One of the mistakes lawyers make is that we fail to prioritize sleep. Human beings are the only species in the animal kingdom who intentionally skimp on sleep. Did you know we have a physiological hormonal response (specifically, an increase in ghrelin, our hunger hormone, and a decrease in leptin, our satiety hormone), when we are sleep deprived? In other words, when we fail to get enough sleep, we send our body signals that we are hungry and need to keep eating. This is not a great diet or health strategy!
Believe it or not, far more important than your nutrition or exercise regimen is the amount and quality of your sleep. If you want a cheat sheet for better sleep, here are just some of the things that I do each night (and encourage my clients do each night) to ensure great sleep:
No. 1: Wear blue light blocking glasses after the sun goes down. This really works, especially if you are often in front of a computer or other screens at night.
No. 2: Sleep with your bedroom super cold. Did you know your body temperature has to drop between 2 and 4 degrees for you to get to sleep and stay asleep?
No. 3: Stop eating at least two hours before bedtime. This also helps your body burn fat while you are sleeping!
No. 4: Consider mouth taping each night. I use Somnifix Mouth Strips. Mouth taping helps you breathe properly while you sleep and improves your metabolic health.
No. 5: Take a high-quality magnesium supplement. Magnesium deficiency is a real problem in this country due to the depletion of minerals in our soil.
No. 6: Consider experimenting with relaxing herbs in tea or supplement form such as valerian root, hops and passionflower. This will relax and calm your system, making it easier to fall and stay asleep.
No. 7: Take a quality supplement chlorella before bed. Chlorella chelates toxins out of your system.
No. 8: Purchase and track your sleep with an Oura Ring. This device tracks heart rate variability, sleep cycles, body temperature and resting heart rate. Knowing how your lifestyle choices affect your sleep has the ultimate behavior modifier.
Sleep is critical to your health, longevity and wellbeing. Consider incorporating one or more of these strategies for better sleep.
