Month: April 2019

The Integrative Counselor’s 20 Sleep Tips to Improve Health!

This article is for educational purposes only.

It is been said that “Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together” – Thomas Dekker. If this is true, then why are 70% of Americans not getting enough sleep? The conversation about sleep deprivation is long overdue and thankfully finally being discussed in the mainstream, yet is not taken seriously in the traditional medical community. If you search the internet, you will see many articles highlighting the need for sleep, as sleep deprivation causes numerous long-term and irreparable health conditions. Not getting sufficient rests increases your risk of: obesity, stroke, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, death, mental health symptoms, and too many others to list here. The reason is that the lack of sleep epigenetically turns on “dirty” genes that “express” themselves as illness, weight gain, and all diseases, including cancer.

With that, humans are rhythmic and response to the circadian rhythm cycles. This again, is why I continue to use the name “Paleo” to describe what I am talking about- or the paleolithic era. There are a lot of things we can hack or skip out on in today’s world of hustle and Go Hard or Go Home- but sleep is not one of them. So many clients come to me and want better physical or mental health and when I ask about their sleep, they want to skip past that portion and get the band-aid fix that has been sold to them. Integrative health is holistic and includes small little tweaks for the whole person in ALL the environments that they exist. One big trick doesn’t cut it. And I am sorry you were sold this bag of lies. When it comes to your health and especially your mental health, sleep has to be an essential part of the conversation. PTSD, complex trauma, depression, bipolar, and Seasonal Affective Disorder are all SYMPTOMS of circadian rhythm disruption. When you get to the root and improve sleep? So do symptoms.

And while you research sleep what you will find often are articles that induce fear as to what sleep deprivation is doing to your health. There is little information about what to actually DO to sleep better. Often sleep solutions are limited to simple sleep tips to trick your body into rest. Unfortunately, health and sleep are more complex than band-aid fixes and simple solutions. So the aim and purpose of this article are much different. Fear will not be induced and it also will not talk about easy tips to trick your body into falling asleep. What this article will do is discuss an individual sleep plan. And this sleep plan will honor the uniqueness that is your and your personal situation. Every single person has a personal lived experience and that experience factors into your sleep. After all, sleep is an experience. One that can contribute to your health, or detract from it.

As sleep starts to get the attention it has long deserved, please keep in mind your own unique life. Not all of the 20 sleep tools discussed here may work for you. And that is okay. Our health is complex and inter-connected with our many environments. When simple tips are posed to you, you must question the health advice you receive from professionals in the medical field. Your doctor may spend at most several hours with you per year. How many hours per year do you spend with yourself? With that being said, who knows you and your personal experience better than you do? The same goes for health and sleep information you read online. The person writing the article does not personally know you. So please question what you read before you directly apply that to your life. That would also include this article. I do not personally know you. This article will make generalizations that have been seen through my work with others, research done in the field, and my personal experience with sleep.

Before we get into specific ways to get better rest, it must be said that better sleep may be a long-term goal for you. And with goals, it is important to create a specific plan of action in order to succeed at your goal. When you think about your own sleep, please keep in mind that goals should be crafted with intention and start very small. In the simplest terms, you could create sleep goals at are: immediate, short-term, and long-term. Better rest is a long-term goal that includes both immediate and short-term interventions. And this may contradict the articles that you read about sleep. And it should. What I am saying is that there is no simple trick when it comes to health and sleep. You and your body are more complex than that, your life is unique, and no one shares your personal experience.

Sleep is something that is personal for me as I struggled with sleep for over a decade. It is through this personal struggle, research done in the health field, and working with others as a Counselor and Consultant, that I have crafted and created this list. I am happy to report that I have my own personal sleep plan and regularly sleep well each night. So I can testify that this has worked for me personally. On a lighter note, I hope this assists you in your journey to better rest. I can say with certainty, this is the first article I have ever written that I truly hope puts people to sleep.

