Gone are the days when I once bragged about how little sleep I needed to be productive, Today, chasing a good night's sleep is my secret weapon to looking and feeling on top of my game. By Trudi Brewer.
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Without a good night's sleep, I am not the best version of myself. From personal experience to reading research, losing just 16 minutes of sleep from the eight hours you need each night can make your workday less productive? If that's not enough to convince you how vital sleep is, research shows sleep deprivation is now linked with Alzheimer's and heart disease. During busy, stressful times, if like me, you are wide awake in the middle of the night, writing that 'to do' list in your head, or thinking over the day's unsolved issues, sleep and giving the brain some downtime, or what’s known as ‘free time’ is how you will perform at your best.
According to supplement brand Clinicians, there are two hormones our body needs to help us sleep and wake up. First, cortisol, one of the triggers for its release, is daylight, and its job is to help us feel awake and ready for action. As the day goes by, cortisol naturally declines, and our sleep hormone, melatonin, kicks in. However, add stress to this mix, and our fight or flight response goes into overdrive, and our cortisol levels rise; this is when we are left feeling anxious; sound familiar? Research shows cortisol also affects our blood sugar and blood pressure; long-term, if you produce excess amounts, it can lead to blood sugar imbalances, weight gain, and increased blood pressure. Nothing about that is good news. So, how do you manage cortisol levels naturally? Practices such as yoga and mindfulness help and including herbs in your diets such as Withania, Siberian ginseng, and Gotu Kola. Here's are my tips and the supplements I take.
How to sleep better naturally
Clinicians Sleep Science, $40.
If you manage to fall asleep but struggle to stay asleep, you’re busy and stressed, the ETAS extracted from asparagus is a new scientifically researched ingredient that supports the body to produce heat shock proteins, which balance stress hormone levels. While Chinese date extract (Zizyphus) and magnesium support mental and physical relaxation to help give you the quality eight hours you sleep to be at your best.
Take two capsules, between 15 and 30 minutes before bedtime.
Clinicians REM Sleep, $33.
If you’re tired when your head hits the pillow but you can’t fall asleep, this is the supplement for you. It supports your sleep hormone production, with the inclusion of the amino acid 5-HTP. The herbs passionflower and skullcap provide support for gently calming the mind, and magnesium relaxes the entire body. Together this formula supports a natural relaxed sleep pattern.
Take two capsules between 15 and 30 minutes before you go to bed.
My tips for getting a better night’s sleep
Knockback on coffee and alcohol; Stimulating, both impact on your sleep. Don't drink either four hours before going to bed, instead try herbal teas boosted with herbs such as chamomile and passionflower, skullcap, valerian.
Take a hot shower: A hot nighttime shower can help you sleep better by artificially raising your body temperature; once out of the shower, the fall in your body temperature will help you feel calm and get to sleep.
Try a mindfulness practice known as ‘the paradoxical intent’: To ease anxiety around sleep, calmly thinking about staying awake, instead of stressing about falling asleep works for me. It can help decrease the anxiety around insomnia, which oddly can paradoxically help you sleep.
Clinicians Kids Peaceful Dreams, $30.
Parenting is hard enough without suffering years of sleepless nights. This formula is specially made for relaxing kids before bed, to help them have a restful sleep, herbs including lemon balm, linden extract, magnesium and vitamin B6, in natural agave syrup is easy to swallow, and tastes like apples.
Take between 15-20 MLS before bed, suitable for kids from three years and over.
