You might be wondering how could lack of sleep be murdering you.
I know exactly how you feel. In fact, I felt sleep was overrated up until I reached my late 30's.
But I experienced physical and mental burn out. My productivity went down, and I started using coffee to help me focus and give my clients an upbeat workout.
Still think you can get by without sufficient sleep, then check out what the latest studies reveal...
7 SCARY HEALTH FACTS ABOUT SLEEP
Shocking new studies have shown that lack of sleep can cause:
Risk of heart disease
Cancer
Strokes
Diabetes
Obesity
Depression
Anxiety
I'M FINE WITH A FEW HOURS SLEEP. 1-2 GLASSES OF WINE HELPS ME RELAX
I've heard clients tell me that a few glasses of wine helps them drop off to sleep, yes alcohol can help you relax, but this is only for the first half of the night.
Alcohol disrupts your blood sugar levels creating a blood sugar dip, the body will try to balance your blood sugar by releasing stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol.
This is the last thing you want during sleep, as these hormones get your body ready for flight or fight.
And will keep you up for the second half of the night which ends up in a miserable nights sleep.
Reduce alcohol intake, preferably cut out alcohol completely before bedtime.
I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD!
You hear people saying this all the time, we sometimes think our lack of sleep and hard work is an act of bravery.
But the truth is you could be so much more productive if you got more sleep...
Did You Know You Can Survive Better Without Food Than You Can Without Sleep?
They say if you don't find time for health, you'll sooner or later have to find time for illness. It's as simple as that, so choose wisely.
Sleep can:
Lower your blood pressure
Reduce your weight or keep your weight stable
Stop hunger cravings
Reduce risk of cancer
Reduce risk of diabetes
And boost your immune system
Having Trouble Sleeping? Use Gratitude For A Peaceful Nights Sleep.
Before you think I've lost my marbles, just hear me out.
Did you know being grateful for things we have in our life releases dopamine(happy chemicals)
Did you know that gratitude reduces anger, anxiety, and depression?
Just the simple act of writing in a journal about things you're thankful for help:
Reduce blood pressure.
Increase quality of sleep
Reduces stress
Change the molecular structure of your brain making you healthier and happier.
You appreciate things in your life that money can't buy.
Correct me if I'm wrong but don't you think the simple act of gratitude is worth doing if it provides you so many benefits?
I want to share with you my quick start sleep guide to better quality sleep, increased energy, more productivity at work and improved mood.
3 Natural Ways To Promote Better Sleep Quality
1. EARPLUGS: Noise is a common cause of disturbed sleep. Even within our homes we have an overload of sounds from kids, pets or even snoring from a partner. Inserting earplugs can make life simpler. Earplugs can save you hours of lost sleep.
2. SLEEP APPS: You now have smart watches which tell you about the quality of your sleep. Personally, I think your body can give you all the feedback you need about the quality of your sleep. It's pretty simple if you wake up feeling exhausted, then you know you didn't get a good nights sleep regardless what a smart watch says. But saying that I am a fan of a sleep app called PZIZZ which uses a technology known as binaural beats, these beats can get the brain into the right state to induce sleep naturally.
3. AROMATHERAPY: There are essential oils that promote relaxation; chamomile, lavender, bergamot, jasmine, rose and sandalwood are the most popular ones. Add some drops to your bath, humidifier or sprinkle a few drops on your pillow.
5 FOODS THAT PROMOTE SLEEP
1. DAIRY: dairy has a bad rep nowadays and rightly so, but there are some benefits to small amounts of dairy as it contains melatonin and tryptophan which promotes relaxation. Good sources to eat are cottage cheese, cheese and eggs
2. CARBOHYDRATES: best sources before bed are brown rice, oats or rice cakes.
3. PROTEIN-RICH FOODS: Turkey, chicken, beef and pork contain tryptophan while salmon and herring contain omega-3 fatty acids
4. FRUIT: Bananas and cherries contain magnesium a natural muscle relaxant.
5. NUTS: Especially walnuts. The research found that people who started eating walnuts their quality of sleep increased threefold.
If you follow some of these tips, you can expect an increase in energy, peak performance at work and overall well being. Many of my clients have used some of these same tips and now realize the health benefits of getting quality sleep.
Rasheed Aladel is the founder of Fit By Choice Coaching which was developed to help busy female professionals achieve the same success they achieved in their careers on their health and bodies.
To find out how online coaching can benefit you, please visit my site at http://fitbychoice.uk