Momma B: Get Your Z's On to Get Your Healthy Back

I didn't sleep well for too many years... My youngest child didn't sleep through a single night for the first 11 years of his life. Add the duties of motherhood to the stress of a full time job at a hospital, and you can only begin to imagine how I felt, and even more discouraging: how I looked. At the time, I didn't even realize how much this was all negatively impacting me.

Now, I get made fun of because I make it a priority to get 8 hours of sleep. I'm in bed at 9pm - even on the weekends! Now that I've experienced the positive impact getting enough sleep has, no joke on my behalf will change my habit. For anyone who wants to make a step toward better health: make getting enough sleep your priority. You'll notice a difference within the first week - inside and out!

When we are well rested, our body is armed to fight stress and illness, wired to make healthy choices, and is visibly more vibrant. When lacking sleep, we are less likely to make good choices, our immune system is suppressed, and our dull skin and dark eyes make us look older. If you're tired, your body craves the quick energy boost you get from processed sugars, then the crash we experience from sugar highs creates even more cravings and diminishes any desire we have to exercise. It's a vicious cycle that affects our mood and, over time, may cause us to gain weight!

I'm a fan of attacking one challenge at a time. As I explained in my New Year's Resolution post on the 1st: committing to 1 new habit every month for the entire year will transform you and your health by the time 2017 arrives. Make your mini goal for January to get 8 hours of sleep at least 5 days a week. Once you achieve that, increase it to 6 days, then 7. Proper rest and recovery is your foundation for health and wellness. If you make it a priority you certainly won't regret it.

Jennifer Hanway: Rest & Reset - The Importance of More Sleep for Less Stress

Wasn't the extra hour of sleep a blessing?  Not only does sleep make you feel wonderful, it has some pretty amazing health benefits too: 

To visit Jennifer's website and read more articles by her visit: http://jenniferhanway.com/

• It helps to control weight and improves body composition (ration of body fat to lean muscle) in two ways. Sleep regulates the hormones that effect appetite, and when we don't get enough sleep our bodies produce more of the hormone ghrelin which in turn leads us to make poor food choices and consume more calories. Research studies have also shown that lack of sleep leads to less energy output, i.e. we are less likely to exercise (or even walk around the block) due to tiredness and lack of motivation.

• It increases your ability to handle both mental and physical stress. Not only this but sleep lowers both blood pressure levels and the stress hormone cortisol.

• It has a beneficial effect on our mood and our thinking. Not only does it make us feel happier and less worried (studies show a long term sleep deficit can lead to depression and anxiety) good sleep increases cognitive function, leading to better judgement, improved focus and less tendency to takes risks.

• It enables cell repair throughout the body, important for both repairing muscles post workout (we are at our weakest state post workout due to the breaking down of muscle fibers, they will repair and get stronger whilst we sleep) and beautiful skin (repair at the cellular level results in less fine lines and wrinkles, and gives us a glowing, even complexion).

• It decreases inflammation: chronic inflammation is the source of many diseases, including cancer, obesity, and heart disease. We all need some level of inflammation in the body to help heal and fight off infections, but when too much inflammation is present (this can be caused by a myriad of things, from stress to bad food choices and poor gut health) it can cause the immune system to malfunction, relating in auto immune conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and arthritis.

There are many simple ways to improve the quality of our sleep, below are five easy to implement health habits:

• Introduce a caffeine curfew: for me this time is 3.30pm, for others it may be later or earlier, depending on your tolerance for caffeine. If you find your mind racing the minute you close your eyes start moving your caffeine curfew back by half an hour to see if it helps.

• Get outside in daylight: as the days become shorter we can find ourselves not seeing the daylight hours. By taking just a 10-15 minute walk outside at lunchtime you can normalize your circadian rhythm, letting your body know it is time to ‘wind down’ when the sun goes down.

• Ensure adequate magnesium levels: due to our modern diets and extra environmental stresses the majority of us are magnesium deficient. Magnesium is needed in over 300 metabolic processes in the body, and is vital for ensuring a restful nights sleep .

• Do not take the phone into the bedroom! Use an old fashioned alarm clock, or if you must use your phone turn the wifi off and switch to airplane mode for good measure. The electrical signals will have a negative impact on quality of sleep, even if you do not wake up.

• Consider supplements for sleep: they are many natural supplements available that can help aid sleep, my favorite is a product called RestoREM from the Poliquin Group. RestoREM contains the nutrients 5-HTP, Phenibut and melatonin and to improves serotonin levels, resulting in better sleep patterns to leave you feeling refreshed and energised when you wake (https://main.poliquinstore.com/?___store=usw&acc=cd00692c3bfe59267d5ecfac5310286c).

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of less stress and more sleep, I would love for you to join me at my informal, intimate Wellness Talk next Tuesday 10th November at 7pm at 715 Boylston Street, Boston, MA. You will leave with easy to implement nutrition, lifestyle and supplement strategies and have the opportunity to voice your concerns and questions to myself and the group.

We will also be joined by leading meditation expert Charity Collier who specializes in bringing meditation into the lives of busy people. Charity will be leading us through a 5 minute mediation at the end of the talk to help us leave relaxed, refreshed and ready to implement our new healthy habits.

Tickets are $12 and spaces are limited. Attendees will receive a gift bag and 10% of ticket sales go to the Greater Boston Food Bank.

For booking and more information please visit:

https://www.movewith.com/events/rest-and-reset-with-jennifer-hanway