Solutions for Sleep Health: Your Complete Reference to Improved Sleep
Hi, sleep-seekers! Are you exhausted from tossing and turning at night while staring at the ceiling and your mind is racing? Do you wake up feeling as though you just fought a wrestling match with your pillow? If you nodded your head (or even if you didn’t), you are not alone. In our hustle bustle world, sleep often gets the short end of the stick, but it is one of the most important parts of lifestyle period, and the key to reaching your maximum health and fitness. So, with all this talk about Z’s, let’s discuss some sleep health solutions for fitness enthusiasts to help you sleep better!
Why Sleep is Your Fitness Best Friend
Before we address how to address why sleep is so important to all persons, but especially an active person, let’s set the stage. When we sleep, our bodies are not ‘off’ as most people think. Our bodies are hard at work while we rest. When we sleep, muscle recovery happens, hormones are balanced and our brain is making memories. Ultimately your bodies get reset while sleeping. If we are deprived of sleep, irritability, reduced cognitive function, and cravings for highly processed snacks can weigh on us. I guess this explains the late night ice cream binge eating! If you are truly serious about getting fit, and getting the body you want, then sleeping better is almost as important as working out and meal prepping.
Designing a Cozy Sleep Environment
Before discussing sleep strategies, let’s start with your sleep environment. Consider how great it would be to sleep in a cozy, dark, and cool space that invites you to “rest here, you deserve it!” Here are a few quick tips to design your sleep environment:
- Think Pitch Black: You’ll need to buy good blackout curtains or a decent eye mask. Even the smallest amount of light pollution can find its way into your sleep environment, so block it out as best you can!
- Chill Out: Keep your bedroom on the cooler side (ideally, between 60 and 67 degrees). A slightly cooler room will make it feel amazing to snuggle under your blankets.
- Clear the Clutter: A neat space will declutter your mind. That pile of clothes in the corner? Put it away! Get a peaceful, balanced feel in your space – think Zen!
- Sound Matters: it doesn’t matter if it’s a white noise machine or some calming music, background sounds can drown out noise and distraction. I personally love the sound of rain lightly tapping on the window. That would lull me to sleep in no time!
Be Mindful of your Sleep Schedule
A sleep schedule can do wonders in your overall sleep experience! Just like your other workout or exercise, your body does well with routineness. Try going to bed, and getting up at the same times all the time, even on weekends—this can help to set your body’s internal clock.
Here’s a little hint from my experience: I use the alarm feature on my smartphone not just to wake up, but also as reminders – that it is almost time for bedtime. I call it my wind down alarm and it lets me know to finish up my day and begin my bedtime routine.
Wind Down the Right Way
You’ve heard me talk about routines and schedules, so now let’s discuss relaxing! It’s important to have a non-surfing, pre-sleep routine to signal your brain that it is time for bed. Here are some simple tips for you:
- Digital Detox: Try not to use screens (no phone or tv) for at least 1 hour before going to sleep. So put down the phone and bingeing with shows right before you sleep. Seriously, your body will thank you!
- Gentle Stretching or Yoga: Stretching or yoga is a great way to let go of the physical wear and tear of being stretched. Taking five minutes to deep breathe is also a great way to get your body into a restful state.
- Read a Book: Getting cozy with a great book – wait, don’t fold it in half – I meant before going to bed, one last hurrah before bedtime routine. Don’t want to read something too stimulating. The upside, your social media screen time just got decreased!
- Herbal Teas: You might take advantage of sipping on some chamomile or valerian root tea sometime before you go to bed. Both mindful choices are usually relaxing in their own right and the perfect touch to your bedtime experience.
Keep Track of Your Sleep
Ultimately, keeping track of your sleep can honestly provide some good information on your sleep habits. There are several apps and wearable tracking devices that can help you. My method is to simply write down how I felt each day so that I can identify any patterns. For example: I realized my sleep was worse when I skipped my evening walk! The more information you have, the better!
In summary
Getting better sleep is not just about getting more of it, it’s also about getting better sleep. By establishing the ideal pre-sleep routine and optimizing your sleeping environment, you are setting yourself up to maximize your health and performance. View sleep as a critical element of your overall fitness plan—something you don’t just consider after the fact. So take those sleep health solutions for fitness enthusiasts and make them actionable—go to sleep, wake up, and allow your body and mind to thrive! See you on the other side…hopefully after restful sleep!
Learn more articles: The Comfy Link: Sleep and Mental Health
