Today,
I want to talk about sleep.
Because it affects every area of health.
You know,
As a clinical social worker,
Many of my clients are seeking that one answer,
That one solution that will fix all their problems,
Make them happy and healthy.
Unfortunately,
There are no magic bullets.
There is no one factor,
No one thing that will fix everything.
However,
If you force me to narrow down health to one key factor,
For me,
That would be sleep.
Because sleep does affect every area of health and who you are as a human being.
On the physical,
Mental,
Emotional,
And even spiritual level.
And by spiritual levels,
I don't mean religion.
I mean how connected you are to your personal truth and how well your choices are aligned with your beliefs and your values.
And without good deep restorative sleep.
We cannot be as healthy as possible on any level.
Also know that your lifestyle contributes to how well you sleep.
If you burn the candle at both ends,
If you deny yourself sleep just to please someone else or to hurry up and get something done.
If you believe that you can sleep when you're dead,
Then you are.
.
.
Negatively impacting your own health.
Because sleep.
Is essential.
Overall health and well-being on every level.
I can't say that enough on every level.
So you can choose to promote good,
Deep,
Restorative sleep.
And keep in mind,
I'm not necessarily talking about quantity of sleep.
This is about the quality.
Of your sleep.
So sleep hygiene.
Is a way to promote consistent,
Good sleep.
Sleep hygiene is the pattern of behaviors you engage in two to three hours before you get in the bed.
On those behaviors.
Signal to your mind and your body that it is time to rest.
And it's a progressive wind down that can give you that good,
Solid sleep.
You can start to develop your sleep hygiene with my Rest Up Method.
R-E-S-T-U-P.
R is for routine.
Developing a consistent.
Pattern of behaviors,
Again,
In that two to three hour period before you get in the bed.
Will communicate to your mind and your body that,
Okay,
We're going to sleep now.
It's time to move towards rest.
And those patterns of behaviors,
Some people like a warm bath or shower.
Some people will meditate or listen to soft music or read a boring book or a book that will help them quiet and relax.
So it's that routine that communicates it's time to rest.
E is for exercise.
Some people even find doing a gentle yoga or stretching session before they get in the bed to be helpful in getting them to relax.
Buses for schedule.
Have a regular sleep and wake schedule.
So again,
Your body can get into this routine and can automatically help you move towards sleep and wake you up.
T is for Tech Off.
Turn off those devices.
Stop the doom scrolling.
And you can even help yourself by turning on Do Not Disturb at night.
That will remove one more thing that your mind has to process.
U is for unwind,
And this is a more specific wind down period.
I often recommend to my clients who have trouble falling asleep that they do the mind dump.
That's what I call journaling as the last act before turning off the light to sleep.
And with the mind dump,
You just simply write down what is on your mind at that time.
It could be your to-do list for the next day.
It could be what happened during the day.
It could be your wishlist.
Whatever is on your mind,
Put it on paper,
And that'll free up mental and emotional energy for your body to relax,
Your mind and your body to relax.
He is for practices.
This is an ongoing way of healing.
Incorporating relaxation and mindfulness into your life.
Meditation,
Journaling,
Reading inspirational materials are powerful practices for sleep and rest.
I also want you to keep in mind too that Your temperature while you're sleeping is important.
It must be comfortable,
Cool enough for your body to relax.
And your bedding is also an important factor in how well you sleep.
If your sheets are too hard and stiff,
Or if the mattress needs to be changed,
If it's too hard or too stiff,
Or if your pillows don't provide comfort and support for your neck and spine,
Then that will make it difficult to sleep.
As well.
So look into the,
Use the rest up method.
And pay attention to temperature and bedding as well to promote good,
Deep,
Restorative sleep to improve your mental,
Physical,
And overall health.
So make lifestyle choices that enable you to sleep well,
To be as healthy as you possibly can.
