Sleeping for Your Health

One aspect many people don’t really think about when trying to improve their health and wellness is sleep. Sleep is critical because it’s the time your body uses to fully recover from the day.

Not only do our organs go into a cleansing and recovery phase, but our hormones recharge as well. For example, we have talked in the past about cortisol being a critical hormone that must be controlled to keep our stress levels down. Sleep helps you level out those hormones and replenish your internal batteries if you will.  

While many people may spend time “in bed,” they might not actually be getting enough sleep. A reason for this is that their window of sleep doesn’t match up with the time they need for a night of deep sleep. If your body never slips into a deep sleep, it never gets the chance to fully get into recovery mode. 

Better Preparation is the Key to Deep Sleep

Begin your day by getting some melatonin from the morning sun. Take a walk or just sit and soak it in. This hormone that is created in the glands can actually help you sleep at night. When your body has enough of it, you will be better equipped in the evening to secrete it for a more restful sleep. 

Next, is to start meditating. Meditate daily to bring down your stress levels, and help your body with proper breathing. 

Then, hydrate your body throughout the day. Keeping your “machine parts” properly hydrated will help you move throughout the day, so you can better enjoy deeper sleep when it comes time for bed. 

Finally, well before bedtime, you should start resting and getting ready to go to sleep. This means stopping the activities that keep your brain and body active. Turn off your electronics, and shift your mind and body into a restful state. By doing this, when it’s time to actually sleep, you will be much more likely to get to sleep faster, and move into a deep, anabolic sleep where your hormones are thriving, your systems are resting, and your organs are doing the proper work to get ready for the next day.

Don’t assume you can catch up on sleep either. Like eating right and working out, you can’t just work out longer and eat healthier one day of the week to make up for a week of not doing it. You may need time to adjust to this way of living, but when you fully allow yourself this rejuvenation and refueling time, you will feel much better in your waking hours.