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Restorative SLEEP









Sleep is a... Funny thing. It's absolutely necessary for health and vitality, yet many of us have trouble getting enough. Whether that is self induced, or impeding factors inhibiting from getting adequate ZZZs.

It's hard, or impossible, to pinpoint any one thing that is the CAUSE of your sleep issues, as sleep is tied into every essential of health.  Addressing every one of these essentials is, well, essential!! Issues, such as sleep, may resolve in tandem with inducing a healthy state in which your body can thrive. Sleep is a delicate balance between proper nervous system functioning, nutrition and gut health, hormonal balance, stress and psychological health, etc. All of which go in much greater detail, and things that we help individuals with from a coaching standpoint.

Here are some things to consider when optimizing your sleep.

Why Value your ZZZ's?? 


Well.. what happens when we are sleep DEPRIVED??? 
  • Dramatically impair you performance.. Physically and mentally. 
    • Duh? 
    • But apparently this isn't enough to make most people up their ZZZ's
    • Just a few more hours can significantly improve your memory and performance in literally every aspect. 
  • Significantly depresses immune system
  • Reduced recovery and healing
    • Majority of these vital processes take place during sleep!! 
  • Hormonal Balance
    • Can lead to a pre-diabetic state
    • Melatonin 
      • When circadian rhythms are off, melatonin production drops... which also hinders your mind and body to fall asleep, and get a restful night.  Melatonin is also a strong antioxidant that combats nasty free radicals. 
    • Growth hormone is released at night
      • Released by pituitary gland 'keeping you looking young' 
    • Cortisol spikes after 11pm to keep you awake.. so get to bed earlier! Take advantage of the time without that dreaded excess cortisol running through your body.  
  • Assist tumor growth
    • Tumors have been shown to grow 2-3X faster (lab animals w/sleep dysfunction) 
  • Increased heart disease and blood pressure
    • Along with other stress related issues; ulcers, constipation, mood disorders

Why is quality sleep so important? 

The Mental Benefits of Sleep 

• One night of good sleep can improve your ability to learn new motor skills by 20%.• Eight hours of quality sleep increases your ability to gain new insight into complex problems by 50%. 

 The Physical Benefits of Sleep 

• Good sleep promotes skin health and a youthful appearance. • Sleep increases testosterone levels. • Sleep controls optimal insulin secretion. • Sleep increases athletic performance. • Sleep strengthens your immune system.

(Wellnessrenovations.com)


Easy Hacks to Sleep Better

  1. Calm your NERVOUS SYSTEM
    1. Many of us are STUCK in a sympathetic state. 
    2. Many of the below tactics will help you reduce that 'stressful' state... BUT, unleashing your body's ability to function and heal at it's highest capacity will be the most important factor. Which is why we START with the nervous system and the structure that surrounds the most important system to our existence. 
      1. Reducing the stress and tension on your nervous system (and in particular.. the upper cervical spine) will allow the very system that controls sleep to function optimally.  NO amount of medication, yoga, essential oils, melatonin, herbs, tinctures, etc etc can affect a structural/neural dysfunction that ultimately affects the state of your nervous system. 
        1.  So get your spine/nervous system checked by a doctor that specializes in this!! (Chiropractor)
    3. Breath-work
      1. Practice calming breath work
        1. ex. 4 sec inhale -- 4 second hold-- 6 to 8 sec exhale
      2. I like to do this while doing some easy mobility/stretching/fascial work
    4. Sleep Posture
      1. Support the natural CURVES of your spine to keep a healthy spine === healthy nervous system. 
  2. Make a HABIT out of going to bed earlier 
    1. This starts with having a rock-solid morning routine.  Having things to look forward to makes going to sleep much easier.  Things that are not stressors that keep your mind racing. (Inspect the other article discussing how to produce a rock-solid morning routine) 
    2. Set an alarm, for your bed time! 
    3. Keep your bed time/routine consistent! 
    4. Make a habit of turning off your phone/other electronics at least an hour before heading to bed. Spend this time with family, planning the following day, breath, stretch, READ -- from an actual book. 
    5. Prep everything you'll need for the following day.. the night before. Scrambling every morning to get out the door is NOT an ideal way to start the day. 
  3. Dirty Electricity and Blue light
    1. Turn off ALL electronics. Unplug ones near bed.  
    2. Poor sleep has never been at the epidemic levels that it is today.. much of which can be attributed to the overuse and abuse of electronics. Between the EMF that is emitted, to the blue light that is constantly bombarding your eyes, nervous system, and stress your mitochondria.  
    3. Grounding pad

