Tag: getsomesleep

Get some sleep

Ahh sleep! It seems like being a new mom and having a goodnight sleep is quite of a tricky combination. Or is it just me?

These past few nights have been quite of a challenge as my baby is currently going through a developmental leap, and it seems she’s very eager to practice her new skills during the night. Party time in the crib for her, but not so much fun for mama. And so I have seen first hand how lack of sleep can affect us. And you guessed it – it makes a tremendous difference when we have good quality sleep. So let’s talk about the importance of a goodnight sleep today, and how we can make sure we get it. I will share with you what I do to get a few good hours of sleep even during these challenging days as well.

What happens in your body when you don’t sleep enough?

Apart from the obvious effects lack of sleep has on us, such as tiredness, grumpiness and lack of concentration, there are other even more surprising effects it can cause us. Lack of sleep can lead to a series of health problems such as heart issues and increased blood pressure. Lack of sleep can also alter our glucose tolerance. This means the body will have more trouble recognising the glucose floating around in the blood, and instead of putting it in the cells of the body, where it can be used to fuel activity, it will be left in the blood, thus rising our blood sugar level. This can increase the risk of diabetes. The impaired glucose tolerance coming from lack of sleep can also make us feel more tired and hungry (remember the body is not properly fuelling our cells), which will make us eat more. And as we eat more, but the body is not making proper use of the excess of calories, you guessed it – we gain weight. I hear many people saying “Oh well, I don’t sleep much, but at least it helps me lose weight”. Now you know how untrue this statement is!

As we tend to get more agitated and stressed, our heart rate goes up. Sleep deprivation tends to impair the proper secretion of cortisol. Going on a few nights without proper sleep will increase your cortisol levels especially in the evening and it will take the body longer to bring them down. This on the other hand will make it harder for you to relax and drift into a peaceful sleep. And so a vicious circle can begin. The higher level of cortisol on the other hand increases our risk of diabetes and weight gain. Not nice. Cortisol levels are linked especially to retaining belly fat. So if you are having trouble losing the weight around your waste, maybe it would be a good idea to check the stress levels in your life!

Just as important is the effect lack of sleep has on our immune system too. During the night the inflammation rate in our body increases to support our body to form an initial response to bugs and invaders. This enhances the immune function in our body. But when our sleep is disrupted this inflammatory state gets imbalanced, which disrupts the proper functioning of our immune system and can lead to chronic illness.

No need to mention the other aspects of sleep deprivation and how it impacts our entire life – because of tiredness we will be more prone to skip a workout or a social gathering. Because we will feel more foggy we will become clumsy and our performance level will decrease as well. And lastly, lack of sleep will result in puffy eyes and skin that is more prone to aging.

While I am not trying to depress you with all of this, I simply want to make you aware of just how important it is to sleep. ☺

How to make sure you get a good quality sleep?

I have mentioned this already a few times in my recent posts. And there is a reason why – this is the little secret that helps me get a few good hours of sleep every night! It’s called establishing a good evening routine. This is really important, as it will signal your body that it’s time to relax and to get into a sleepy mode. So what I do is I start with a warm self-massage or I dry brushing before I take a shower. I then take a nice shower, put on soft cotton pajamas and make myself a hot tea. I normally read a book or have a conversation with my husband while I’m drinking my tea. Then I go to bed – lights out and I’m out too. It has taken me a while to stop a very unhealthy habit of always checking my phone or to watch a show before bed. But since I have stopped I noticed how my sleep got better. I fall asleep quicker and deeper. So try to stay away from electronics in the evening. They can really contribute to sleep trouble.

Another thing I try to do as much as I can is to sleep when baby sleeps. I know, this is easier said than done. But if I haven’t had a good night sleep, I always sleep during one of her daily naps. Mostly it is her second nap. So while she is having her first nap I can do other things (like writing this blog post :)).

The third thing is that I have learned to go to bed early. This one is tricky because you might think – oh the baby just fell asleep so let’s just hang out. We surely do this when she is sleeping well through the night, but when I know she is in a more difficult period, I go to bed within two hours after I put her down. This way I do get a good amount of sleep hours.

So if you take anything out of this post let it be this – recognize the importance sleep has on our health and wellbeing and make time for downtime every day. Establishing a good evening routine (just as you did for baby) is a guarantee you will improve the quality of your sleep as well.

What do you do to make sure you have a goodnight sleep?

 

Vesela Savova Drews – HealthyLux Passionate Contributor

Owner at Plateful nutrition

HealthyLux October theme – Get some sleep

 

The Five Steps to Getting Your Baby to Sleep through the Night

If your baby or toddler is having trouble sleeping through the night, the first thing you should know is… you’re not alone! Studies show that up to 30% of babies have sleep problems, and that 75% of parents would like to change their babies’ sleep habits.

