Food is one of the most powerful tools we have for achieving overall Wellth (wellness+health), building immunity and promoting longevity. Food heals. However, there are a multitude of other ways you can make an immensely positive impact on your health that have nothing to do with what you eat. I have quite a few to suggest. Though none are groundbreaking health tips, they work, and they are backed by real science and clinical studies (one cannot rely on Google alone). So, consider this a gentle nudge to impart some of these tips into your routine. Start with one, build it into your life for a few weeks, and then slowly add another. For that reason, I am going to parse these tips out over the next few weeks, so that we can add more tools to your Wellth-shaped toolbox without causing you overwhelm or MORE stress. Let’s start with the first one — Sleep.
If You Need to Snooze, You Lose…
We don’t sleep well enough. We want it, we love it, but it’s often elusive when our stress levels are highest (which is when we MOST need it paradoxically). And usually, nighttime is the only time we have to ourselves, so we put sleep on the back burner while we scroll away on our blue-light emitting phones. But sleep has to be a priority if health is THE priority. Think about the fact that your body repairs, rejuvenates and restores itself all night long. There are innumerable studies showing how lack of sleep causes loss of focus/concentration, is linked to obesity, increases your risk of heart disease, decreases your emotional intelligence and can lead to depression. Phew. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety. The way you feel while you're awake depends in part on what happens while you're sleeping. If that doesn’t alarm you (had to) as to how important sleep is, consider these stats from the CDC:
—Sleep deprivation causes about 20% of all car crashes and trauma.
—33% of people who miss out on their shut-eye are obese, meaning that their body mass index is equal to or higher than 30kg/m2.
—3.6% of those who sleep less than eight hours risk getting a stroke. Around 16.5% of short-sleepers get asthma, while 28.8% live with arthritis. A review of 15 studies found that people who don’t get enough sleep are at far greater risk of heart disease or stroke than those who sleep 7–8 hours per night.
—22.9% of the US population claims their lack of sleep resulted in depression.
—Between 50,000 and 100,000 patients die in American medical facilities every year due to medical errors, with inadequate sleep among physicians thought to be a factor.
Be honest with yourself. Are you sleeping 7-9 hours solid every night? Do you feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day when you wake up? Sleep is a skill, so you may need to work on it and experiment with what aids your slumber most. The work you put into sleeping better now, will pay off in healthy spades. If you need help getting better sleep, there’s are tips/supplements/teas/tech/apps for that. In fact, I have experimented quite a bit myself over the past year when I went from being a rock-solid sleeper to an insomniac thanks to Covid stress. I know I am not alone. I worked hard to get myself to a better place and it's an ongoing process. My best suggestions and what I have used below:
1) Black out - The atmosphere really matters. You need your bedroom to be a dark, quiet cave of restful bliss - No TV, no bright lights, no light sneaking in from the windows or the kids’ hallway nightlight. I use black out shades. You can also use a good sleep mask - Sleep Master or the Nidra Eye Mask are great. As long as you have complete and utter darkness.
2) Temperature - Along the same lines with atmosphere, the room has to be cool. Within a normal circadian rhythm, a warmer core temperature is associated with being alert and energetic. It is when the core temperature drops that melatonin (the sleep hormone) is produced and drowsiness and sleep occur. I usually open windows and get under the duvet. I also make sure I don’t wear thick or heavy PJs. Dont get me wrong, I’m a sweats girl through and through - just not for bed as I get too hot. Also, I am very close to buying a ChiliPad or Ooler which keeps your mattress at a stable, cool temp all night long. Goodbye night sweats!
3) Ambient sound - Ever fall asleep to the lull of the airplane white noise or a car’s hum? Do you get drowsy when its cool and rainy outside and you can hear the patter of drops on your roof? Or maybe you like complete and utter silence. Either way, make sure you have that. Look into Hatch, myNoise app or the Bose Sleep Buds, which are expensive but go a long way in blocking out my husband’s mean snoring habit. You can even get a baby white noise machine if white noise is your thing.
4) CBD - I didn’t want to believe CBD worked. Ohhhh, but it does. It provides the perfect amount of chill to get you into the mood. For sleep. I like Element Health, which is expensive, but clean, well made and STRONG. I also like Meso Healthy, which has CBN and CBD to maximize the impact. Equilibria is also excellent with their fun flavored CBD products and its a female owned and operated company.
5) Blue light - I use blue light blocking glasses. Fair warning: these will not get you anywhere with your partner. They are NOT cute. BUT, they really help block out the blue lights from your phone/computers/TV. Blue light inhibits the production of Melatonin, which is the hormone imperative to sleep. I put them on an hour before bed. I use Blublox or RA Optics. You can also schedule your phone to block the emission of blue light after a certain time. Finally, I also use red light bulbs in my bedside lamps. They are great atmospherically, but also less harsh on your eyes when you are reading a book (not your phone) in bed.
6) Supplements - Hopefully you can get to a point where these are not necessary to get a great night’s sleep. But if you need a little extra assistance at any point (stress/life), you can try Melatonin (the hormone your body already makes), Magnesium (try glycinate first if you have never taken magensium - it’s easier on your gut), GABA, 5-HTP or Oleamide. Don’t take these all at once of course. And please talk to your doctor before starting any new supplements.
7) Stress less - This one can be tricky, but one of the best biohacks for better sleep is finding out what will make you the most calm before you hit the sack. Is it a warm bath with Epsom salts? Reading from an inspirational book? A cup of tea? Some essential oils (lavender or cedarwood)? A quick set of stretches or yoga flow? Breath work/meditation? De-stressing will lower cortisol levels, which will help you have a deep, restful night’s sleep. I use the app Headspace to do a kids meditation with my boys at bedtime so we all benefit - win/win.
8) Decaffeinate - Debbie Downer, I know, but when you have chugged your fourth venti latte for the day and your eyeballs literally start to zing, you probably need to PUT DOWN THE CAFFEINE. Believe me, I can’t do without my daily dose either, but caffeine can really wreak havoc on your sleep. Everyone reacts differently to caffeine based on genetics– some can drink it at 6pm and sleep fine, and others (like me) have a genetic variant that doesn’t allow my body to process caffeine well. I can’t drink it past 10am without running the mental hamster wheel of To-Dos in my mind all night long. Know your limit and stick to it. If you need a pick me up in the afternoon, try some mushroom coffee (Four Sigmatic), tea (Organifi makes an awesome Golden Milk Latte that is delish AND healthy) or go for a warm cup of decaf coffee.
9) Schedule - This may be the hardest one of all, but going to bed around the same time every night and waking the same time most mornings is really helpful in training your body for sleep. Also, this way you can ensure you are getting the full 7-9 hours you need. Further, when you have your bedtime, plan to kill all technology/electronics about an hour before that. I know its near impossible. But technology can affect your sleep by keeping you cognitively stimulated. If you use your phone to read they have these things called books….Also hard? Weekends. I always go to bed later and wake up later on weekends but I try to not go wayyyyyy off track by too many hours. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
10) Keep Track - What you measure, you improve (more to come on this). You won’t know what actually helps to make your sleep bullet proof unless you note what you did and how you slept. I use an Oura Ring to track my sleep patterns, but you can also just keep a journal.
**BONUS: If you want more tips and education on sleep go to an expert — Mollie McGlocklin. Her blog and podcast are very helpful!