Updated: Feb 26
Difficulty sleeping is an extremely common issue in society today, one that I have struggled with for many years. The most common reasons that people struggle to get a healthy amount of sleep are usually stress, anxiety, dietary habits, relationship issues and/or depression.
It cannot be over-emphasized just how important quality sleep is to our brain function and quality of life.
Lack of sufficient sleep can contribute to many health issues including weight gain, depression, stress, a weakened immune system, diabetes, heart disease…and lets face it, not having enough sleep leaves you feeling like you have a lack of control over your life.
For me personally, the day after a night of insomnia, leaves me feeling overwhelmed with whatever the day has in store for me. I do not function at my optimal level and of course, things like driving become way more difficult because lack of sleep leaves you with much lower concentration abilities. This can definitely be dangerous!
Sleep challenges can include:
*difficulty falling asleep
*difficulty staying asleep
*feeling tired all of the time
So what have I done to help myself?
I am working on making lifestyle changes to improve my sleep, as I know just how extremely important it is for my overall health and well being.
Changes I have made, include:
*no screen time right before bed
*I do not have my cellphone or tablet in the bedroom at all
*I have replaced my cellphone with a digital clock that has a button which, when pressed, displays a dull night light to see the time when its dark
*If I wake up in the middle of the night, and I cannot get back to sleep, (after trying various things such as deep breathing, putting the fan on, having a drink of water), I read a book using an amber reading light
*I donot have any caffeine after 10 in the morning (I am on the road to giving up caffeine altogether)
*I have greatly reduced my alcohol intake, and try to have more evenings in the week where I donot drink at all
*I have greatly reduced my intake of processed foods, sugar and spicy foods. The liver processes and detoxes between the hours of 1 and 3am, and this can greatly affect your sleep.
These are just a few ways that I have worked on improving my sleep. There are many more!
I will be putting out another blog post in the future with more ideas.
Sleep well tonight everyone
Best,
Jasmine 💖