Last month, I was getting frustrated at my TV remote because it was not functioning properly. I hit it against the couch and gave it a shake, hoping to smack it into working again.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work and I knew we’d gotten to the stage where the battery was well and truly dead; there was no point in forcing it to work without fresh batteries.
We often do this to our bodies. We push ourselves into overdrive and give ourselves a smack when we’re clearly run out of batteries. This can lead to a series of health problems such as fatigue, weakened immune systems, cognitive dysfunction, moodiness and elevated stress levels.
As much as we need to work hard, train hard and stay focused, we equally need to ensure our bodies get sufficient rest and quality sleep.
Sleeping well and resting is absolutely crucial for our bodies to function at its best. A good night’s sleep is when your body is able to recharge and replenish its batteries.
Not to mention, we spend a lot of time in our lives sleeping; the average person sleeps around 8 hours per night, which equals 229,961 hours or roughly, one third of your entire life!
Poor sleep can lead to fatigue, difficulties in concentrating, lack of motivation, reduced efficiency and poorer judgment. As such, getting sufficient, good quality is such a crucial part of an overall healthy lifestyle. It helps you stay alert and energized throughout the day, which enables you to live a better quality of life.
There was a time in my life when I was feeling constantly fatigued. Especially around 3pm every afternoon at work, my head would begin to feel unbearably heavy and my eyelids would be constantly drooping. I would struggle to get up early in the morning and I was always exhausted after work. This made it difficult for me to workout, cook healthy meals or do anything productive. I felt sluggish, unhealthy and it was starting to affect my confidence as well. I decided that enough was enough – I was tired of being tired, since then I have been dedicated to improving my quality of sleep so that I can live each day filled with energy and life!
Tips for improving your quality of sleep:
- Eat well & Exercise
I cannot stress this enough the impact of eating the right food and getting enough exercise is for a good night sleep. A key purpose for sleeping is to replenish the lost energy, which is the same purpose that food has. As such, there is an implied connection between what you put into your body and how well you sleep. Drinking lots of water, eating wholesome fresh fruit and vegetables and quality lean proteins means that you can provide your body with energy, which leads to less fatigue and tiredness during the day.
Exercise triggers an increase in body temperature, and the post-exercise drop in temperature may promote falling asleep. Exercise may also reduce insomnia by decreasing arousal, anxiety and depressive symptoms. I prefer to exercise in the morning because nothing is better at waking me up that a good, sweaty session at the gym! #nocoffeerequired
This is a prime example of how staying fit and healthy affects ALL areas of life, including how well you sleep! So eat, exercise and sleep WELL!
- Develop a consistent sleeping schedule
Your body is smart and it has its own inbuilt clock that you need to set. Terence and I wake up every morning around 5.30am, and we sleep every night at around 10.30pm. This is important to us because our bodies have been ‘set’ to sleep at the same time every night so it’s no longer hard for us to wake up early. Becoming used to a specific time when you should wake up every day increases your quality of sleep because you are essentially giving your body a ‘deadline’ to replenish itself. It doesn’t have to be this timeframe – it should be whatever works for you and your schedule – but whatever it is, make sure it is consistent so your body can set its biological clock on time for sleep!
- Unwind before bedtime
It is important that you associate your bed only with sleeping so that as soon as you hit the sack, your body knows its time to sleep. Try avoiding doing work, checking emails or studying in bed. In fact, I would recommend staying away from looking at computer or phone screens about 2 hours before bedtime and focus on winding down. I usually wind down before bed by reading a novel for half an hour before sleeping. Another great way to prepare yourself for sleep is to do some stretching and light breathing exercises.
- Reduce or eliminate sugar and coffee intake
I used to depend on two to three coffees a day and sugary snacks to keep my energy levels up, but I can happily say I now depend on neither coffee nor sugar. I’ve realized that having too much caffeine and sugar in the body can result in decreased quality of sleep at night, as it adds additional artificial stress to your body. This in turn will lead to waking up in the morning feeling less refreshed which causes you to rely more on coffee and sugar for the additional energy boost – and the vicious cycle begins. To break out of the vicious cycle, it’s best to slowly wean yourself off caffeine and sugar. As with any new habit, it will be hard at the beginning but (I promise) it will get easier with time.
Sleep is SUCH an important part of an overall healthy life and ability to perform at an optimal level – never underestimate your need to recharge! I hope that these tips have helped you like they have helped me. Happy sleeping!
ARTLESSLY FIT 