The Importance of Sleep

No Sleep? No Recovery.

Men who sleep only 5 hours a night, compared to 7 or more hours a night,have testosterone levels similar to men 10 years their senior. A lack of sleep will age a man by a DECADE in terms of hormonal health. Scientists have found the lack of sleep having asimilar effect in women's hormonal healthas well.

Sleep is critical. This is important to understand as 1 in 10 people suffer from chronic insomnia. That's 10% of people who repeatedly struggle with the ability to go to sleep and stay asleep. Given the critical importance of sleep to preserve our health and help our body repair and recover, this is an alarming stat.

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What Causes Insomnia?

The modern world makes it more difficult than ever before to maintain proper sleeping habits. We are assaulted on multiple fronts, from our food, to our mental health, to the medications or other substances we consume, there are a lot of ways in which our sleep can become disrupted.

Stress

It's no secret that today people are more stressed, on average, than they have ever been before. Work routines, child care, social media, the news, family crises, debt, there are so many ways in which the modern adult becomes burdened with stress and it has a very major effect on our sleep quality.

 

Caffeine, Nicotine, and Alcohol

Caffeine and nicotine are both stimulants that can not only affect you throughout the day, but they often have a noticeable effect on your ability to go to sleep, and stay asleep. These products are notorious for contributing to sleep disorders. Alcohol, while not stimulating in the same way as caffeine and nicotine, has shown that it prevents the brain from entering into the deeper stages of sleep.

 

Poor Sleeping Habits

Our bodies have internal clocks that keep our entire body regulated. You may have heard it referred to as your "circadian rhythm", and it is a very real thing. Knowing this, it's vital that you make a routine and stick with it. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every night and every morning, and keep to it as closely as possible. This will keep momentum for your circadian rhythm to follow and make your sleep more regular.

 

And Many Many More

There are numerous other things that can contribute to the issue of chronic insomnia. Medications, poor nutrition, eating too late, underlying conditions, the list is long.

What Can We Do?

If your issues are related to what was described above then sleep can be directly improved by lowering stress, avoiding stimulants, and creating a healthy routine. However, for many other people the solution may be more esoteric and difficult to narrow down. With this in mind, here are a few remedies that can help promote better quality sleep:

Contrast Showers

Contrast showers can be a powerful tool for reducing inflammation and relaxing the body, creating an ideal environment for restful sleep. Do them twice a day for better sleep, the last one being just before bed.

Lavender Scalp Massages

The scent of lavender oil has a natural relaxing effect on our body and mind. Take a couple of drops of lavender oil and massage it into your scalp, putting a drop just under your nose as well, to aid in the relaxation required for restful sleep.

Brisk Walks

Taking two brisk walks a day for 30 minutes each can make a huge difference in gently expending excess energy in the body that could be contributing to a lack of restful sleep.

First Light of the Day

Wake up early enough to be outside and absorb the first light of the day. This helps to reset the circadian rhythm, promote balanced energy throughout the day, and restful sleep at night.

Sleep In Total Darkness

Make sure your room is totally dark. Turn off all lights, all electronics, or anything that is emitting light. Wear a sleep mask if necessary. Even the smallest amount of light is enough to disturb our circadian rhythms and the production of melatonin. Make your bedroom totally dark.

So remember...

Sleep is absolutely critical when it comes to preserving your health if you're already healthy and even more critical if you're trying to recover from chronic illness. If you're fighting chronic illness and you're not getting 8 hours of sleep a night, you're going to be going in circles wondering why you're not getting results.

Sleep 8 hours every night, it'll make you smarter, healthier, stronger, more energetic, and even younger.

God Bless,
Mercy Ballard