Sleep should be easy, but for some of us it can quickly turn into a real problem. Many get into a cycle of late nights, then finding ourselves walking around in a fog the next day. Soon, if nothing is done to change poor habits, we’ll experience interrupted sleep, and if we still ignore the issue, sleepless nights can quickly become our new normal.
Chronic Sleep Loss can have serious health consequences. Initially you may experience things like moodiness, fatigue, irritability but that can take a sharp turn to more serious symptoms like brain fog and depression. Sleep is also the time our bodies repair themselves, and sleep deprivation can rob the chance for our body to do its normal work, resulting in inflammation, stress, and eventually disease.
If you are suffering sleep loss at any stage, from intermittent interruptions to chronic loss, here are four quick changes you can make to your routine to re-boot your sleep cycles instantly, and start getting the sleep you need to stay well.
ONE. Cut the Fat. Being overweight is the number one reason people struggle with their sleep. Aside from the many obesity-related illnesses, like heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, gallbladder disease, gallstones, osteoarthritis, gout, and breathing problems (sleep apnea), there are many minor, day-to-day issues with sleep that build up to larger problems overtime, and a poor diet is often at the heart of these issues.
So much is going on when we sleep. Muscles, organs, and tissue cells all regenerate. Inflammation is reduced, hormone levels balance and T-Cells (white blood cells) work to strengthen the immune system, that when we don’t get enough our systems suffer.
Eating fatty, highly salted snacks and sugary foods during the day can play havoc with your sleep schedule. During our sleeping hours the body performs miracles in self-repair and cleansing. When our natural cleaning process is overloaded, sleep issues begin to crop up and interrupt sleep. Intermittent sleep, then has a knock-on effect to our waking hours with headaches, mood shift, and poor concentration.
TWO. Exercise. Getting regular exercise is one of the keys to improving poor sleep patterns. Almost instantly our bodies reward us with a better, more restful night.
When we remain stationary for most of our day, sitting at a desk or standing at a counter, like many people, our muscles atrophy and over-time we lose strength and health problems can compound.
Aside from a better night’s sleep, here are the top ten benefits of regular exercise.
1. Can make you feel happier.
2. It can help with weight loss.
3. It is good for your muscles and bones.
4. Exercise can increase your energy levels.
5. It can reduce your risk of chronic disease.
6. It can help skin health.
7. It can help your brain health and memory.
8. Reduces chronic pain.
9. Can increase potency.
10. Regular exercise can balance hormone levels.
Adding regular exercise has a profound effect on resetting our circadian rhythms too, as more and more regular sleep helps the body fall back into its natural cycles.
THREE. Nature. More and more people are choosing natural remedies as an option to aid sleep like teas and herbs, to get them to sleep at night over harsh drugs, which often have unwelcomed side-effects. A smart herbal supplement regime is the most effective step in maintaining a healthy sleep schedule, or during times when you just need to wind down and calm the mind.
Proprietary blends of sleep supporting herbs like those containing the powerful Jujube Seed are therapeutic dynamos and go far beyond just sleep support. The Jujube fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals and fatty acids, and has been used for centuries to treat insomnia, chronic pain, stress, and stomach upset. Jujube also relaxes the body and the mind, boosting levels of the calming neurotransmitters GABA and serotonin.
Natural sleep formulas that include earthy, bioactive compounds which work to reduce inflammation, strengthen the immune system, and lower blood sugar, as well as support heart, brain and digestive function are the intelligent choice when it comes to choosing the best products to ensure a return to healthy sleep.
FOUR. Water. Drink enough water throughout the day to not only replace the water you lost, but to flush out the toxins that build up during the day.
It’s no secret that most people do not drink enough water, even though we seem to be constantly reminded of it and drinking at least six to eight glasses of water daily can make a big difference in how well we sleep at night.
During our sleeping hours, our bodies are hard at work ridding our bodies of all the toxins we breath, drink or take in through our skin cells, and water through our waking hours helps to eliminate them so the burden is far less when the night shift starts back up again.
When our body is functioning better at night, we generally will sleep better too.
Approaching sleep problems from the root cause, goes a long way to rediscovering a healthy, restful night’s rest once again.
