Sleep 💤
Do not underestimate its power!
Last week we talked about caffeine and on the opposite end of the spectrum is sleep! Sleep is the foundation of health and I cannot overstate the effect it has on our hormones and therefore also our energy levels⚡️ (obviously), blood sugar balance ⚖️, mood 🙂, digestion 💩, metabolism 🏃♀️, etc.
Sleep is when our bodies recover and rebuild 💪🏽. We now know that women need more sleep than men (because our brains are more active throughout the day) yet typically we’re getting less of it!
There are two key hormones to talk about when we talk about sleep: melatonin 🌚 and serotonin 😃. Exposure to darkness triggers our brain to release melatonin in order to make us sleepy. That’s why avoiding screens and dimming lights in the evening is so important. While melatonin helps us fall asleep, serotonin impacts how well and how long we sleep 🛌. When we are sleep deprived our body’s production of serotonin is inhibited and as we’ve discussed, low serotonin levels can negatively affect our mood.
How to improve sleep quality
🕘 Create a consistent night-time routine that is screen-free
❌☕️ Avoid caffeine 12 hours before sleeping
❌🥘 Stop eating 3 hours before bed
🧘🏾♀️ Manage stress
💊 Consider magnesium supplements
Do you have trouble falling or staying asleep? Please share your experience in the comments or via DM. I’d love to help!
Warm regards,
Donelle
P.S. I’ve created a short reader survey. Your feedback is so helpful!