There are weirdos out there who brag about not needing sleep. In my early twenties I dated a dude who said, “You can sleep when you’re dead.” This ain’t right, y’all!
Sleep is critical for immune function, mental health, vitality and more. What’s the quickest way to drive someone mad? Deprive them of sleep! Over fifty million Americans have sleep disturbances — most undiagnosed, and one third of adults do not get enough sleep. SleepHealth.org has a 10 Commandments for good sleep, but I’ve narrowed mine down to a 0:10:2:1 method:
0: Rise & Ground
A good night’s rest starts the moment you wake up. No screen-rise! Get your booty outside and preferably barefoot so you can “ground” with the earth and feast your eyes on the natural light of the morning. Hold off on coffee for the first hour as your body has natural cortisol elevation to help you awaken. In other words, harmonize with your hormones, don’t mess with ‘em!
10: Caffeine Close
Stop caffeine 10 hours before bedtime. I go to my bed to read between 9:30 - 10:00 pm so no more coffee for me after noon. I’m drinking just one cup of decaf most days so personally this isn’t an issue. If you’re guzzling it all day, this is a major factor in your sleep issues if you have them.
2: Kitchen Close
This should be three hours but I’m honest, it just doesn’t work in my house. Close the kitchen and your gullet two and preferably three hours before bedtime. No nighttime snack because you can’t effectively rest and digest at the same time. You may fall asleep, but it won’t be the restorative, deep kind.
1: Blue Lights Out
No screens of any kind one hour before bed. This means cell phones, tablets, televisions, computers, etc. This blue light tells your brain it’s daytime. And messes up your circadian rhythm.
There it is, y’all! Quick sleepy time tips for optimizing your health.
PS - I bring up prioritizing protein, my latest health-washing experience and more buffoonery by the American Heart Association.
PPS - here’s the high protein study I mention in the pod:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37000111/
Have you read The Nourishment Mindset? If so, pretty please hop over to Amazon to review it!
And if you haven’t purchased the book, what are you waiting for? Your next meal is the perfect opportunity to elevate your health, and The Nourishment Mindset will show you how to optimize your nourishment, energy, sleep and more! Hit up my website if you’d like a signed copy with complimentary shipping.
And pretty, pretty please if you listen on Apple, Spotify or Google Play, leave me a review there so we can spread the word about our metabolic mission to (re)discover vitality and reverse chronic lifestyle conditions through real whole foods, straight talk and the pleasures of the table!
Let's Talk Zzzzzz's