Why A Sleep Intervention Is Good For Your Mind & Mood
By Andrea Wise
The alarm sounds and you immediately think, ‘How is it already time to get up and on with my day? I just closed my eyes.’ [ugh]
You will yourself out of bed. (If you don't hit snooze 1x or 10x.) You’re tired. Too tired for your training session AGAIN (and already behind schedule) so you reach for your first cup of coffee for the day. Your energy is low, you're tired, slightly irritable and you have several more cups of coffee on standby.
Throughout the day you have food cravings galore that come out of nowhere. Salty to sweet over and over again. You don’t get much movement in AND may have a cocktail or two PLUS a glass of wine with dinner. You stay up later than planned.... AND next thing you know the cycle starts all over again tomorrow. Unfortunately, this scenario is one you know all too well. In fact, it is your ‘normal’ routine on repeat and no matter what you try - nothing changes.
Sound familiar? If your answer is, ‘YES!’ Keep reading. The simple sleep tips below will improve your mind, mood, and body if you do them consistently.
Go to bed and wake up around the same time daily. Sleep (good quality deep sleep) is the only time your body can repair itself. Consistent quality sleep is what will improve your hormones, mood, energy levels and so much more.
Cut out screen time and electronics an hour or more before bed. The light from our electronics keeps us up and our brains ‘awake’ and active.
Develop a wind down routine so your body can prepare to rest. i.e. a bath, tea, stretching, meditation, etc.
Keep your bedroom cool (67°or cooler) and keep it clean, tidy, and peaceful.
Remove electronics i.e tv, phones, computers, etc. if at all possible. At the very least - make sure you turn them off. Any buzzing, lights, sounds, etc can be very disrupting to your sleep quality throughout the night.
An eye mask/earplugs can also be very helpful if you are sensitive to noise and or light based on your surroundings and living situation.
Make your bedroom a place for sleep and intimacy. No reading, working, scrolling, tv, etc - sleep and sex only.
When you follow the above tips you will be able to reduce the amount of caffeine you intake daily and you’ll have the energy to move and train your body with better consistency. The consistent sleep will also help regulate your hormones which will improve your mood naturally and decrease those crazy food cravings.
Pick a couple of the tips from above and start with those first. Once you have them down consistently and they are your ‘new normal’ tackle another one or two from the list.
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