    5. Gotta do some work later?? Download an app that takes out blue light waves.  You probably shouldn't be taking in all wavelengths of light at night, just as you would in the day.    https://justgetflux.com/    
      1. Or IRIS is good too! 
        1. https://iristech.co/install/
    6. Use incandescent light bulbs around the house, or at least where you spend most of your time before bed. 
    7. Salt Lamps
    8. Install incandescent light bulbs in areas of the house you spend your evening hours in.  After the sun  goes down, or an hour(s) before bed, turn off all lights that are dense in blue light.
    9. Get some blue light blocking glasses! 
      1. These ones are actually decent looking.. https://www.swanwicksleep.com/products/swannies-blue-light-blocking-glasses
  4. Darkness
    1. Complete, utter darkness while you sleep.
    2. Any light will disrupt your natural sleep processes. Light will inhibit your pineal gland from producing the necessary melatonin to induce sleep (actually, light stimiluates the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which inhibits the pineal gland from producing melatonin).
    3. Black out your windows and turn off all blinking/glowing things.
  5.  Keep it Cool
    1. Literally
    2. Kick that thermostat below 70 degrees.
    3. Chilly Blanket
      1. Circulates cool water
    4. Chilly pad
    5. Comfortably cover core-- leave extremities open. 
      1. Shunts blood to important areas that require healing during sleep. 
      2. Helps body let off heat.  
  6. Keep your nervous system functioning optimally! 
    1. Already mentioned.. but.. it's THAT important. 
    2. Spinal hygiene during the day, but especially after work will drastically help spinal/nervous system health. 
    3. Getting your spine and nervous system checked by a chiropractor will be the best thing you ever do. Improve parasympathetic and vagal tone, cerebral spinal fluid flow, blood flow, and overall nervous system functioning. While reducing stress, tension, pain, symptoms, dysfunction causing those symptoms, etc.   
  7. DeStress, DeCompress
    1. Begin this process at least an hour before bed. Turn off the TV. Stop any unnecessary (all) texting/Facebooking/Instagraming/etc.  
    2. Meditate (Guided meditation apps: Headspace, Calm)
      1. Wholetones 
    3. Light yoga
    4. Mobility/stretching
  8. Plan and Prepare
    1. Update your plan for the following day.. and even the rest of the week!   
    2. Prepare what you will need physically the next day.  Lunch, snacks, gym clothes, etc. 
  9. Reserve your bed/bed room for sleep
    1. Annnnnd.... maybe a few other things...   ;)
    2. But Many of us like to eat/watch TV/do EVERYTHING in our bed rooms. Keep this as a sacred, peaceful area that your mind/body/soul delve into sleep mode as soon as you step foot into the room. 
  10. FOOD
    1. Eat REAL food. Follow your ImpactChallenge  or guidelines. 
    2. Avoid eating within a few hours of going to bed. 
      1. Your body is busy healing and repairing. You have plenty of energy stores to carry out these processes. Many other metabolically taxing systems are not engaged at night. Digestion will be.. not ideal. And you will disrupt your deep sleep stages. 
    3. Avoid (excess) sugars  (throughout the day. everyday. always) but especially before bed. A dump of insulin at night is not favorable. 
    4. Shoot for your last meal to consist of good quality proteins, healthy fats and nutrient dense veggies.  (soooo... kinda like the rest of your meals..)
  11. Calming, healing, detoxifying BATH
    1. Warm water, a cup of epsom bath salt, several drops of one, or a combo of essential oils below. 
  12. Avoid exercise before bed
    1. Give yourself at least 2- 3 hours prior to bed to allow your core body temp to cool down. 
  13. Track your sleep
    1. Various apps out there that will even start your alarm when it's the best time to wake you., based on the phase of sleep you are in.  (Sleep Cycle app for Apple. Sleep Bot on Android. Google for others) 
    2. Oura Ring
      1. Some other decent trackers out there. 
      2. Leaves no room for assuming/guessing. 
  14. Get in touch with NEATURE
    1. Get Grounded! Walking barefoot on the earth is a powerful, yet simple practice to literally balance the electric energy within your body.        https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/
    2. Soak in natural sunlight throughout the day. 
    3. Just get outside and get moving! You'll feel refreshed, and ready to hit the sack later. It's a great way to balance your natural circadian rhythms! 
    4. Grounding mat
  15. Read a book
    1. Fictional: Utilize your more creative side of your brain.  We are also terrible at truly multitasking, as much as we like to believe we're good at it. So reading something fictional takes your mind off of all the other clutter in your world. 
    2. Self development, fulfilling, re-fueling type of book.


Supplements

It's such a buzz word... So it might as well be addressed.


