Greetings Village!
How have you been sleeping?
Lately, I have found that many of my conversations have included this theme of “troubled sleeping.” Either having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or just not feeling rested upon waking.
Does this sound familiar to you?
Like many health and wellbeing challenges, I believe better sleep can be a puzzle with different components. And that there is NOT a “one size fits all” approach.
I am going to offer up 3 tools that I have found can help you on your journey to better sleep (noting that you might need different tools at different chapters in your life.)
As I say… The more tools the better!
3 Tools for Better Sleep
Food: What you do eat and what you might not be eating that you should try…
Mindfulness: combating worries, stress, and anxiety…
Routine: Keeping it regular…
Food.
An easy google search like, “foods to help me fall asleep,” or “foods to help me stay asleep” will list foods that can help with either or both of these scenarios. Remember, this is NOT a “one size fits all” challenge. Different folks need different foods to help them sleep. My advice is to figure out what you are or are not eating that can bring about positive change to your sleep. Then experiment with the different foods and timing of eating for a couple of days or weeks, possibly keeping a food/sleep journal to see any changes or patterns.
Things to note: Alcohol and caffeine definitely, negatively, affect everyone's sleep. I know you know this. If you find out that one or both of these are your obstacles to better sleep, partnering with me through health coaching can be the best approach to find ways to shift your lifestyle to improve your sleep.
Mindfulness.
Another HUGE piece of the sleep puzzle. Worries, Stressors, Anxiety, etc ALL affect our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Finding a Mindfulness Practice is proven to help with these ailments and then in return positively affect your sleep and ability to feel fully rested the next day. These days there are numerous ways to learn about and begin a mindfulness practice. There are apps on your phone to technological headbands that track your brain somehow. Who knew? But the science is there!
For apps on your phone I highly recommend: Headspace, Healthy Minds, and Insight Timer.
Routine.
Having a sleep and wake routine is fundamental to better sleep. Henry Emmons, M.D., a local Minnesota doctor and author states, “Stress may have caused the sleep problem, but it is often inadequate sleep that tips us into illness. If we aren’t sleeping, the body cannot effectively turn off the stress response.” (The Chemistry of Calm)
I have heard Dr. Emmons speak a few times, and what I most remember is his recommendation to go to bed and wake-up at roughly the same time through-out the week. Stating that even if you only need 4, 6, 8, hours of sleep a night, just make sure you are going to bed and waking at the same time. Along with regular bed and wake times, you can start a bedtime routine. Having a routine that signals to your body, it’s time to settle in for the night, can help your body know what is coming.
Better sleep can happen, yet there is not going to be one answer. As you reread the options above, find what feels right for you, pick one thing and “try it on” for a few weeks. And after a while if it doesn’t feel like the right option, try on a different approach. Treat it like an experiment.
If you really want to dive in, contact me to set-up your free Health Coaching Consultation Session. This is where we can chat about your challenges and goals to see if Health Coaching might be the right option for you.
Here’s to better sleep for us all!
Warmly,
Lesley