport before we left and I looked like I was flying home after a bender in Vegas and it’s all because I did not get enough sleep. Sleep truly impacts every nearly every system and tissue in the body, so not getting enough sleep or quality sleep can wreck havoc on your entire body.
The Center for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) recommends that adults sleep 7-9 hours each night. However, what they don’t address is what makes up QUALITY sleep. I love my Oura ring because it tells me how long I’m in different sleep cycles. Each night we go through several sleep cycles ranging between 90-120 minutes. Each sleep cycle involves 4 sleep stages: non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM1 + 2) which the Oura ring calls “light sleep”, deep sleep, and REM sleep. Deep and REM sleep are the most important and restorative.
I take my sleep very seriously and have even converted my husband to an earlier bed time with me. He also loves his sleep and falling asleep on the couch every night was super unhealthy for him because of the poor quality sleep he was getting. We literally get in bed by 9 most nights if not earlier. It’s helpful to have your partner on a similar sleep schedule as you so you’re not being woken up by them coming to bed later.
Like I said before sleep impacts every system and tissue in the body. Sleep plays a significant role in skin health, nutrition/food choices the next day, physical activity the next day, mood, immune system, hormone balance, brain function, and heart health.
Many factors can affect sleep. I try my best to manage what I have control over like my behaviors and environment. Simple things like limiting my caffeine after 12pm, having a dark and cool room, and consistent sleep-wake times even on the weekends.
Here are other things I do to improve the QUALITY of sleep I’m getting.
Magnesium
I use this magnesium and take it about 30-60 minutes before bed. I have a subscription so I never run out 😉 This form of magnesium is ideal for sleep.
No alcohol
I rarely drink alcohol these days and not drinking in the evenings has improved my sleep tremendously. The few times I have even one glass of wine I notice my sleep is affected. It’s just not worth it for me.
Shower or bath
Even if I have showered earlier in the day I love to be super clean before bed. A warm shower or epsom salt bath really helps me relax after a hectic day and transition into sleep mode.
Get into bed early
Some nights I’m in bed by 8:30ish and it’s when I get the best sleep. I try and get into bed at least 30 minutes before I want to actually fall asleep.
Legs up the wall
I will usually do this while I have my LED red light face mask on and reading my Kindle for 20 minutes. After a long day on my feet, laying in bed with my legs up the wall feels amazing. It helps my body get into a more relaxed state by calming the nervous system. It also helps with circulation and low back pain. Getting old is fun 😉
Stretch
Similar benefits to laying with my feet up the wall, stretching before bed helps me relax and be less stiff in the morning. Stretching before bed helps relieve tension, increases circulation, and promotes relaxation. I love the Peloton 10 minute stretches or will do my own routine while I watch a show or listen to my audible.
Read
I try really hard not to scroll before bed. I can feel it increase my anxiety and that is obviously not ideal before bed. I plug in my phone, flip it over and pick up my book instead. I always try to read at least a few chapters before bed. I’m usually so tired by this point I can’t get through a lot of my book, but it really does help me feel sleepy.
Mouth tape
Heather and I both use this mouth tape. I always thought this sleep trend was a little extreme, and while I understood the possible health benefits I was weary. However, I have been using it for almost 4 months now and I love it. Most research into mouth taping is aimed towards people with sleep apnea or snoring issues. If you have sleep apnea you should talk to your doctor before trying mouth tape.
Sleep mask
I have been wearing a sleep mask for the past 4-5 years and I can’t sleep without it now. It took a little while for me to get used to sleeping with something on my face, but now it feels unnatural to sleep without it. I first heard about the benefits of a sleep mask on a podcast. They explained the importance of having a completely dark room for quality sleep. Complete darkness helps you get more REM sleep, helps you get to sleep fast, and bonus prevents wrinkles around the eyes. Light exposure can also disrupt your circadian rhythm. No thanks 😉
White Noise
Last thing I do before bed is turn on white noise. I use an app on my phone called white noise and yes I pay for a subscription so it doesn’t turn off after 8 hours. I’m very into pink and brown noise at the moment. I never used white noise until having kids and now we all cannot sleep without it.
xx, A
