Hello! And we are back! It has been more than a little while since I have updated here, but I am back and ready to go! The past six months have been immensely rewarding and incredibly exciting- on August 31 my family welcomed the newest edition to our family- our second little boy, Timothy John! Baby Timmy and Mommy have been doing amazingly well, and it has been nothing short of amazing!
All of that being said, this amazing change in the house has had me thinking a lot about sleep- mainly because we do not get quite as much as we all should. Working full time, plus coaching all year long, and going to graduate school with two children at home is certainly a lot, and at times the cost is sleep. When it comes to fitness, health, and wellness, often times we focus solely on working out- going for a run, hitting the gym, or lifting progressively heavier things. All of those things are incredibly beneficial, but the fact of the matter is without resting properly, many of the benefits will be lost on even the most avid exercise enthusiast. Rest and recovery are quintessential to derive the full benefits of your workouts.
While most people are aware that we should be sleeping anywhere between 7 and 9 hours, what of quality sleep? Sleep hygiene is one of the most important parts of sleep itself. But what does sleep hygiene mean, and what does it look like? Below is a list of things that I have worked on before sleeping in order to maximize my sleep:
Black out blinds-eliminating as much light as possible allows you to get deeper into sleep cycles
Blue-Light Filtering Glasses- for $20 on Amazon I picked up a pair of blue light filtering glasses for when I am on the computer, my smart phone, or watching television. The blue light emitted from modern devices disrupts the balances of “sleep and wake” chemicals in the brain (melatonin and serotonin).
Cool down- if you shower before bed, spend 30-60 seconds with the temperature down to cool off. Our bodies love to feel the cold to signal bedtime. Putting on a fan, and turning the heat down in the house will also help (and saves some money on heating!).
Meditate, Pray, Breathe. Whatever and however you want to focus, focus on relaxation. For many, prayer is a wonderful way to wind down and prepare for sleep. Meditation in any form lowers your bodies sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight system) response from throughout the day, and allows your parasympathetic nervous system (your rest and relaxation system). The more dominant the parasympathetic response, the deeper you will be able to get into sleep.
In Through the Nose, Out Through the Nose: Here’s a fun one- how many people snore and disrupt their sleep, or the sleep of other people in the house? The answer is too many. There is a body of research that suggests breathing solely through your nose reduces or eliminates snoring and sleep disruptions! That’s right- by retraining your breathing to come in and out of your nose and only your nose WILL help your sleep! It also comes with the ancillary benefits of improved oral health, no dry mouth, and increased oxygen efficiency!
These are some small, but actionable steps that can help you increase the efficiency of your sleep. Once you get sleep efficiency and hygiene down, then you can begin to work on getting enough sleep. And when you figure that one out- leave a comment below and tell me how to do the same! That’s it for now- more to come next week!
Peace, love, good vibes, and good sleep!
-Coach McG