How to Hack Your Sleep

Do you wake up in the morning feeling rejuvenated, alert and prepared to embrace the day? And do you effortlessly drift into sleep without tossing and turning for hours until finally fall asleep?

As high-quality sleep is quite overlooked but at the same time one of the most important pillars of our health, essential for numerous reasons, like repair and regenerate, immune health, energy, cognitive function, hormone and stress regulation, muscle building, appetite regulation and others, today, I will talk about what is causing your insomnia and how to fine-tune your sleep.

Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple when it comes to insomnia. And poor quantity or quality sleep can have a variety of underlying causes, such as: head trauma, anxiety, depression or stress with an excess of cortisol release; sugar or hormonal imbalances or changes like menopause with low oestrogen levels; stimulants like alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, medications, etc.; or simply poor sleep habits which needs to be addressed for the good night sleep.

For majority of us, the ideal amount of sleep is 7-8 hours of high-quality sleep each night. So, let’s look at how can we naturally improve insomnia and get blissful sleep every night.

Here are some hacks for better sleep:

1. Avoid caffeine and any stimulants late in the day which increases adrenaline/cortisol levels leaving you wired and wide awake. This includes high intensity exercises too.

2. Create bedtime routine by going to bed at the same time and doing the same things every evening so you train your brain to associate these habits with bedtime.

3. Keep your room temperature comfortable so you’re not too hot or cold. However, we usually sleep better in slightly cooler temperatures.

4. Install soft yellow lights in the bedroom and bathroom and turn on red filters on all your devices at least 2 hours before bedtime not to impact your melatonin production as blue lights signal the brain to produce cortisol instead of melatonin. Also shut off all lights and use curtains or an eye mask to block out any lights when you go to sleep.

5. Don’t overeat just before bed bet also don’t go to bed hungry as nocturnal adrenaline can kick in if energy reservoir depleted which will keep you awake too.

6. Avoid alcohol, as it impacts quality of your deep sleep, which is the most restorative phase.

7. Shut off electronics such as cell phones, laptops and wi-fi routers at night as EMFs emitted from those devices can impact your sleep quality as well.

8. Meditate or journal to help you unwind and calm your mind if you need it.

9. Supplements like magnesium, melatonin, tryptophan or 5-HTP and herbs like passionflower, valerian, chamomile, Californian poppy, kava, etc. could be very helpful in specific cases too to further enhancing your sleep.

10. The white noise devices, ear plugs or weighted blankets could be supportive to get a better sleep too.

Developing these healthy habits is a key in improving your sleep so you are ready to take on the day. But if you need a little extra help for more complicated sleep issues, you can book consultation with one of our naturopaths here.

WRITTEN BY Dalia Garalyte