The good news is that there are some quick and easy things you can do – starting tonight – to help your little one starting sleeping all through the night… and taking long, restful naps during the day!

So, as promised, here they are: The Five Steps to Getting Your Baby to Sleep through the Night!

Step 1: Choose an early bedtime.

The best time to put your baby or toddler to bed is sometime between 6 and 8 o’clock in the evening. This ensures that your child will be able to get a solid 11-13 hours of sleep during the night. (And yes… that is how much sleep children should be getting every night up until the age of about 10.)

Step 2: Put your child to sleep in the same place every night.

Whether your child has a room of their own or shares a room with parents or siblings, it’s important that you put your son or daughter to sleep in the same place every night (and for naps during the day as much as possible.) Putting your child to bed in a familiar place lets them know they are safe and that they are in a place where sleep is expected of them.

Step 3: Create a predictable bedtime routine.

Consistency and predictability are really important to babies and toddlers. When they know what to expect at bedtime, it makes it *much* easier for them to make the transition from waking to sleeping – and that’s why creating a bedtime routine is so important!

A good example of a bedtime routine might be something like this:

  • 6:20 p.m. Bath time
  • 6:35 p.m. Put on pyjamas
  • 6:40 p.m. Nursing or bottle (NOTE: Do NOT let your child fall asleep while feeding!)
  • 6:55 p.m. Story or songs
  • 7:00 p.m. into crib or bed

Your bedtime routine shouldn’t take more than about 45 minutes, and it’s VERY important that the routine is the same every single night. The repetition and predictability are what let your child know that he or she will soon be expected to fall asleep.

Step 4: Put your baby to bed AWAKE!

If you’ve been rocking, nursing, or otherwise soothing your baby to sleep, this is going to seem like a tough one… but it’s actually the most important step! It’s only by letting your baby fall asleep WITHOUT your help at bedtime that he or she can learn the skills necessary to stay asleep through the night.

Step 5: If your baby wakes up during the night, wait a few minutes before intervening.

Everyone – babies and adults alike – will actually wake up several times every night. For most adults, these wakings are so brief that we don’t even remember them the next morning. However, many babies will immediately start to fuss or cry when they wake up.

This is simply because they haven’t learned how to fall asleep on their own. If a baby has been nursed or rocked to sleep at bedtime since birth, it’s not surprising that they wouldn’t know how to fall asleep independently. The good news is that many babies can figure out how to get back to sleep within just a few minutes of waking up in the night!

If your child continues to fuss or cry for more than a few minutes, you’ll want to go in and offer some comfort, but it’s important to let your child do the work of falling back to sleep. You can speak softly to your child and do some gentle rubbing or patting, but you should avoid picking your child up and rocking or nursing back to sleep.

So there you have it… the 5 most important things you need to know about getting your child to sleep through the night. Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that every child is a little different – there’s no “magic formula” that will work 100% of the time for every baby!

My passion (and my profession) is helping parents like you develop customized plans for solving child sleep problems, so if you have any questions about what you’ve just read, please feel free to get in touch!

All the best and Simply trust your baby 🙂

 

Elena Werner, HealthyLux passionate contributor

Elena’s Sleep Champions

HealthyLux October theme – Get some sleep

Sleepless Autumn

It’s back to the grind, whether it’s work or school. Returning from a sunny, relaxing summer holiday and stepping into a cold, wet and windy autumn can be depressing. All the hassles and frenetic activities have returned. With all this chaos comes a stressful environment.

We go back to our usual routine, which is tiring. Nonetheless, this is our life. So, at the end of the day, when we finish dinner, get the kids tucked into bed and finally have a few moments for ourselves we find it hard to put the day behind us as there is always something left unfinished. There is not enough time in the day to get everything done.

Now it’s time to get ready for bedtime. “Oh, I need to check my messages one last time.” “I forgot to get the report finished for tomorrow.” “Did I remember to take the clothes out of the dryer?” All of these unfinished things are going through our heads.

How are we going to relax and fall asleep if we have all these thoughts going around in our minds?

Well, it’s time to take “me time” and learn to take these moments to step back, forget about your busy day and all the things you have not quite finished, and relax. I know that is hard to do. We are so used to going, going, going. But it tires us out. People are not robots. We cannot be running and working 24 hours a day. We need our time to relax and get a good night’s sleep to be ready for the next day.

How do we do that? First, make a cut-off time for you to shut off your phones, computers and the television. Keep your electronic devices out of your bedroom. Dim the lights in your room and allow yourself to fall into a more calming atmosphere. Sit quietly and sip a hot chamomile, peppermint or valerian tea, or if you are not a tea drinker, a warm cup of milk with honey. Take a nice long shower or a warm, lavender bath.

