The Habit of Healthy Sleep

Make small steps to improve in 2022.

You may have already fallen off your new year’s resolution… don’t be hard on yourself. You may have just simply bit off more than you can chew. Slowly implementing small changes will allow you to build up a better routine and form new habits.

Sleep is essential to maintaining physical health, brain function, and emotional wellbeing. 

How you feel when you are awake is often due to the quality of sleep you had the night before, or days prior. Your body uses sleep to replenish nutrients, refresh your body, and process information. Clocking the correct hours of sleep each night is ESSENTIAL to success on plan.

Here are some quick tips to improve your sleep:

• Adhere to a sleep schedule.

Following a sleep schedule helps the body find its natural rhythm and settle into a regular cycle, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up. In contrast, an irregular sleep schedule can cause irritability, drowsiness, and mood swings. Don’t forget that weekends apply too, as your body may have a difficult time adjusting if your weekend schedule is drastically different from your weekday routine.

• Avoid/Limit caffeine.

Caffeine is a stimulant and promotes alertness. It can also affect the quality of your sleep, so do your best to avoid caffeine after 2 PM. At night, try a cup of herbal tea.

• Relax before bedtime.

Turn off your phone, take a shower/bath, read a book, and prepare your body for sleep at least 45 minutes before you plan to go to bed.

• Create an optimal sleep environment.

Your bedroom should be dark, quiet, and not too warm. Even in the winter, I will crack my window open for a few minutes to let in some cool fresh air to help me sleep.