Getting enough sleep is so important! We hear it again and again, but did you know it can actually help you to become a more calm person and lose weight? This is because of how sleep affects our cortisol levels. Cortisol is the main stress hormone in our body.
Here are some things I do to get a better sleep.
1. I make sure to have really soft, fluffy pillows and bedding made of 100% natural fibres like cotton or bamboo. The softer the bedding, the more my body melts into the bed and becomes (as my husband says) limp like a wet noodle. Also, consider the temperature of the room when deciding which comforter to use.
2. To relax before bed, I make myself a hot cup of tea (decaf of course) and bring it to bed with an interesting book. I don’t read fiction because sometimes I’ll get too into the book and won’t be able to put it down! Instead, I read try to read a philosophical book that reminds me of the big picture. This helps me to keep the events of the day in perspective.
3. To help me relax even more, I put on an essential oil blend around my forehead and the palms of my hands and deeply inhale. One of my favourites is called Goddess from Saje.
4. When I have put my book down and feel like I’m starting to doze off, I put on the irelax app on my iphone. It has ocean sounds, rain sounds and music to help you relax. You can also just use a CD with relaxing sounds or music on it.
5. Make sure your room is dark. Use eye masks, blackout curtains, close the blinds...anything you can do to make it darker.
6. Sometimes, even though you try all these things, stressful thoughts can prevent you from relaxing enough to sleep. When this happens, I try to switch my thoughts to the most joyful things I can think of. You name it...winning the lottery, tropical vacations, fun and happy moments, things I’m thankful for etc. Then the negative thoughts slowly slip away.
7. Something else I do is try to make it easy for myself to sleep in more in the morning. I always have to have breakfast in the morning, but I also want it to be as healthy and fast as possible. What could be better than a breakfast smoothie? Here’s the recipe for the one I have every morning.
Yoona’s Breakfast Smoothie.
1 scoop of Vega Wholefood Health Optimizer (I like Vanilla Chai flavour)
1 banana
1 cup of almond milk
½ cup of blueberries
Blend all until smooth, put in a tall glass and enjoy!
For more information on sleep and cortisol, look at the following websites.
http://www.myprimetime.com/health/ailments_answers/content/sleeping_in/index.shtml
http://thyroid.about.com/od/loseweightsuccessfully/a/sleepdiet.htm
{Image credits: www.blisstree.com, Saje, Vega}
What do you do to help yourself get more sleep?
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