I know first hand the importance of sleep, for four miserable years it eluded me.
These days, sleep is by far one of my favorite activities. It allows my body to work hard making repairs, detoxing and get a break from life. Sleep is important for mental health too because melatonin is the opposite of serotonin. As you sleep, melatonin levels drop and serotonin increases. Sleep = happiness. Sound sleep is the state of the parasympathetic nervous system, a healing and calming state for the body to create homeostasis.
If your life allows, a short nap can be restorative and has shown to decrease stress and improve productivity while not disturbing natural sleep rhythms.
If sleep isn’t prioritized, hormonal imbalances, an increase in appetite (ghrelin hunger hormone increases) and decreases in leptin (the hormone that reduces appetite). Poor sleep can activate the sympathetic nervous system causing stress and cortisol to rise along with blood sugar while decreasing insulin sensitivity and decreasing energy (leptin resistance) which drops mood and motivation (serotonin). It also impedes the ability to detox properly and make needed cellular repairs resulting in inflammation and other health issues.
A healthy metabolism begins with healthy sleep, healthy sleep starts with eating for health instead of whatever you crave. Finding a way to add in a daily movement or workout routine with some sort of calming bedtime routine could help put you in the mood for some restful, restorative sleep. Having done all of that, you, my friend will be living your best HEALTHY life.
For people struggling with unwanted weight, one of the components to look at is sleep patterns as poor sleep/stress can increase visceral adiposity (fat around the middle) and an increased BMI because it slows the metabolism and increases appetite hormones for all the wrong foods. It becomes a vicious cycle.
To Create Better Sleep:
Don’t drink caffeinated drinks after 1:00 pm.
Eat a wholesome organic diet full of veggies and a palm sized amount of protein. I’m talking vegetables and protein with every meal, including breakfast. Also include healthy fats, nuts and seeds. Masticate, aka chew thoroughly. Some say 30 times per bite. Eat slow. Enjoy it. Then swallow.
Stop eating 3 hours before bed. Take a relaxing bath with magnesium salts, turn lights and screens off. Read a great novel or journal. Also, drinking before bed doesn’t really give you better sleep, passing out isn’t really considered sleeping well or sleeping, its a state of emergency for your body. The liver will be overwhelmed and unable to manage all the metabolic byproducts you created that day just by living.
Eating well helps calm the entire nervous system, creating balance and healing from within. From the moment we wake up we are writing our sleep story. Cut coffee, it kicks adrenaline into your bloodstream and blocks your adenosine. Cut out any toxic personal routines ranging from people to botox. Cut processed sugars and refined carbs. Reduce alcohol. Learn how to cope with stress.
Whatever you do, sleep well.