Why is Sleep is one of the Most Important

Pieces to a Self Care Routine?

When we are sleeping our bodies go through many processes. It repairs, heals and detoxes from the daily stresses we’ve put it through mentally, emotionally, physically, and even chemically. This is the time it needs to do the intricate work that none of us ever see or really notice. That is until we have experienced prolonged sleep deprivation, and begin to struggle with things like memory loss, obesity, type 2 diabetes, or a compromised immune system. I’m going to share about the effects of long term sleep deprivation and also I’ll share tips on how to get more Zzzz’s in our crazy mom lives.

Side Effects of Long Term Sleep Deprivation

Most of us know on average we are suppose to get between 7-9 hours of sleep a night, but yet life happens, we have work to do, house to clean, or we just have to catch up on the latest episode of “This Is Us”. Whatever the reason we find ourselves pushing aside the importance of getting a good nights sleep and just dealing with the drowsiness the next morning. Initially we may deal with irritability, difficulty remembering things or making decisions, possibly struggling to steer clear of unhealthy food choices grabbing for chips and sweets. What we don’t realize is when we don’t get good quality sleep day after day, week after week, and month after month the sleep deprivation can cause real damage. Studies have shown that it contributes to heart problems, cancer, anxiety, depression, autoimmune diseases and much more.

Personally I was going full speed ahead working late into the evenings. I would spend time with my kids in the afternoon, get dinner done, youngest to bed, hang with my husband for a bit, and back to work for a few to several more hours. I was averaging at most 6 hours a night for over a year or more. It came to a screeching halt when I found out I had sub-clinical hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue. Sub-clinical, meaning my bodies red flag going up that said if I make some major changes you may be able to heal yourself naturally. That said it hasn’t been easy, and one of the biggest changes my doctors preached to me was I needed to get more sleep, minimally 7 hours consistently. They were right. The days I did that I felt better. I dealt with less brain fog and chronic fatigue.

Tips to Get Good Restful Sleep

First to make any of these tips work you have to change your schedule so it allows you the appropriate 7-9 hours of Sleep. Not just lying in bed, but shutting down for the evening.

• Eliminate blue light – This means no tablets, televisions, phones or even some alarm clocks will need to be covered. Do this an hour before you go to bed.
• Don’t Take Naps – Especially if you struggle with waking up throughout the night, a day-time nap can mess with your sleep cycle.
• Create a Bedtime Routine – For instance like taking a warm bath, reading in a book or writing in a journal before bed.
• Develop a Regular Sleep Routine – Go to bed around the same time every night and wake up in the morning at the same time.
• Eliminate Caffeine in the Evening – This includes hidden caffeine like you may find in chocolate.
• Incorporate an Exercise Routine – Regular exercise has been known to help reduce insomnia, however avoid vigorous exercise within 4 hours of bedtime as it has an energizing effect.
• Move Your Clock – Having the clock out of sight will help when you wake in the middle of the night from glancing at it and beginning to get anxious, which will make it more difficult to go back to sleep.

Give yourself time to adjust to this new routine. It will be an excellent addition to your Self Care Routine.