  • Aromatherapy with Essential Oils 
    • Lavender
    • Chamomile 
    • Orange
    • Vetiver 
    • Geranium 
    • Melissa
    • Sandalwood
    • Bergmot
    • Rose
    • Ylang ylang
    • DoTerra Blends
      • Calming
      • Balance
      •  Serenity 
    • NOTE
        • Diffuse
        • Topically 
          • Apply to chest, back of neck, and bottom of feet with an organic oil (fractionated coconut, almond, etc) 
      • These oils are POWERFUL. Which is why you want the highest quality oils possible. To get your $$$ worth and greatest possible benefits. More and more companies are coming out with good products. We use DoTerra. Young Living has a good brand. And Dr. Josh Axe just came out with a line of oils as well. 
  • Drinks
    • Wine? 
      • It's a common perception that alcohol helps you get to sleep, which may be true, but when it comes to getting restful sleep, it may actually inhibit you from getting the restoreful ZZZs that your body, mind and soul require. 
      • Make sure you getting GOOD wine, if you choose to drink. Wine that is grown, harvested, and produced utilizing natural methods and using organic sources.  More on the Wine Industry HERE.  
      • Dry Farm Wine, Fit Vine Wine
    • Herbal Teas
      • Obviously.. you'll want to avoid all caffeinated beverages (after 2pm) 
        • Chamomile 
        • Lavender 
        • Ginger
        • Google others, and give it a try! 
          • To no surprise... go for organic brands, and even better, loose leaf tea from a local tea shop. 
      • Make your own! 
        • Boil water with ginger root.  Add tumeric if desired.  Garnish with a splash of raw, organic apple cider vinegar and cinnamon.  
      • Mushrooms 
        • Powerful Adaptogens 
          • Reishi
      • Organifi Gold

  • Liposomal Sleep

    https://nutridyn.com/general-wellness/liposomal-c

Melatonin 

From IDLife: "In addition to helping you fall asleep and bestowing a feeling of overall comfort and well being, melatonin has proven to have an impressive array of *anti-cancer benefits. It’s a powerful antioxidant and free radical scavenger that helps combat inflammation. In fact, melatonin is so integral to your immune system that a lack of it causes your thymus gland, a key component of your immune system, to atrophy.3 Melatonin may even have a role in slowing the aging of your brain. *http://www.amepc.org/tgc/article/view/976/1877 L-theanine is thought to have both antioxidant and relaxant effects. Some studies have shown that the amino acid may also be helpful in lowering lipids in the blood, fighting obesity, and preventing cognitive dysfunction and stroke."




Key ingredients for Restorative Sleep

  • Melatonin helps you get to sleep quick obtaining a faster and deeper sleep, increased REM sleep, and reset the Body clock. 
  • 5-HTP releases critical brain neurotransmiters burned out by modern day stressors, increasing calm feelings of well being. 
  • L-Theanine helps you to sleep for longer periods, awakened less often by feelings of anxiety and stress, while feeling awake and refreshed.
  • GABA: Plays a key role in healthy sleep patterns.  GABA is produced within the VLPO, and is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that plays many roles within the central nervous system. One such role is to lower the resting membrane potential of neurons, hence making them less susceptible to be stimulated. More specifically, the neurons in the 'neocortex' (interprets the environment around us-temperature, touch, sound, pain, movement, interpreting communication and integrating all of these together) are inhibited, so you are not responsive/don't wake up to small sensory inputs from the environment. Supplementation is controversial as many products do not adequately supply the brain with GABA, or any GABA.  You will have to find a particular form of GABA called 'phGABA' that is able to cross the blood brain barrier. 

As you can see, just taking melatonin is not enough to give you a well-rested night.  It may get you to sleep, but without the other necessary components

So... Should I use some supplements er what?? 

Again, totally your decision.   It may be worth at least experimenting with to see if you increase your focus, productivity, recovery, happiness, influence, leadership, energy, athletic and cognitive performance... 

       It might be worth a shot! I won't commend utilizing these for the rest of your life, but for short periods at a time, it may be helpful in  restoring your health and well-being. Life on earth has continued on without supplements, but life today is different than ever before. Again, supplements are supplemental to everything else you are doing. They're not a crutch!


IDLife Sleep Strips

  • Targets every phase of sleep, containing melatonin, 5-HTP and L-Theanine to induce sleep, keep you asleep, and for restorative sleep. 
  • Cellulose naturally derived from plants, dissolves in the mouth, allowing the active ingredients to absorb into your bloodstream. Thereby bypassing the typical route through the stomach which destroys the active ingredients due to the high acidity. 
  • No extra/toxic junk added. Lightly sweetened with stevia and licorice root. 
  • Video: Science Behind the Sleep Strips






Other Considerations:

  • Magnesium 
    • Topical or dietary  
  • Mouth taping! 
    • Yes, it's a real thing. Get this tape:
    • https://www.amazon.com/3M-Micropore-Paper-Tape-White/dp/B003TXPZ64/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1501274908&sr=1-4&keywords=mouth+tape&linkCode=sl1&tag=wwwexodushcco-20&linkId=efb840cbc3660c9652366ae3cb30267d
    • Google Dr. Jockers 'Mouth taping' for more. 







