HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING ?

Having trouble sleeping? 

Well you're not alone – numerous studies have shown that people all across the globe have been struggling with their sleep during the coronavirus crisis. Research from King's College London shows more than half of the UK population has struggled with sleep in the past few months, while another study in Italy found 18-35-year-olds there were experiencing lower-quality sleep, too. The Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre in France found people are having more vivid dreams, with a 35% increase in dream recall and a 15% rise in negative dreams. The most likely culprit when it comes to all of the above? Stress and anxiety, the experts claim.

 https://youtu.be/lftNJ52H50E

At a time when the World Economic Forum ( link:- https://pronappers.co.uk/c-19-nap-o-graphic/ ) is reporting that many of us are struggling with sleep, the quality of our sleep has decreased and sleeping pill prescriptions have risen, having a nap can top up your energy during the day.

Indeed the No. 1 tip of the Top Ten Tips from the World Sleep Society is to ALLOW your self to take a nap if you're tired. That self-permission is crucial. A daily nap will also help you sleep better at night, so what is there not to love about napping?

How To Ensure Restful Sleep For Recovery 💤

Sleep is just as important as nutrition and exercise when it comes to improving your health, workouts, and recovery.

Create a Sleep Routine 🛌

- Just like waking up, your body needs time to transition to sleep.

- Try and wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day, be as consistent as you can.

- Reduce caffeine use after 2 p.m.

- Dim the lights 30-60 minutes before bed.

Limit Electronic Use 📵

- Unplug from all screens 30-60 minutes before bed.

- If you must use your screens, turn on the night shift on your phone, invest in a pair of blue light blocking glasses, and decrease your screen's color temperature using the software f.lux (for computers).

Optimize Your Sleep Environment 💡

- Keep the room as dark as possible. (E.g., cover windows, cover or dim the alarm clock, use motion-sensitive lights for night lights).

- Most people sleep better in a cooler room (around 60-67 degrees).

- Find what temperature works best for you.

Quick Tip: Take ten long, slow, deep breaths while lying on your back. This stimulates calmness and relaxation.

SLEEP- A SUPERPOWER WITHIN YOU

I recently read Matthew Walker, PhD #book "Why We Sleep" & it led to some stunning discoveries about sleep that I share via #sketchnote & below:

-#Sleep is not a dormant state.There are some parts of your brain that are up to 30% more active during sleep relative to when you are awake.

-There are two stages of sleep that we cycle- Non Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep & Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.

-If you get up 2 hours earlier (~8 hrs sleep), you may think that you have lost 25% of sleep, in reality, you may have lost 70-80% of REM sleep.

-REM sleep can increase your problem solving capacity. In REM sleep, there is an information alchemy where the brain starts to collide all the things it recently started learning with the pre-existing knowledge.

-NREM stage 2: Important for learning and memory.

-NREM stages 3,4: Important for keeping immune system healthy, help with our cardio-vascular system. It is the best form of blood pressure medication.

Sleep is not an optional lifestyle luxury. Sleep is a nonnegotiable biological necessity,something that needs as intense prioritization as does our work & family time.

If managed well,for all it's benefits,it can be your greatest competitive advantage and a true super power.

😯 Sleep is more important than diet and exercise combined...

🙄 One poor night of sleep can lead to higher levels of cortisol the next day.

💯 When you have cortisol activated, guess what follows?

😞Glucose and insulin.

🤔 Do you know what drops when glucose and insulin goes up?

🤬Ketones!

😴 Not only that, sleep is where you burn fat, where your brain flushes out toxins and your body repairs.

🛏 Studies show when you are sleep deprived, you are going to have lower levels of leptin and higher levels of ghrelin.

👍 Ghrelin is the hunger hormone, and leptin is the satiety hormone.

😡 You will feel hungrier and and less satisfied, leading to sugar craving; leading to breaking your keto diet and having those carbohydrates, having those snacks.

👇 3 tips for better sleep, starting tonight.

🥶 Make your bedroom cold. Studies show 62 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit is where you can get the good amount of deep sleep.

💡 Make your bedroom dark. Light exposure will activate cortisol, suppress melatonin and ketones; we don't want that at night.

🚿 Another quick tip here for you is to take a hot to warm shower 60 minutes before your intended bedtime.

😌 When your body gets out of the shower, it's going to cool itself, and calm itself.

Hope everyone has been able to find silver linings in the work from home realities that might allow for more sleep each night, this read will give you practical tips on dealing with stress dreams if you've got them!