The Importance of Sleep
We’ve had a confusing weather over the past few weeks in London? For one week it was a little warm and then the weather just completed dropped. As someone that used to struggle with sleep, I realised that the warmth agitated me thus making it harder for me to fall into a sleep. Regardless of this, I can happily say that since therapy my sleep is natural and healthy.
So yes, the weather inspired me to write this letter to you about the importance of healthy sleep.
I value my sleep as I know the consequences on our wellbeing if we do not get the right amount of deep and healthy sleep. Our concentration, creativity, relationships, emotions, mentality, productivity and so much more is affected.
Let me give you a scenario:
Person’ A’ enjoys their job and has fully immersed themselves into a project that will help them get a promotion that they have worked so hard for. They have had many sleepless nights with the intention of bringing out the best results.
During sleep our body, mind and spirit is refuelled. Our body goes through a healing process of repair and growth and our mind carries out its processes for learning and memory. Furthermore, our senses are refreshed so that we can function during the day to the best of our ability. If we lack sleep, then we cannot be fully engaged or present in the project as we not giving our mind the reset required to create new ideas and think more clearly.
So, taking this into account, is the project receiving the best results of Person ‘A’’s creativity?
I will leave you to answer this.
In the meantime, here are a few ways to help you get the sleep your mind and body needs:
Do not carry out extreme exercise before bed.
I like to get my night yoga stretches in before bed such as baby pose and legs up the wall as it helps me get out my head but heavy exercise right before your about to sleep confuses the body. Evening time is when your body is meant to get ready for sleep and pushing it into activity will make it harder for your body to get into sleep state. Furthermore, exercising at night-time gives your body more work to do when it is already getting ready for healing. Be gentle with your body when your about to go to sleep. Light stretches that help the body to relax is okay but weights at the gym before sleep is not helpful.
Make lunch your heavy meal and have a sip of something warm in the evening
Question: whilst your body is getting ready for healing during sleep, is it really the best idea to add a heavy meal in to your system? It helps to make lunch the main meal so that you have more fuel during the day for your activities. This doesn’t mean you don’t eat in the evening! It just means your dinner will be a little lighter so that your sleep isn’t disturbed by the heavy meal that it has to process.
Unplug and Unwind
I like to watch a good film that I can get lost in, but the truth is technology is one of the biggest sleep disruptions to our mind that has led to insomnia. Reading articles and social media, binge watching series and films before bed is an electric over charge to our minds causing it to race in all different directions. Give your nervous system a break. Switch off the electrics by 5pm or 6pm, put on some candles, pour in a small cup of hot chocolate and run a soothing lavender bath. Rest your mind and body!
Journal it all out
Journaling has been and still is one of the most positive tools for my overall wellbeing. Our mind is whirling around with all the events of the day that can cause us to feel stressed out by the evening. Releasing your thoughts onto paper helps to clear up all the unwantedness that may have built during the day. Had a distressing experience? Work through your emotions whether it leads to a bucket of tears or random laughter. Overthinking is another lead up to insomnia; so I understand it isn’t easy, but try not to sleep with those disruptive thoughts. To also help, write down a few positive things about the day – it could be a pretty tree that you were thankful to see the sight of. It could be something nice that you heard. It could be something that you treated yourself to. It could be absolutely anything big or small. Writing down the positives of the day helps you to appreciate all that is in front of you.
Sleep is an important pillar to our wellbeing and has an massive impact on our daily lives if our mind and body is not achieving fulfilling rest and recharge. Make sleep one of those prorities and see positive changes in your life take place.
Hope this helps,
Be kind to yourself always 🙏🏽
Blessed be,
Vaneeta