Simple Tips & Techniques to Improve Your SLEEP!

Sleep, everyone needs it yet nowadays it seems we can never get enough of it. I for one have discovered how important a night of sleep is and am brutally reminded every time I do not get it. Having surgery on my cervical spine and injuring my lumbar spine made any sleep position extremely painful. For the better part of a decade I've found certain techniques that help improve the quality and amount of sleep.

Here are a few of the many 'hacks' I use every day:

1. Don’t Eat within 2-3 Hours of Bedtime

-Your metabolism needs time to rest and recover to properly function. (It can also cause your blood pressure to drastically rise.)

2. Stay Off Screens

-Do not keep electronics next to your bed. -Your body naturally produces melatonin in darkness, blue light (from electronic screens) mitigates production of melatonin. (Not to mention EMF signals)

3. Temperature

-The body needs to drop its core temperature, look to sleep in 65F.

4. Making It a Habit

-Fall asleep and wake-up at the same times. Going to bed at the same time on the weekdays and weekends can vastly increase the quality of your sleep.

5. Cut Out Caffeine in the Afternoon (stop after 12pm)

-Using caffeine too close too bedtime can make it difficult to get deep and REM sleep.

6. Alternative Medicine

- Sleep aides such as kava, passionflower, valerian root, chamomile to name a few.(Ever get tired when drinking beer? You may not be surprised to learn that a main ingredient within beer is a natural sleep-aid; hops. That's right, not only to they aide in flavoring your favorite DIPA's and IPA's but also in helping get good shut-eye.)

Note:

If you suffer from insomnia or lack of sleep you are not alone. I urge you to make a change and start taking better care of yourself. Remember my friends, self-care is not selfish. I am not an expert by any means but I've been through some challenges and learned from them in the process. I am here to help you live a healthier life in anyway I can