If you’ve made it this far in life without hacking your ideal sleep schedule, then I am impressed. Both impressed and concerned. We can’t keep pushing our bodies to their limits without giving them the care and fuel they need to operate the way they were designed to. And that all starts with getting your ideal sleep schedule and routine pinned down.
What you think is normal and healthy right now might be so far from where your optimal level truly is. How wild is that to consider? If you think you feel good now, just wait until you fine tune the aspects that matter so you serve yourself better.
When it comes to creating a sleep routine that works for you, you’ll really have to pay attention to how your body is responding to the practices you try. What works for me might not work for you, and vice versa. That’s what makes the experimental process so fun (and the human body so amazing)!
Here are a few of the things you can start to incorporate or play around with to see if it helps to bring in your sleepy girl era. And hey, if none of these work for you, at least you tried and you now have a better idea of where to pivot from here. That’s worth celebrating in itself, and certainly something your body will thank you for in the end.
Remember, this month is all about self-love, self-care, and self-appreciation! Giving yourself the gift of a good night’s sleep will equal a great morning, and lead to an even more productive day. Repeat.
Ok let’s dive in…
1.) Magnesium
In order to fall asleep and stay asleep, your body and brain need to relax. Which can be the hardest part of this whole process for a lot of people. How can you “turn your brain off” when you’re so used to being “on”? On a chemical level, magnesium helps to aid this process by activating the parasympathetic nervous system: the system responsible for getting you calm and relaxed.
According to Sleep Foundation, “Sleep is largely controlled by the nervous system, and experts believe that nutrients like magnesium may play a role in sleep health. There have been encouraging studies showing that magnesium supplements may improve sleep quality, sleep duration, and benefit people with sleep disorders like insomnia and restless legs syndrome.
Add this supplement to your next haul and see if it helps snap the zzzs back into you!
2.) Oura Ring
Dubbed “the most accurate smart ring”, the Oura Ring is a favourite among fitness girlies and the like. Not only does it track your activity and recovery, it also tracks your sleep, which seems to be the top reason a lot of people invest in it. Getting an in-depth overview of what your sleeping style really looks like gives you a better idea of where you can improve and help you to pinpoint which habits might be causing the ebbs and flows in your stats.
Oura began their sleep tracking science back in 2013, allowing them to take the lead in the industry today. Better health, brighter moods, more energy — it all starts with sleep. One sleep with your new fashionable and functional accessory and you’ll wake up to an in-depth analysis about your deep sleep, light sleep, REM sleep, blood oxygen levels, and more.
Like their website says, “Small adjustments to your daily routine can improve your sleep and transform how you feel.”
3.) Blue Light Detox
Doom scrolling is all to real when you’re snuggled in bed and waiting to drift off to sleep. So much so that all of the sudden, 10 minutes turns into 30, turns into 45, turns into 2 hours of
endless scrolling and puts you 2 hours behind your scheduled bedtime. Your brain is now completely “on” and any inkling of sleepiness is long gone. Was it worth it? Probably not. Was it an easy distraction when your brain is racing at the end of the day? Yes. But here’s why most experts advise you put your phone away for at least 60 minutes before you head to bed…
“The blue light emitted by your cell phone screen restrains the production of melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle (aka circadian rhythm). This makes it even more difficult to fall asleep and wake up the next day.”
Makes sense, right? So do yourself a favour and commit to signing off at least 60 minutes before bed each night. This allows your body to get into a “sleepy time rhythm”, let’s call it, and prompts your nervous system to power down like it so desperately needs after a long day. Stimulating your brain before bed by scrolling is considered sleep-sabotage, and in 2023, we can do better!
After all, we’re entering our sleepy girl era, right?
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Ok, think we can promise ourselves to at least try one of these 3 practices when it comes to entering sleepy girl season? Let’s do it for the month of February and track what changes we see. My thought? They’ll be so promising that we’ll be sleep queens come March, and the rest will be nothing but sweet dreams and catching zzzs.
