Sleep…are you getting any?

Sleep is a huge topic. It is elusive for MANY people, for many reasons. In many households the only one’s getting great sleep are the dog and the cat. No matter what your age is, your relationship with your bed and your alarm clock can be a tenuous one. It has been for me for many years. I have found some really basic steps that have worked for me to get more consistent sleep, and they are validated by research!

Sleep is SOOO important for good health and happiness and this is why I chose it as my first post back in the blogosphere. The quality and quantity of your sleep is one of the most basic components of health, next to what you eat. Yes, it is more important than exercise!! Problems with sleep have been linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease and psychological well-being. (CDC, 2021; Fang, et al., 2015; Kohansieh & Makaryus, 2015)

Let me start by acknowledging the elephant in the room. It’s been a while since I contributed to this space. I’ve been busy (and tired due to lack of good sleep) since my last entries. I’m not going to rehash the drama, but let’s just say I have had a crazy 6 years. One of the best things that came out of all that is going back to my alma mater, University of Cincinnati, to get my Master’s degree in Nursing! Why I did that is another story, for another time. Right now, I want to share my secrets to great sleep. 🙂

WHAT TYPE ARE YOU? What’s your biggest sleep problem?

TAKE THIS QUIZ:

• TYPE 1: You can’t fall asleep but once you are, you sleep all night.
• TYPE 2: Are you waking up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back to sleep? If so, what time?
• TYPE 3: You have an inconsistent sleep schedule/every day is different.

I’m going to address each type with some really basic tips in a sec, but right now I have a couple more questions for you:

• Do you have a TV in your bedroom? Do you fall asleep to the TV or watch up until you turn the light off? Or maybe you use a different electronic device, like a tablet or phone before bed. TRY TAKING A BREATHER FROM THIS ABOUT 30-60 MIN BEFORE BED EACH NIGHT. Below, I give you ideas about what to do instead.
• What is your waking day like? Is it stressful, filled with anxiety or adrenaline? SEE BELOW FOR WAYS TO WIND DOWN.
• What are you listening to and watching? What is grabbing your attention during your waking hours? LISTEN TO AND WATCH PROGRAMMING THAT MAKES YOU FEEL HAPPY.

Okay, so now that you’ve done this preliminary research on yourself, we can get down to some actual solutions.

KEY CONCEPT: Sleep is a reflection of your waking hours.

What you live during the day, almost always is reflected in your sleep quality, especially as you get older. Stress and anxious feelings affect sleep. What you watch and listen to affects your mood and sleep. Even if you can’t change some things you CAN get better sleep. Here’s how:

• Practice a quiet pre-sleep routine. THIS IS MOST EFFECTIVE FOR TYPE 1 PEOPLE
  • listen to soft music, like spa music or sounds of nature
  • write down 3 wins from your day and 3 things you are grateful for. These can be very simple!
  • Apply lavender and Serenity blend essential oils to your palms (4-5 drops each) and slather on chest, arms and neck. Then hold your hands in front of your face and breathe in deeply 3 times. This combo works! The chemical constituents of these pure oils have been shown to relax the limbic system of the brain, and literally move you from stress mode to rest mode. (Chien, Chang & Liu, 2011; Nelson, et al., 2016). WATCH THIS VIDEO TUTORIAL ABOUT APPLYING THESE ESSENTIAL OILS!
• Create a sleep-promoting environment. THIS IS EXCELLENT FOR TYPE 2 PEOPLE
  • Your room should be cool, dark and quiet. Being too warm can cause waking in the night. No one knows this better than women who have hormone issues (that is a whole different issue that needs it own post). Controlling the temperature of your room, wearing appropriate clothing, and the level of darkness are key to good sleep. Get rid of blue or green colored clocks/lights in your room. Use red color, which doesn’t affect your melatonin levels.
  • Using drugs or alcohol before sleep is actually not helping you. In the middle of the night, especially if you are waking between 1 and 3 in the morning, your liver is working. If you are overloading your liver with things to detox, then this may be why you are waking up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back to sleep. —> Drink 60-80 oz of water during the day to support your detoxification systems.
  • Apply Vetiver Touch essential oil before sleep on the bottoms of your feet. (It’s kind of stinky, so I apply to my feet or mix in with the Serenity and Lavender combo.
• Be as consistent as possible with your sleep schedule, even if your schedule changes. FOR ALL TYPES, BUT ESPECIALLY TYPE 3 PEOPLE!
  • Even if your schedule changes, stay as close as you can to your sleep schedule. This is true for children and for adults! Your body LOVES consistency, especially when it comes to sleep. Go to sleep around the same time and wake up the same time every day. You will feel better when you wake up and you will sleep better at night.
  • Read, apply essential oils, journal about your wins and gratitude, even if your schedule is different. These consistencies can bridge the gap when your schedule doesn’t permit you to actually sleep at the same times you normally do. This is great for people who work different shifts or who travel a lot.

These techniques work! Try them for 90 days and let me know how it goes!

Links to references:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, January 4). How does sleep affect your heart health? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/sleep.htm#:~:text=What%20health%20conditions%20are%20linked,attack%2C%20asthma%2C%20and%20depression.&text=Some%20of%20these%20health%20problems,%2C%20heart%20attack%2C%20and%20stroke 

Chien, L.-W., Cheng, S. L., & Liu, C. F. (2011). The effect of Lavender Aromatherapy on autonomic nervous system in midlife women with insomnia. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2012, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/740813 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3159017/

Fang, H.-F., Miao, N.-F., Chen, C.-D., Sithole, T., & Chung, M.-H. (2015). Risk of cancer in patients with insomnia, Parasomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea: A nationwide nested case-control study. Journal of Cancer, 6(11), 1140–1147. https://doi.org/10.7150/jca.12490 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4615350/

Kohansieh, M., & Makaryus, A. N. (2015). Sleep deficiency and deprivation leading to cardiovascular disease. International Journal of Hypertension, 2015, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/615681 https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijhy/2015/615681/

Nelson, Haakon Robert; Burkhart, Rachel Ann; Morin, Daniel; Weissenfluh, Nicole Grace; and Korn, Michael
R. (2016) “Investigation of Parasympathetic Effects of Lavender Essential Oil in Humans,” Montview Liberty University Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2 : Iss. 1 , Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/montview/vol2/iss1/3