Now, when it’s time to go to bed, lie down quietly and relax. Put all the business of the day behind you. Don’t think about all the things you need to do tomorrow. That is for tomorrow, not right now.

Meditation, mindfulness and gentle EFT tapping are great tools for relaxation at bedtime. Tune into your breathing and tune into your body. Listen to your breathing, feel your breathing as it slows down and your chest goes up and down. The more you tune into and focus on your body and breathing, the more relaxed you will be. Before you know it, you will be fast asleep and energized the next morning.

 

Natalie Bachiri – Tap Into Your Happiness

HealthyLux Passionate Contributor

HealthyLux October theme – Get some sleep

 

7 Top Tips for a Good Sleep and More Energy

Do you sometimes have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? Are you waking up in the middle of the night or before your alarm goes off? It’s important for you to understand what’s causing your sleep struggles, and use tips like the ones below to prepare for a restful night.

Getting enough sleep has a positive domino effect on our health; our bodies are in restore and rejuvenation mode while we’re sleeping; this can help us heal from illnesses and reduce aches and pains in our joints or muscles, for example. Deep sleep also helps reduce stress and anxiety, so we have more energy the next day.

And speaking of the next day, have you ever noticed that you’re hungrier when you’re tired? Research shows our appetite can increase up to 25% when we’re feeling exhausted, and many of us often turn to caffeine or sugar (or both) to give us a boost of energy. And that begins a roller-coaster of bursts of energy followed by energy crashes. That’s right – not getting enough sleep can actually cause us to gain weight or make it harder for us to lose weight.

Tonight, why not start some of these healthy sleep rituals?

  • Give yourself a bedtime. What’s your bedtime? Just like kids, we benefit when we have a consistent sleep time, because our bodies anticipate and respond to routine.
  • Close the kitchen. Make your last meal two to three hours before bedtime, so your body has a chance to digest the food. Digestion is a lot of physical activity – not what you want to be doing while you sleep!
  • Shut down electronics 30 minutes before bedtime. Turn off the TV, the laptop, the tablet, the Xbox, your smartphone… did I miss anything? According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), all of these devices can hinder your ability to sleep. One reason, explains the NSF, is that these devices emit blue light, “which our brains interpret as daylight. Blue light actually suppresses melatonin, a hormone that supports circadian rhythm and that should begin to increase when you are preparing for sleep.” So when you’re on your tablet or phone at night, your brain thinks it’s daytime. That can make it harder to fall asleep.
  • Set your smartphone to the “do not disturb” setting. In addition to the blue light, sending nighttime emails, scrolling through Facebook or posting on Instagram right before bedtime might be stressing you out or making your mind race. You’re not alone – NSF research shows that 71 percent of people sleep either holding their smartphone (!), having it in bed with them, or having it on their nightstand. Instead, place your smartphone where it is not within arm’s reach, and set it to “do not disturb” for the seven to eight hours of sleep you should be getting. Note: if you don’t want to miss a call from certain people – say you have elderly parents or kids at college – you can set your smartphone to allow calls and texts from select contacts. Everything else can wait until morning!
  • Create a relaxing ritual. Very few people fall asleep the minute their head hits the pillow. Instead, you may want to create some rituals that tell your body you’re shutting down for the night. Try a warm bath with lavender or Serenity essential oil. You can also listen to some relaxing music or do some deep breathing, restorative yoga, and/or meditation. My favourite meditation is Louise Hays evening meditation. You can also try the app called Headspace or Calm. Try the 10-minute meditations to help you relax before bedtime.
  • Dark = Deep. How many little electronic lights are glowing in your bedroom once the lamps and overhead lights are off? The darker you can make your room, the more restorative your sleep can be, because the darkness releases the sleep hormone, melatonin. Cover up those little lights with black electric tape or turn them face down or toward the wall. You might also try light-blocking curtains if light streams in from outside.
  • Help your hormones with a sleep mask. If your room is still bright, try wearing a sleep mask. It creates the total darkness our bodies need to release melatonin and get a healthier night’s sleep. I always recommend the softest sleep mask you can find, with natural fibers. It may not be attractive, but if it helps you sleep, you will feel and look your best with more energy. And that’s a beautiful thing!

I’d love to hear how your sleep improves with these tips, and which ones are most helpful to you. Feel free to share the comments below – just not right before bedtime! Sending you sweet dreams!

 

Anne Louise Littlejohn, HealthyLux passionate contributor

Owner at Get Real with Anne Louise – Health Coaching in Luxembourg

HealthyLux October theme – Get some sleep