Catch Those All-Important ZZZZ's

This month’s tip to help your overall wellness has to do with good ole’ fashioned shut-eye!

How many hours of sleep are you getting a night? According to the National Sleep Foundation, it is recommended that the average adult between the ages of 26-64 get at least 7-9 hours of sleep. Raise your hand if this is not you! Sleep is connected to everything from weight gain to disease so it’s worth your attention.

When I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis my doctor told me right away fatigue could be an issue and were I not to get enough sleep it could cause a flare up. That certainly got my attention and I make every effort to get 8 hours a night. Some nights I don’t but I’m aware of how many days in a row I can go with less than 8 before I need to stop what I’m doing and make rest the number one priority. A lot of people blow through that stop sign.

Here are some tips to follow to help you get the proper amount of restful sleep.

1. Get on a regular sleep schedule – That means same bedtime and same awake time each day.  I try to be like clockwork. Bed at 11p and up at 7am each day the more you can keep a consistent routine the more likely you are to get your sleep.
2. Put the blue light devices and screens away – This means your TV, your phone, your iPad and your computer. It does make a huge difference to shut it down early.
3. Caffeine and alcohol affect sleep - Don’t drink more than 2 cups of coffee a day and don’t drink any after noon. This is a Whole30 recommendation, and I follow it. I notice if I have even just one cup after that time it keeps me awake past my routine time. On the other side of things if you’re pounding coffee to get through the day then you know you have a rest issue. Avoid alcohol especially late in the evening. Yes, this means if you are going to have a couple of glasses of wine or a few beers it’s better to indulge in Happy Hour vs. late night drinking. It is startling if you own a sleep tracker what a night with even just a few drinks does to your heart rate and your sleep quality.
4. That leads me to my next piece of advice – get a sleep tracker. There are so many apps out there to use and most of the trackers/fitness watches have a way to do this. Pay attention to REM sleep vs. deep sleep vs. light sleep. Deep sleep is the most rejuvenating but out of 8 hours of sleep you’re likely to spend 3.5 – 4 hours in the light sleep phase.
5. Meditation – this has been huge for me. Sure you can focus on pillows, room temperature, daily exercise to also help your sleep but to me it is even more important to be able to shut down my mind and meditation and deep breathing seems to do that for me and helps me get to my REM and Deep sleep. I can see the results on my watch on nights I meditate and they are much better.

So turn off the devices, turn off the lights, and get your rest!