Our Natural Cycles of Sleep

http://www.dailyom.com/cgi-bin/display/articledisplay.cgi?aid=59478&aff=


  • "Our bodies are naturally encoded to respond to light and dark and sleeping with the rhythms of Mother Nature."
    • Yep... simple, yet true!! 








How to Hack your Sleep
--Bulletproof peeps

TONS of good info!
https://www.bulletproofexec.com/how-to-hack-your-sleep-the-art-and-science-of-sleeping/
https://www.bulletproofexec.com/improve-your-sleep/

Ben Greenfield
https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2016/06/how-to-get-to-sleep-in-a-modern-world/
https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2015/12/sleep-cocktail-ingredients/
Dr. Joe Mercola
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/02/secrets-to-a-good-night-sleep.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/10/15/why-you-need-sleep.aspx

Dr. Pompa
https://drpompa.com/cellular-health/quality-vs-quantity-sleep-how-to-biohack-your-sleep/?fbclid=IwAR0ygAlQOoK2JcaEEc4aM-4AKU5jQ-8pSczmC1qgTFV78h3vocqrgGJEaNQ



Making natural Sleeping Supplements.  
Toss out those big pharma, toxic pills. 
Not that I endorse it... but providing the body and mind with what it needs may help you with the process.


Effects of Blue Light on our Circadian rhythms

Breast Cancer:

Slow Breast Cancer growth by 70%...turn off the LIGHTS!
The nighttime hormone melatonin puts breast cancer cells to sleep. It also slows breast cancer growth by 70%.
David E. Blask, MD, PhD, of Bassett Research Institute in Cooperstown, N.Y.
"With constant light, tumors grow seven times faster and soak up incredible amounts of linoleic acid (omega 6 fatty acid)," he says.
"During the day, the cancer cells are awake and linoleic acid stimulates their growth. But at night cancer cells go to sleep. When we turn on lights at night for a long time, we suppress melatonin and revert back to the daytime condition."
The finding may explain why nurses who often work the night shift have high rates of breast and colon cancer.
Melatonin has also been shown to reduce estrogen production in normal breast cells near malignant cells, as well as to reduce tumor angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation).
Constantly sleeping in the presence of light appears to increase breast cancer risk by inhibiting melatonin production.
How can you MAINTAIN your melatonin levels?
1. Get at least 8 hours sleep
2. Avoid night shift work
3. Avoid any light exposure at night and sleep in TOTAL darkness
4. Consume melatonin-rich foods
Pineapples
Bananas
Oranges
Tomatoes
5. Take melatonin supplement nightly (if you are having a hard time sleeping or you can't eat these foods)


If you love infographics as much as I do... 
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663126/infographic-of-the-day-so-what-if-you-dont-sleep-enough


Resources


The effects of sleep deprivation on the body

Practice with sleep makes perfect: sleep-dependent motor skill learning.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14737168?dopt=Abstract#

Sleep inspires insight.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12123620?dopt=Abstract#

The association of testosterone levels with overall sleep quality, sleep architecture, and sleep-disordered breathing.

Longitudinal analysis of sleep in relation to BMI and body fat in children: the FLAME study.

Shift work: coping with the biological clock.

Healthy Cell Division 

Athletes' Performance Improved By Extra Sleep

Stress-induced changes in skin barrier function in healthy women.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11511309#
Electronic Screens might as well be called 'Electronic Cocaine' or 'Digital Heroin'
http://nypost.com/2016/08/27/its-digital-heroin-how-screens-turn-kids-into-psychotic-junkies/
So, how did our ancestors sleep? 
https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2015/12/how-did-our-ancestors-sleep/
8 Essential Oils for Sleep
http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/03/essential-oils-sleep.html

 Himalayan Salt Lamp
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DVP5PAQ/ref=crt_ewc_img_dp_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1K9KXIW5VAA77

Here’s What One Sleepless Night Will Do To Your Body

 http://drhardick.com/sleep

BioHacker Recourse  ... Boat load
http://biohackingbook.com/bonus-materials/sleep/

Letting teens sleep in would save U.S. $9 billion a year, study says

School classes should start at 8:30 a.m. or later, the study finds. 
http://www.startribune.com/let-students-sleep-in-save-big-bucks/442549843/

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