Pillar 1: Get Enough Sleep
The importance of getting enough sleep
Rest is one area where many of us are deficient, yet it is the foundation for everything else we do to improve our health. Adults should ideally get between 7 and 8 hours of restful sleep every night. However, most people in today’s fast paced, fast food, plugged-in society do not sleep properly.
These 7 simple sleep-improving steps will put you on a quick path to better fitness, more energy and a healthier lifestyle. Putting them into play just one a day means one short week to the benefits of proper sleep.
1 – Limit Your Intake of Sleep-Affecting Chemicals. For at least 6 hours before bedtime, avoid caffeine and nicotine found in coffee, chocolate, tea, sodas, cigarettes and possibly, some medicines. You may find it hard to fall asleep, sleep restlessly, and then be tired when you have to awaken.
You might think alcohol can help you sleep. But only a couple of hours after drinking, alcohol actually stimulates you. This means you may fall asleep, but then sleep poorly. There are other adverse affects of drinking, including weight gain.
2 – Drink Lots of Water, but Not Much at Night. Water flushes your system of dangerous toxins and other chemicals we breath in. But you may want to limit the effect at night of a full bladder. Beginning a couple of hours before you are scheduled to nod off, limit your water and liquid intake. You will experience fewer sleep disruptions. However, be sure to have a full glass of water when you wake up.
3 – Develop a Regular Sleep Schedule. Your body and mind are a beautiful creation and full of curiosity. After you tell your mind what your body is going to do on a set schedule, in a very short time, your brain takes over and creates an automatic, unconscious habit.
Better quality sleep, more energy during the day, and a better level of fitness are all possible with a regular sleep schedule. It only takes 3 to 4 weeks of sticking very closely to a specific waking and sleeping routine for your restful sleep to be automatically delivered on a nightly basis. That’s one of the reasons you wake up about 1-2 minutes before your alarm goes off.
4 – Enjoy a Nap Earlier in the Day, if Need Be. Napping is a healthy way to enhance a properly operating metabolism and can boost natural energy in the day. Just make sure you do not take a nap after 4 PM, or your sleep could suffer. You may find it harder to fall asleep when you nap later in the day, and accordingly, difficult to wake up when your alarm goes off.
5 – Shine the Light. Sunlight taught primitive humans when they should be sleeping, and when they should be active. Humans eventually learned how to create their own light. Artificial light is certainly a powerful and wonderful invention. It can also negatively affect your natural, healthy sleep cycle.
As soon as you wake up, illuminate your surroundings. When you are ready to go to sleep, limit the number of lights, including electronic devices and television, in your sleep environment. If you work a night shift, getting sleep can be even more difficult. There is more information online »
6 – Exercise Early in the Day. Exercise produces cortisol. This hormone keeps you alert and responsive, and is part of our hardwired “fight or flight” response system which also causes stress. Exercise also uses energy stores in the body, and the natural stress of physical activity actually supports good sleep patterns. Just do not exercise late in the evening, or your elevated energy level could negatively affect the quality of your sleep.
7 – Give It Time. You did not fall into poor sleep habits overnight. It will take time to change your bad habits into good ones. Do not criticize yourself if making changes takes a little while. All good things come to those who wait, and take proper action. Keep working at these 7 simple steps for improving the quality of your sleep, and your overall health will benefit.
Would you like another way to improve your fitness and natural energy level? Learning to control stress can make a huge impact »