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Did you know that how well you sleep pretty much affects everything you do in your day-to-day? Well, it does! are you able to optimize your sleep the very best you can every night? Well, today we will be talking about how you can get a better night’s sleep, the benefits, and what it means to have ‘good sleep’.
Of course, everyone is different so you can try some of these, or even add in some if you feel like something is working better for you! After all, that’s what I’m all about, doing things for you and finding out what your body needs.
Alsooo, I am not a doctor! if you have severe issues with sleep, talk to your doctor because it’s super important for health.
What does good sleep consist of?
There are different types of ways to look at sleep. The first is the quantity and the second is quality.
When looking at quantity, this is the number of hours you get of sleep. Depending on your age, you will need a certain amount of sleep but its good to aim for at least 7-9 hours. You should experiment around with these numbers and find what works best for you. For me personally, I feel way too tired if I get more than 7.5 hours of sleep but I also feel very sluggish if I get less than 7 hours. Its all about personal preference and experimentation when looking at quantity of sleep.
Quality of sleep can be harder to measure but it has many factors including how active you are, if you drink, and most likely how you eat as well. The best way I am able to measure how well I am sleeping is with my Fitbit! It tells you how much deep sleep you got, how long you were awake for, light sleep, and your REM sleep. All of which are very important for muscle recovery and great brain health.
- Info on REM Sleep here.
- Learn about Deep Sleep here.
- Learn about light sleep here
- Get your FITBIT Here.
Benefits of good sleep
There are many health benefits of getting more sleep than just feeling refreshed and energized in the morning.T he benefits are as follows:
- Better Brain Health (better memory)
- Higher sex drive
- Good Mood booster
- Weight loss
- Muscle recovery
- Reduces inflammation
If you could one amazing thing for your body, its to definitely get more sleep. Lack of sleep can cause heart problems, fatigue, overeating, and affect brain health.
How to get good sleep
These are just a few tips on how to maximize sleep and feel nice and calm before bed. Typically, I use a few of these because I usually work late nights as a server. When working late and getting up early, it’s important to get enough deep sleep for the reasons mentioned above.
It can be difficult to go to bed right away after a late night at work because it’s so high energy intense. So here are some of my tips on how to get better sleep:
Put Your phone away hours before bed
Putting Your phone away before you go to bed is essential for your eyes. If you stay up in a dark room watching tv on your iPad you will definitely strain your eyes from the blue light which can interfere with REM Sleep. Don’t make the mistake we all do and stay up on your phone, tv or computer. Instead, try reading a really good book or listening to an audiobook.
Drink a sleepy tea
Drinking a nice and warm relaxing tea can make you fall asleep faster and better. You will be nice and warm and ready for bed in no time. Sleepy Time Tea contains Chamomile which promotes sleep, relieves anxiety and reduces inflammation. There are also a couple of other sleepy teas you can take that has valerian root, lavender, lemon, and magnolia bark. These are the teas that I use.
High-Quality CBD Oil or other Supplements
Obviously supplements should be used with caution because a lot are not FDA approved or tested. However, extensive research has been done on them that proves they are amazing at sleep promotion. There are a few different ones and these are the ones I have tried.
There is Melatonin, Magnesium, Ashwagandha, and CBD Gummies or Oils. I have tried all 3 and have experienced different effects from both. I need to actually conduct an experiment to see if there is any difference between the 4 but I can say that melatonin is my least favorite out of the 4 and Ashwagandha is my top favorite.
Ashwagandha doesn’t leave me feeling super tired when I wake up but rather relaxed and refreshed, it also helps me fall asleep 2nd fastest compared to melatonin. There aren’t any negative side effects from what I have experienced thus far. The bottle says you can use 3 capsules but I only use 2 and I find its enough for me.
Melatonin made me feel high and there are adverse effects when you rely on it to help you sleep, you shouldn’t take these supplements every night or rely on them. I also notice when I take melatonin as opposed to the other sleep aids, it gives me terrible dreams and I wake up feeling more tired and like I slept awful. Now, this may not happen to everyone but for me, it didn’t work out so well.
CBD OIl is another great option to promote all over body relaxation and restful sleep. In fact, research shows that CBD may increase REM making you have more vivid dreams and more deep sleep. CBD is an oil in a marijuana plant that does not have THC in it, the THC is the part that makes people high.
If you want to learn a little bit more about it, you can check out Charlottes Web as they are experts in creating the best and most high-quality CBD and its what I use. I must say when I use CBD a higher dose is the best if you need to fall asleep quickly. The downside? It’s incredibly pricey for how much you get. Brands will also trick their customers and dilute the oils by putting extra coconut or olive oil in the tinctures to make more money- get your oils from a brand you trust.
If you want to give Charlottes Web a try, you can use my code PLANTBASED at checkout to get 10% off your purchase when you use my special link 🙂
Magnesium is a great and cheap option for me and I really like it. it relaxes me at night and helps me sleep peacefully and repairs my muscles after a hard workout. I highly recommend trying it if you don’t want anything too intense. I love this one that dissolves in water.
Take a warm shower or bath
Taking a hot bath has been tested by researchers to see how well it can help sleep. They say that if you take a hot bath before bed, you will fall asleep faster. This goes back to comfortability and feeling cozy.
Limit caffeine intake 6 hours before bed
A study shows that if you have caffeine 3-6 hours before bedtime, you will have major sleep disturbance! This is so true, I usually find that I feel very jittery yet tired right before bed and never truly get the best sleep.
Exercise daily
Whether its morning or mid-day, exercise can relax you and actually reduce symptoms of insomnia. It can also improve your sleep and allow you to have a deeper sleep throughout the night.
So even just a 10-20 minute walk outside, or on your treadmill watching Netflix can improve your sleep by quite a bit.
Keep it cool in your room
Make sure your room is no hotter than 75 degrees. If you are sleeping in a hot room, you will become uncomfortable and have night terrors! I like to either open the window a little bit or keep the AC on in the summertime so it’s nice and cool.
Sleep at the same time every night
Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day! This is a little more scientific than I know yet, but, this has to do with our circadian rhythms. Consistent sleep cycles are wonderful for our bodies and can aid in better sleep!
Make Sleep comfortable
Make your bed cozy with super soft sheets, Gell pillows, and maybe an eye mask. Even wearing cozy pj’s can help make you ready for bed and more comfortable. This is a pretty inevitable piece of sleep-comfortability. All of the ways above can make your sleep more comfortable so invest in your sleep by getting a new pillow, a new mattress, new sheets or whatever you need.
Sleep is important and your body needs it! Make it an effort to get more sleep because it will help you in the long run. If you don’t make time for it, it could affect your health negatively. Everyone has time for more sleep or can achieve a deeper sleep in a short amount of time.
Trying some of these methods is a sure-fire way to help you get a little more sleep every night. If you have chronic sleep disorders or try some of these tips and it won’t help, make sure to talk to your doctor!
let me know if you try any of these tips and if they help you! also if you want me to do a review on the Versa Fitbit let me know! I love mine but there are definitely some things about it I am skeptical of.
XOXO,
DACIA
3 John 1:2