Recommended Sleep Amounts*: *Note that times may vary depending on your unique factors

With all this being said, here are 20 interventions (aka HOT TIPS )to consider adding to your personal sleep plan:

  1. Create a Sleep Routine, Ritual, & Rhythm- Once it is created, stick with it. There is something to be said for routines and rituals. This will signal to your body that you are getting ready for rest. If you live with others, it is beneficial that everyone in your household have a sleep routine. At a minimum, if not everyone is on board with making sleep a priority, have an honest conversation about your sleep goals and ask for their support in your quest for rest.
  2. Develop a Bedtime- Again, once this is created, stick with it. Bedtimes help honor the routine you have created and signal to your body that rest is coming. You have to be strict with this and it could involve creating boundaries with yourself and others.
  3. Set an Electronic Curfew- Along with a routine and a bedtime you will also need to put your electronics to rest, well before you start to go to bed. That means you will have to get off your computer, cell phone, and say goodnight to the TV and any other gadgets you have before you get into bed. There are apps out there that can assist you with this (https://justgetflux.com/ and https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.urbandroid.lux&hl=en).
  4. De-clutter Your Bedroom Space- Get organized to get rested! Remove anything from your room that does not contribute to sleep. Have an unused elliptical in your bedroom that is holding place for clothes? Put it somewhere else. Are you staring at a home office full of bills as you lay in bed? This may not be the best place or your office. Spend some time organizing your sleep space.
  5. Consider White Linens- Understand that hotels know what they are doing. Have you ever noticed that you get good sleep while staying in a hotel? Have you also ever noticed that most hotels use all white linens? It is simple marketing. White is the color of simple luxury. Once you have de-cluttered your space, consider creating a luxurious place to rest. Your bedroom should be a place for rest, relaxation, and play.
  6. Think Before You Drink- Limit Caffeine to daytime usage and drink alcohol in moderation. Soda/Pop keeps many people up at night due to the chemicals used to create that fizzy drink you may enjoy. It also activates genes that express disease. If you do drink soda/pop, limit it to before lunch. Caffeine consumed later in the day, may keep you up later. If you are consuming so much caffeine during the day that it has no impact on you, your body has built up a tolerance and it will take more and more caffeine to have the same impact. Consider taking a step back from caffeine altogether if this is your case.
  7. Tea is a Better Alternative to Caffeine Drinks- And especially tea that induces rest such as, Chamomile, before bed. Chamomile tea, could also be included in your nightly sleep routine and ritual.
  8. Whole Foods are Best- When talking about food, this could be the longest article in the history of, ever. In the most general terms, what you eat can and does impact your sleep. How you fuel your body is how it runs. And what you are eating does impact your sleep.
  9. Exercise Earlier Rather Than Later- If you exercise, you may want to do it earlier in the day rather than later. Research shows that those who work out in the morning, have the best results when it comes to sleep. This creates the case for the morning workout. Being realistic, mornings are not the optimal time for everyone to work out. The rule of thumb is the earlier the workout the better. Again, your body needs to know it is shutting down for the night, and this is hard to do with an elevated heart rate. If the only time you have to work out is right before bed, consider something soothing that aides in sleep, such as a gentle yoga routine.
  10. Breathe Better- There is a lot of research coming out in regards to the breath. If you find yourself thinking of your to-do list and having low anxious thoughts before bed try Dr. Weil’s 4-7-8 Breath: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/VDR00112/The-4-7-8-Breath-Benefits-and-Demonstration.html This is not the only breathing exercise, there are many. Knowing you are unique and so is your body, you may want to research and try other breathing exercises. Find what type of breathing works for you.
