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One of the foundations of good health is a good night’s sleep! Most of us know how crabby we feel when we don’t get enough rest, but how many of us know what’s actually causing the issue? Suffering from lack of sleep causes stress on the body. That stress in return, effects hormone balance, which then increases risk of disease. If you are struggling to get in some good shut eye, here are a few tips to hopefully have you sawing Z’s in no time!
1) Incorporate healthy fats into your diet and avoid sugar/carbs at night:
Meats and eggs from good sources (grass-fed and pasture-raised), coconut oil, olive oil, and avocados are some of the best fats for hormone support. In fact, in addition to supporting good sleep cycles, the fat found in avocados has an astounding amount of additional health benefits. On the contrary, sugar and carbs can spike your blood sugar, keeping you up at night or causing you to awake in the middle of the night due to sudden drops in your blood sugar. If you feel you need a little snack before you hit the sack.
2) Increase Magnesium intake:
Magnesium helps calm you down and relax your body, which makes it perfect for sleep prep! Try increasing the amount of foods in your diet that contain high levels of magnesium such as oily fish, nuts and whole grains or add a daily magnesium supplement to even the load.
3) Get outside:
Thirty minutes of direct sunlight on exposed skin and eyes helps increase serotonin during the day which helps increase melatonin at night. To make the most of the daylight, try taking your regular workout routine outside.
4) Go to sleep and wake up at a consistent time:
If you’re anything like us, you live for the weekend to get in a little extra shut eye, but some experts believe that this can actually do more harm than good. In order to maintain a healthy sleep cycle and balance hormones, try sticking to a similar sleep/wake cycle all week long.
5) Turn off all electronics 2 hours before bed and keep your bedroom pitch black:
Artificial light disrupts your body’s natural melatonin production so shut down those laptops and put your phone away. Also, make sure your bedroom is dark enough by hanging blackout curtains and cutting out all lights – unless your baby absolutely needs that night light!
So the next time you’re looking like ‘Sleepy’ from the seven dwarfs, try incorporating these tips into your regular routine to finally get a good night’s sleep!
