Hello everyone & welcome back! Today's topic is sleep & why it's so important for your health & fitness to get enough quality sleep each night & some tips which will help you achieve that. (I've highlighted the key points in pink to make it easier to navigate a slightly longer post!)
SLEEP IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS NUTRITION & EXERCISE!
I decided to focus on sleep today because for the last couple of nights I have broken my sleep routine & really felt the difference. Not only in my energy levels but in my appetite, my mood, my workouts & more! It had me thinking, how did I get through the week without my quality sleep & night routine? That's one tip I'll get into later, but first lets talk about WHY?!
WHY SLEEP IS IMPORTANT?
Brain health - Sleep is important for your brain function, including cognition, concentration, productivity, and performance. I'm definitely more likely to be motivated and get things done after a good nights sleep.
Physical health - Your body heals & repairs itself while you sleep e.g. the healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels. This is why sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.
Diet Choices & Maintaining Healthy Habits - Sleep also affects what you choose to eat & what you crave during the day thus effecting your health & fitness. This is why poor sleep is linked to an increase risk of obesity.
Physical Performance - Not only has your body had time to repair itself, it's had time to prepare your muscles for your next training session & your mental state will be more prepared too.
Decreased risk of depression - Poor sleep has been strongly linked to depression (estimated that 90% of people with depression complain about sleep quality).
Immune System - Loss of sleep has been shown to weaken your immune function.
Reduce Inflammation - Poor sleep has been linked to long-term inflammation particularly in the digestive system.
Emotions & Social Interactions - If you're tired & not as alert, are you really going to want to be sociable? Sleep loss reduces your ability to interact socially.
If that list doesn't make you want to ensure you're getting enough quality sleep, I don't know what will. I guarantee theres at least 3 items on that list you can relate to, even if you haven't noticed the link until now.
HOW TO GET GOOD QUALITY SLEEP?
This is something I struggled with for a long time. I can't be the only one who's been stuck in a late Netflix marathon for hours, can I?! Not only was I struggling to get to sleep, my sleep quality wasn't great and it really effected me the following day.
So here are my tips for getting a good nights sleep:
Have a minimum 5 step night routine. This could be anything from brushing your teeth to stretching, reading a book to your skincare routine. As long as you get into a habit of repeating this every night, you'll give your mind and body the cues that it's time to wind down. This has really changed my sleep for the better, I SWEAR BY MY NIGHT ROUTINE.
Avoid screens before bed. I tend to turn my phone and laptop off 1-2 hours before I go to bed (this is part of my night routine!). As well as avoiding the damaging light that has a major effect on your sleep quality, it also allows you time to disconnect from the world and wind down before going to sleep. I quite look forward to it!
Write down 5 things you're grateful for. This is a new one for me however it's really helped put me in a good mindset before bed. I find that night time is the worst time for worrying and overthinking, so instead of that I fill my mind with gratitude & positivity (even the smallest things) and I go to sleep on a good note.
Read before bed. I find that reading a book right before I go to sleep allows my mind to be somewhere else & focus on the story & it sends me right to sleep! (It takes me a while to finish a book, I only get through a few pages each night before I'm asleep!)
Make lists. This doesn't have to be part of your night routine but having things you need to do or remember written down takes it out of your head so you don't worry about forgetting things and you can switch off and relax at the end of the day. Staying organised and reducing stress is also key for good sleep!
Get up around the same time each morning. When I get into a routine of waking up at the same time, I tend to get tired at the same time in the evenings and fall asleep much more easily. If you sleep in until different times everyday your body will never be in a routine & won't have a rough schedule for when it should be tired, hence disrupting your routine & sleep quality. Yes I do set my alarm an hour or so later at the weekends however if I'm in my routine, my body clock wakes me up at the same time roughly each day, I just enjoy a coffee in bed at the weekends!
HOW MUCH SLEEP SHOULD I BE GETTING?
This is different for everyone so I can't say exactly how much sleep you should get each night. Personally mine varies from 7-8 hours & I can always tell in myself if I haven't had enough sleep. It's really trial and error, note how long you've slept for & how you feel for a week or two and you'll naturally find a time and pattern that works for you.
Okay I'll stop rambling now! I hope that this has given you an insight into the importance of sleep & that some of the tips will help you implement a routine that works for you!
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! See you next time.
Molly x
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