SLEEP is one of the eight elements of The WHOLESTIC Method transformation program.
How many times have you gone to bed to only lie awake staring at the ceiling or flip flopping back and forth? Or maybe you fall asleep but wide awake at 2AM staring at the ceiling ready to get up?
SLEEP is a major area of opportunity for most people I train and coach. It is also a priority for myself after struggling and rebuilding from adrenal exhaustion (HPA Axis dysregulation).
How many hours of quality sleep do you get per night?
Well here are some “bio-hacks” you can implement into your nightly routine to improve your sleep!
Part of our sleep problem is what we are doing before bed… as well as what we are eating and our addiction to busy-ness resulting in CHRONIC STRESS! If you follow my podcast and blog since 2012, you know all about my relationship to STRESS and chronic busyness…and I am still learning about myself!
A common problem our society is having these days is excessive use of electronics- iphone, ipad, television and computer screens are telling our brain that it is morning as the bright “sun” is out plus wearing out our eyes. In the evening, especially when the sun sets, our hormone melatonin should be released and increase while our hormone cortisol is increased. Instead what happens that our computer screen emit a blue light that stimulate daylight to the brain.
“Blue light is emitted from artificial light sources including computer screens, TV screens, cell phones, tablets and electric lighti
ng. Blue light has a very short wavelength, and so produces a higher amount of energy. Studies suggest that, over time, exposure to the blue light spectrum could cause serious long-term damage to your eyes and cause interference with sleep. Wavelengths are measured in nanometers (nm).” -https://www.swanwicksleep.com/
Another issue with falling and staying asleep is what we eat before bed or how close to bed… digestion and blood sugar regulation.
A major contributor to sleep issues is STRESS…throwing us into the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) instead of parasympathetic nervous system which is where we need to be for digestion, resting and sleeping. The nervous system is a topic we have talked lots about on my podcast, on my blog posts, my book LIFE IS NOT A RACE and my manual- The WHOLESTIC Method (on Amazon).
Writing in a journal before bed, reading and listening to spa-yoga type of music helps my clear my mind and eliminate stressors from the day. I try to read one chapter in my book per night or more- plus do some stretching for my back and hips then write in my daily gratitude journal (I need to do better here!).
Another big stress reducer rule for me to follow before bed is not eating before bed as well as not looking at my messages or emails after 7pm. I found that reading a negative email or regarding a topic that is bothering me will through me into a stressful place and disrupt my ability to fall asleep. Plus I don’t look at my phone at all first thing in the morning until I have time to focus (usually after my clients or when I have a break) as I get distracted and easily take me off my “A game” when working with clients or set me on the wrong foot for the day!! I need positive energy when going to bed and upon waking to have an amazing positive day!
A little sleepy time supplement helps me fall asleep and stay asleep through the night that I order for clients as a NTP from Biotics NW. Magnesium Plus helps my sleep before bed.
PheniTropic™ Ultra PM contains a combination of key nutrients with a proprietary blend of botanicals and neurotransmitter precursors, designed to support the sleep/wake cycle, while promoting GABAergic and serotonergic activities associated with feelings of calm, satisfaction and improvement of mood. The addition of melatonin, vitamin B6, 5-HTP and passionflower provide the extra support for a deeper sleep. 30 Capsules per bottle.
Acupuncture really helps me improve my stress levels – or in Chinese Medicine they say my spleen, yin and heat. I haven’t studied Chinese Medicine or Acupuncture YET but it is sure fascinating to me as I continue my healing and rebuilding journey! I would suggest finding an acupuncturist near you that blends in herbal remedies as well as Chinese Medicine…a podcast to come soon on this topic with Justin Ehrlich.
Vibrant Blue Oils has essential oil to help stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. The brain balance blends help trigger the optimal rest and digest healing state. We apply the parasympathetic Vibrant Blue Oil on the vagal nerve then take a deep inhale and a long exhale to stimulate the shift from SNS to PNS.
Can Essential Oils help improve your sleep?
Quality sourced pure therapeutic Essential Oils, are able to access and heal the brain, according to research via Vibrant Blue Oils. Some of the Vibrant Blue Essential oils that support healthy sleep patterns include:
Parasympathetic Blend Oil: which activates the vagal nerve to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system where rest, digest, repair and detoxification occur. The stimulation of the vagal nerve will help us shift into parasympathetic nervous system so we can relax and reset so we can have a more quality night of sleeping.
The Adrenal oil helps me reset and reboot before sleep but also another Vibrant Blue Essential Oil that can help improve your sleep is their Circadian Rhythm™ . Our circadium rhythm is essential part of having quality sleep as the hormone melatonin that is released by the pineal gland should be released upon darkness in the evening around sunset. At the same time that our melatonin increases, our hormone cortisol is to decrease…flip side happens at sunrise as our melatonin decreases and our cortisol increases in the morning. Often the blue light from artificial light and accumulation of toxins can impact or interfere with the release of melatonin.
Melatonin is a hormone that is key to helping us fall asleep but you don’t want to mess with the body’s own production of melatonin by taking a night supplement of it. Instead try taking Circadian Rhythm™ blend can be applied around the base of the skull (apex of head, above ears and back of head) to help trigger the natural release of melatonin and help us fall asleep.
What you eat before bed makes a difference in my experience. If you eat to close to bed then your body is working on digesting your meal rather than doing it’s nightly housekeeping service for your detoxification system. Also we don’t want to eat a high-carb meal before bed if it will be throwing you on the blood sugar roller coaster during the night – causing you to wake up with a low-blood sugar response in the middle of the night.
Try to stop eating after your last meal and experiment with an overnight fast – called intermittant fasting then don’t eat the next day until you are hungry when you “break the fast”. Click here to check out my recent podcast on fasting for women on YouTube or Itunes.
We recently just purchased a new mattress for our bedroom and needing to get another new one for our guest bedroom. When is the last time you purchased a new mattress? It has been ten years for us so we were due for a replacement. How does a mattress help you sleep better during the night?
Check out this article Tips for better sleep
I am learning more about RECOVR Mattress on an upcoming podcast interview but check out their amazing discount by clicking here for muscle recovery and better sleep.
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Learn more on my upcoming podcast episodes by subscribing to my weekly show on www.thewholeathletepodcast.com
Plus head 
to Amazon to order a copy of my manual to learn more “bio-hacks” to improve your sleep as I coach my clients to sleep 7-9 hours of sleep but you can learn more in my manual as I have an entire chapter on SLEEP!
Let me know your best “bio-hacks” to fall asleep!
The WHOLESTIC Method Coach,
Debbie Potts