  11. Supplement Wiser- Many people are taking sleep medications- whether over the counter or prescribed. First, medication is a personal choice. Do your research into the long-term effects of what you are taking. Know that there are holistic and natural ways to supplement such as melatonin and magnesium (both found in nature). Melatonin is often taken in too high of dosages. Taking a prescription or over the counter sleep medication should be looked at either an immediate or short-term sleep solution, not long-term. Also, know that your body is unique and genetically everyone responds differently to each medication and dosage. Before taking a medication you should consider having a pharmacogenomic panel or precision medicine done to know exactly which medication and dosage respond best to your unique genetic makeup. If you have been taking an Rx for years for sleep, consider doing research, having an honest conversation with your Doctor, and or creating a long-term sleep plan with other tools to assist with sleep.
  12. Block Out Blue Light at Night- Blue light assists during the day time, but not at night. This is why my husband and I personally use amber blue light blocking glasses at night at home when the sun sets. This signals our bodies that is time for rest. Read about these glasses here: https://www.lowbluelights.com/index.asp.
  13. White Noise and Relaxing Music- Much research has been done with white noise and shown as a way to improve sleep. This can be something as simple as a fan. Note: a TV is not white noise and directly contradicts sleep. If you want a technology version of white noise there are many apps for that. Here is one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ipnossoft.rma.free&hl=en
  14. Keep Your Bedroom Cooler- Temperature is a preference and it is up to you what you are comfortable with. Consider keeping your home or bedroom cooler at night than what you do during the day. Cooler temperatures are best for sleep. What temperature you are willing to live with at night, is up to you. Consider perhaps 62 degrees if you currently sleep at 65. Again, this is all up to you.
  15. Take a Warm Bath or Shower Before Bed- This could be part of your sleep ritual. Many people find warm baths and showers relaxing. If that is you, then this could be another part of your ritual that signals your body it is time for bed.
  16. Lavender Essential Oil- Lavender is a wonderful scent that is relaxing. Rub some lavender essential oil onto your feet with a carrier oil such as coconut oil (better absorption) and put some socks on and head to bed. Or put it into a diffuser. Again, you need to pick your battles. If you do not have a sleep routine and your room is filled with clutter, lavender may not be the first thing to prioritize. But it could be something you immediately try to start relaxing as you work on your long-term sleep plan.
  17. Technology Makes Sleep Tracking Possible- There are now a ton of ways to track your sleep. Wearables such as FitBit allow you to track your sleep. And apps like Sleep Cycle can also assist: http://www.sleepcycle.com/. If you are interested in logging your hours of rest, technology can help.
  18. Worry and Sleep- Many individuals use time designated for sleep for times to worry about things. If you find yourself worrying instead of sleeping during the night, consider a gratitude journal, or writing down what you are thankful for before bed. If you are tossing and turning, get up and out of bed and do something relaxing for 20 minutes. This could be something such as reading a book or magazine. Please remember to keep the technology off and not to look at your phone, computer, or a TV. If you decided to add the amber blue light blocking glasses to your sleep plan, then put those on while reading.
  19. Shift Work and Sleep- For night shift workers or workers with odd schedules, you must be extra vigilant about your sleep plan. Consider also blocking out any light in your room and trying to keep as consistent of a schedule as possible. This may mean you do not get the same amount of sleep each night.
  20. Develop a Morning Routine- Sleep is a cyclical and rest really begins with how your day starts. Do yourself a favor and make your sleep ritual easier by how you start your day. Keep consistent hours with yourself even when you are not working. You can also and make your bed in the morning and that way you will have an inviting place when you are ready to sleep. There is a lot to said for consistency and rituals.

There are many many other ways to get better rest naturally that were not included in this article. These are just 20 that were found in research, through my work with clients, and with my own personal sleep journey. If you would like assistance with creating your own personal long-term sleep plan, sleep education for employees, or with any other health goal you are working on, please reach out to me and schedule a virtual session: https://www.thepaleocounselor.com/book-a-virtual-or-in-person-appointment/

In Health,

Shannon Myers, M.S., CRC, CMHIMP Founder of The Integrative Counselor