The One About Sleep
Oh sleep… How we love it and how we love to avoid it. In a recent poll of approximately 200 Education students, when asked what they wished they had more of during their practicum the majority of them responded with more sleep (full-disclosure, I was a part of that poll and I responded with “more fun” haha). Honestly, I have suffered from lack of sleep and periods of painful insomnia. Currently, my sleep routine is pretty rock solid and while it might be because I am exhausted at the end of the day, I don’t have any issues falling sleep. But like I said, it wasn’t always like that.
The thing with sleep is… it’s not a luxury. Being sleep deprived can be dangerous and have serious implications on health. Our health can be so deeply affected by lack of sleep.
In healthy individuals, short-term consequences include a heightened stress response; pain; depression; anxiety; and cognition, memory, and performance deficits (Medic, Wille, & Hemels 2017).
The long-term consequences are far worse and frankly, too depressing to write in this blog.
Basically, what it translates to is… if you are health conscious (which I assume you are because you reading this blog) your late nights could be causing more harm than you think.
So why is it so hard to just get more sleep? From my experience and from working with my clients, the most common reason is priorities. Sleep is not a priority. If you suffer from lack of sleep and being overtired, think about what it is in your life you are prioritizing over sleep.
The most common things that get prioritizes over sleep: television and computer/smart phones. Can you relate?
I’m not saying you shouldn’t watch your favourite shows. Trust me, as a parent I know those quiet hours after the babies have finally fallen asleep feel like gold. They are essential to our self-care. But if you know the alarm is going off at 6, staying up to watch “just one more” episode and finally going to sleep after 11 or midnight, it is no longer essential for self-care but now you are moving into self-harm.
There are other issues with sleeping too. Can’t fall asleep. Can’t stay asleep. So, what can we do? I’ve put together some steps that I think will help get you on the right track for having a healthy sleep routine.
Figure out WHY. Not why you don’t get enough sleep but WHY you WANT more sleep. Is it because you know you are a first-class a-hole when you don’t get enough sleep? (Truth time: that’s me. Lack of sleep and I’m such a jerk!) Is it because you know it is affecting your health? Is it affecting your safety and the safety of others (driving tired, caring for children while exhausted)? Whatever the reason, figure it out before you move to step two.
Prioritize. Now that you know WHY you need to create better sleep habits find out how you can make sleep a priority in your life. Maybe you trade in one hour of Netflix for one more hour of sleep. Maybe instead of tv every weeknight you trade it in for a relaxing bath that helps you fall asleep easier.
Plan. Moving your bedtime from 1 am to 10pm is not going to work overnight. Plan to gradually move your bedtime back by 15-30 minutes every night until you get to where you need to be.
Support. Get the support you need from family. Let your partner/family/roommate know you are working on getting more sleep and why it is important to you. Chances are they’ll think it is a great idea and may even decide to improve their own sleep habits.
Diffuse, diffuse, diffuse. 30 minutes before your head hits the pillow add 2 drops of lavender or Serenity and 2 drops of Easy Air to your diffuser. You are in for a fabulous night’s sleep. I cannot diffuse Serenity without falling asleep! I stopped diffusing it because I couldn’t stay awake long enough to read my book! Seriously! But if sleep is a stubborn issue for you need to try the Serenity Restful Complex softgels. These are not the same as the oil. It contains lavender and L-Theanine plus a blend of Lemon Balm, Passionflower, and German Chamomile. Serenity softgels works SO well!
Check out these other sleep diffuser blends for other helpful sleep blends.
I hope this blog post has encouraged you to make sleep a priority in your life. I mentioned some of the negative effects of lack of sleep, but we didn’t talk about some of the benefits of being well rested. Tell me in the comments how your life would change if you woke up feeling well-rested and energized.
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Medic, G., Wille, M., & Hemels, M. E. (2017). Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption. Nature and science of sleep, 9, 151–161. doi:10.2147/NSS.S134864