SLEEP is vital to life.

Essential to human FUNCTION.

Without sleep we’re merely a drifter…. drifting though our work, relationships, purpose and presence in the world.

In fact, without sleep…. we have no presence!

We’re a hollow shell of oneself, vacant, absent and unaware….

When we SHOULD be commanding our presence…. DRIVING our will and direction in life!

Lack of sleep can be linked to a whole host of psychological & physiological conditions….

Modern research is beginning to show just how significant lack of sleep has at potentially leading to the development of serious health conditions or even contributing to a diminished lifespan!!

That’s right, poor sleep over a chronic period can knock years off your life!

AND make your living days an unpleasant hell at the same time.

We, like all others across the animal kingdom, need adequate sleep to function.

How do animals sleep?…Well, most go to sleep when the sun goes down, and wake when it rises.

Although this cycle isn’t ideal for all parts of the world, generally, for us here in the UK for most of the year, sunset and sunrise can be used as a good natural guide to an optimal sleep wake cycle.

Go to sleep when the sun goes down, during darkness, and waken when it rises.

To help things along….Here are some simple tips to ensure you get a sound nights slumber….

Don’t drink alcohol regularly in the evenings

Time and time again I hear people tell me that “alcohol helps them fall asleep”!

Well, sorry to be the bringer of bad news, but…alcohol, actually disrupts your sleep!

That’s right, alcohol actively disrupts your quality of sleep! Although it may well initially help you to unwind and fall asleep, It interferes with achieving a “deep sleep state” once you’ve initially hit the pillow and fallen asleep.

A deep sleep state needs to be achieved to enable the brain to completely switch off and regenerate itself ready to kick back into action the following day!

How does alcohol disrupt this?

Alcohol has a dopaminergic effect on the brain, I.e. It causes the brain to release more dopamine.

Why does that matter?…Well, dopamine is a powerful neurotransmitter, responsible for drive, motivation, determination, alertness and concentration.

Have you never noticed that you nearly always wake up earlier than usual when you’ve had a drink or two the night before? (I’m not talking about when you’ve drank yourself into an unconscious state… you aint waking up for half a day in this instance)

That’s because alcohol makes the brain more active during sleep compared to normal. Primarily because of this increased release of dopamine.

Make your room as dark as possible

If you’re like me, the slightest gleam of light pouring into my bedroom makes it frustratingly tough to fall asleep.

Sunlight effects the bodies ability to produce melatonin, a chemical which is released by the brain which basically makes us feel tired and ready for bed.

Make your room as dark as possible by eliminating all the light out of your room.

Close the blinds, shut your door, turn off all light, turn off all sources of light…. Including your mobile phone, any standby lights such as on your t.v. or computer etc!

Get your room as dark as humanly possible!

Buy an eye mask!

£6-8 will buy you a half decent one…

For a lifetime of quality sleep!

It’s a solid investment…

Don’t consume caffeine after 2pm

Caffeine is a strong central nervous system stimulant which effects include, increasing; alertness, mood, focus, drive and cognition.

Its causes of action work to reduce tiredness and fatigue, promoting wakefulness and alertness…

Being alert is not going to improve our quality of sleep now is it!?

It really puzzles me why people drink a coffee before bed?

It’s absolute MADNESS

Caffeine has a half-life of roughly 3-7 hours…

This means that it takes our body roughly 3-7 hours to remove half of the caffeine we’ve consumed from the body…

For this reason, it’s paramount to good quality sleep, that we don’t consume any caffeine late in the afternoon or evening.

Realistically, 2pm should be your limited cut off time!

You might be able to stretch this cut off time out by an additional hour or so if you’re an avid coffee connoisseur but to limit caffeine’s disruption and play it safe, I’d personally stick with 2pm!

Caffeine is contained in fizzy drinks e.g. coke & lemonade, tea, coffee, some herbal teas, green tea and pretty much all… so called energy drinks!

Drinking caffeine regularly into the evenings is a sure fire guaranteed way of completely screwing up your bodies natural sleep wake cycle…. potentially resulting in developing serious sleep disorders.

It’s just not worth it!

Ban all “screens” from your bedroom and have a cut off at 9pm

We are in the midst of a serious sleep deprivation epidemic across the country! One of the key reasons is without a doubt the effect that screen time has on the brain.

What is a screen? It’s a monitor that shoots beams of light right at your face…..

Looking at screens late in the evening, checking your phone, facebook, social media etc all involve focusing your eyes at these beams of light zapping your eyeballs!

We need darkness for the brain to release melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating our sleep-wake cycle

Having beams of light blasted at your eyes at 11pm isn’t going to help with the release of melatonin now is it?

Set your phone to bedtime mode

The last thing you want when you’ve slogged all day at work is to get an email PING at 3 flipping am!

Get your phones bedtime mode set up to stop any notifications coming through to you that may generate unwanted sound or light!

My bedtime mode is set up for between 9pm-6am…. this works an absolute wonder!

Can the message or email you’ve missed really be that important that it warrants fucking up your nights sleep!?…Making you feel nackered all of the following day…

I DOUBT IT.

Read a book for 1hr before bed

Reading a book before bed is an incredibly effective means of relaxing yourself and clearing your mind ready for a fantastic night’s sleep.

It enables the mind to take its focus off any issues or stresses the day may have thrown at you, without the negative impact of bright screens blasting light at your eyes!

Further, if you read non-fiction or books of personal interest to you, you can use this time wisely to learn about pastures new…

Did you always want to learn about human psychology?? Maybe you wanted to learn how to cook? About nutrition? About a sport or activity? Somewhere that fascinates you you’ve always wanted to visit….

Buy a book on the subject and learn about it intently whilst winding down to a fabulous sleep!

Personally, I follow this principle, I don’t read fiction…

I see it as a waste of my time….

I read books of interest….

I read to learn….

To develop…

AND GET A CLASS NIGHTS SLEEP!

Make your bedroom as quiet as possible

It goes without saying that sound, like light, disrupts our quality of sleep. Any environmental stimulus can bring us out of deep sleep causing interference with our slumber.

I don’t know about you, but even the slightest little peep or chirp is enough to wake me up!

AND annoyingly, I find it terribly difficult to return to sleep once I’m awoken through the night!

Purchase some ear plugs or noise cancelling earphones to block out any unwanted sounds.

Do something that relaxes you in the evenings

Anything you can think of that’s relaxing to you, should be utilised to get quality slumber!

Maybe you like to listen to music, run a hot bath, go down to your local Spa for a sauna & steam…slooze in the hot tub, read a book, have your partner give you a massage, do tai chi….whatever….

Whatever it is practice it!

Do it as often as you can in the evenings to aid a superior sleep!

EXTRA TIP….Try not to snooze, It will make you feel more tired….when the alarm goes off, its time to get up!!

You should aim to get 7- 9 quality hours sleep every night… If you’re training hard, it should be 8-9 hours

Follow these top tips and you’ll feel fresh and invigorated on wakening…

Stay Well,

TheLakesCoach

Empowering you!