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My Favorite Tips for Better Sleep

September 17, 2018

Getting quality sleep is a key restoration factor in healing from chronic illness.

Do you remember being a kid, begging to stay up late, fighting the nap mandates & waking-up at the crack of dawn?

WHAT WERE WE THINKING!?

It pains me now to think of all those “great sleeps” missed! Great sleep is delicious and so underrated. Truth is, it’s one of the fastest ways to a better mood, a more efficient metabolism, more energy, a sharper brain, easier weight loss, controlled cravings and it’s one of the BEST anti-aging techniques around! It’s also beneficial in terms of Alzheimer’s prevention: Without great sleep our brains can not flush out the toxins that accumulate.

Imagine it like this: pretend like there’s a little dishwasher in your brain that only runs adequately once we reach a certain sleep quota. This is because this “dishwasher” cycle takes so much energy, that it requires all other energy-sucking activities to shut down in order for this magic dishwasher to power-up. Once we’ve stored up enough energy to run it, the flow of liquid whooshes through to clean the debris on and in between each item in the “dishwasher.” (In our case, the liquid is actually the cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, and it increases dramatically, pumping fluids up to the brain at a rapid rate, washing away waste proteins and toxins that build-up between brain cells during waking hours. So basically, when we are sleeping adequately, that fluid gets activated and our brains get their wash cycle!) If this procedure does not happen effectively…. well, you’ve seen the accumulation in the dishwasher when it hasn’t run properly, right? And who wants all that leftover debris?  In real life, we can also accumulate debris which may be one reason why sleep disorders are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. That essential wash cycle may not be happening enough due to lack of sleep.

So, know that by making sleep a priority you’re helping your brain get cleaned and self-restored each night. (Grateful moment: How divinely made are we to have this self-restorative ability?) Now we just need to turn our self-restoration setting ON at night by shutting the rest of us OFF  so we get enough great, restorative sleep to activate the process optimally.

Note: Around the year 1900, we were sleeping an avg. of 9 hours per night. Now we sleep an average of 6 hrs. per night. That is a drastic (33%) reduction in a short amount of time, evolutionally speaking, and thus our brains have not had enough time to adjust. Additionally, our brains are trying to contend with the increase in sleep disturbances and overstimulation due to the unfathomable increase in electricity and technology which have proven to be big disruptors as well.  That’s a lot to expect out of our busy and fragile brains.

Lack of sleep can also be an endocrine and hormone disruptor just like toxins can be.
One of the kindest things we can do for ourselves is to give our brain the rest it deserves,
and we can start by getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night!

Here are a handful of my fave sleep tips that I share with the groups I present to about Alzheimer’s Prevention/ Peak Brain Health/ and Women in Midlife:

  • Try to go to bed before midnight to get the most restorative sleep. According to Dr. Matt Walker, head of the Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, Non-REM sleep tends to “dominate our slumber cycles in the early part of the night. That’s significant because some research suggests that non-REM sleep is deeper and more restorative than lighter, dream-infused REM sleep”—though Walker says both offer important benefits.

From Dr. Matt Walker, head of the Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab at the University of California, Berkeley & Author of book   LINK: WHY WE SLEEP

  • tracey-hocking-727337-unsplashSetting a predictable schedule for eating and sleeping, and sticking to it can help our bodies perform better:  Sound sleep habits and rituals are important for our Circadian rhythm. Recent research has even shown that we have “clock genes”, or DNA coding for time, and that set routines are even more beneficial to our bodies than we earlier predicted.
  • If naps don’t disrupt your sleep, go for it! They have many benefits and some of the most brilliant, productive people in the world have been avid nappers– so let go of the stigma if that is what is holding you back.  LIFEHACK: Every person is different, so be your own sleep scientist to determine the right length of time for you–  but typically 30 minutes or less is preferable.
  • There’s advice out there that says “If you drink coffee, try not to drink it past 2PM.” That’s because caffeine stays in our system for ~8 hours. LIFEHACK: I found that I actually have to cut myself off from caffeine at 11AM because I’m that sensitive to it, and some of my clients have found the same. So, if you wake up frequently in the night/early morning–  start paying attention to the timing of your caffeine intake to determine what your own ideal caffeine cut-off time should be. Does it need to be earlier than you may have thought?
  • If you drink coffee, try to choose organic coffee, and/or beans that have been tested for molds and pesticides whenever possible. The neurotoxins in conventional (highly sprayed!) coffee beans can be disruptive to our nervous system, as can be the molds/mycotoxins often found in coffee.  LIFEHACK: I love Bulletproof coffee for this reason: they have strict guidelines that need to be met in terms of the beans purity.  The Brain Octane Oil I add gives my brain some extra nourishment. They are both available at Whole Foods market, online or at Amazon.            LINK Bulletproof Coffee & Brain Octane Oil 
  • Don’t eat heavy foods for 2-3 hours before bedtime if you can avoid it and avoid spicy foods at night if heartburn or digestive issues may wake you up.  That said, an empty stomach can wake you up around 2-3AM too! LIFEHACK: eat a spoonful of almond butter before bed to see if that dose of protein carries you through the night.
  • Exercise at least 30 min. a day.  LIFEHACK: try to finish at least 6 hrs. before bedtime so you do not get the energy surge associated with exercise.
  • Establish a relaxing nighttime ritual, like soaking feet in Epsom salts or taking an Epsom salt bath. Epsom salts are filled with beneficial magnesium and can be found at any grocery store.  LIFEHACK: To save money and for convenience, I buy Epsom salts online in bulk since my kids also use it to recover more quickly from sore muscles from sports and we go through the smaller bags way too quickly!  I add my own lavender oil and sometimes as well as some Redmond’s sea salt since it is often purer than sea salts that can absorb pollution from the sea. (Sea salts help us detox.) LINK: Epsom Salts Tested For Purity- by Saltworks (bulk) – Redmond’s Sea Salt – tested for purity   – USDA Organic Lavender Oil

  • The warm water from a bath can trigger our parasympathetic system (i.e.- calmness.) The trick is to not re-excite yourself with TV or too much stimuli after the bath….because then the benefit is reduced.
  • Avoid computer, phone & electronics for at least 1 hr. before bed.

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But my BEST LIFEHACK of all?  Become your own sleep scientist! We are all individually unique (and you will hear me say/  type that ad nauseam!) What works for one person may not work for another. As I say to all of my clients,

“Step into your power as the World’s Leading Expert in You!”
Utilize that position to discern what does and does not work for you, and continually tweak until you get to a place of ease and continuity. And then…recalibrate as things shift– as they always do.
Great sleep, great health… it is not a destination but a journey and you are the one doing the navigation. (Coaches are just there to help hold the map, share navigational skills and give support.)  Nobody knows you, your life, your needs better than you!

That said,  sometimes it feels challenging to find and implement the tools that might work, especially when exhausted! If you feel that you could benefit by receiving some personalized coaching attention, please reach out. I love helping people reach their goals, and nothing is more rewarding than seeing someone thrive.

Sweet dreams 🙂

-Michelle

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All content found on the Michelle Gillette Coaching Website, including text, images, audio, or other formats were created for informational purposes only.  The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this Website.

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately. Reliance on any information provided by www.thriveandfly.com or written by Michelle Gillette for the purposes of social media, for publication or for coaching is solely at your own risk. (Can you tell I grew up around attorneys? )

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About Michelle

I help clients reboot and invigorate their lives! I do this by guiding them as they gain clarity on what they truly want in their careers/ relationships/ lives; by coaching them as they create actionable plans to achieve their goals, and by supporting them as they create sustainable habits that lead to more meaningful, purpose-driven, healthier lives!