The Bedroom- Your Sleep Sanctuary
Getting a good night’s rest is crucial to our overall health. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend that adults sleep at least 7 hours each night to promote optimal health and well-being. In our culture that thrives on hustle, it is a revolutionary act of self care to cultivate your relationship with rest and sleep. Honor this natural part of our lives, and you will feel better, have more clarity, and help regulate many systems of the body.
SLEEP ENVIRONMENT
Creating an calming, relaxing, and soothing environment help create the conditions that support good sleep. Your mattress, pillows and bedding should be supportive, non allergenic, non toxic, and extremely comfortable. Look to companies like Avocado for organic mattresses, cooling linen sheets, and bedframes made sustainably for a great foundation.
Lighting is especially important as it directly affects our circadian rhythm. Make sure your window treatments thoroughly block out light, and adderess other sources of light such as clocks or devices to reduce them. A nightlight in the ensuite, toe kick lights, or dimmer switches, are especially helpful for mid-night trips to the restroom that are less disruptive to sleep.
Choosing colors, textures, and styles that are soothing to you will also greatly support your bedtime routine.
SLEEP HYGEINE
If you want to get better sleep, look at your daily habits. Because sleep is part of our natural cycles, our daytime routines will affect our nighttime experience.
Get 20 minutes of sunlight first thing in the morning to reset your circadian rhythm
Avoid caffeine (and other stimulants) in the afternoon, and notice if alcohol disrupts your sleep (it probably does)
Practice stress reduction A L L D A Y L O N G. Mindfulness, breath-work, and other relaxation techniques that help regulate your nervous system
Keep a regular schedule for bedtime and wake time, aiming for approx 7-9 hours of sleep
Give yourself a bedtime ritual that includes no screentime at least an hour before bed. Enjoy a bath with epsom salt and lavender oil, read a book, unload in a journal, treat yourself to a restorative yoga pose
Consider removing the TV from the bedroom (this goes for computers and office set ups as well)
Use blue blocking technolgies
Avoid late night meals or eating within a couple hours before bed. Consider time restricted eating.
Exercise earlier in the day
Try Calm bedtime stories or guided meditations
Enjoy candle light in the evening.
WHAT YOU’RE COMSUMING
As indicated above, there are some basic ideas to follow. Honor your natural rhythms. Try to eat meals at regular times, sleep at regular times, don’t eat late at night, avoid stimulants later in the day, reset your circadian rhythm in the morning- you get the idea! In the modern world, it can be day at anytime, but that is not how we work. We need rest and restoration so we can be fully awake, and vice versa. If these simple lifestyle changes aren’t cutting it, you may also consider supplementing with natural sleep aids and nutrients crucial to sleep. Drink enough water and eat primarily whole foods as foundational health choices.
Looking at these variables can make a big improvement in the quality of your sleep! If sleep continues to be difficult after integrating some of these remedies, consider a sleep study or more in depth functional medicine testing.
I would love to help you create your own sleep sanctuary!
For more on sleep hygeine check out this Dr. Mark Hyman podcast, Dr. Aviva Romm’s suggestions here, and visit The Sleep Foundation.
SWEET DREAMS!
