Is restful sleep escaping you?
Tired all the time? Can’t seem to fall asleep? Can’t focus? Brain fog? Body aches in bed? Low energy? High stress? Wake up feeling more tired than when you went to sleep? The list goes on and on… But the bright side is it doesn’t have to. There are things you can do. So, back to our original question, how can you have better sleep, and recover faster?
Nutrition for restful sleep and faster recovery.
The first thing to think of when you are looking at sleep better is what you put into your body. This may not be the most obvious aspect of restful sleep but it is one of the most effective. Sugar, artificial sweeteners, processed foods, bad fats, and unhealthy relationships with food have actually been shown to reduce the bodies ability to recover, our circadian rhythms, and our blood sugar/ insulin levels in our body. Our bodies ability to recover is what determines how restful our sleep is. Your body does the majority of recovering from your daily activities during sleep, so without the proper nutrients in your body to help that happen, you are not going to feel rested when you awake. Your circadian rhythm is basically the natural rhythm your body’s cortisol (stress hormone) levels follow to tell your body when it is time to be active and when it is time to rest. Finally, your blood sugar and insulin levels need to be stable through the night or you can have night cravings that get you up out of bed for a snack, or just make you binge right before you go to sleep.
Obviously, the easiest way to start to address this is to reduce or cut out of your diet sugar, artificial sweeteners, processed foods, and bad fats. However, the less obvious way to address the issue of nutrition is to hire a professional to tailor and individualize a nutrition plan for you that fits your needs and limitations, and teaches you how to develop a healthy relationship with food.
Recovery tips to get better sleep and faster recovery.
Secondly, let’s address the outward signs of stress, over-working, injuries, lack of sleep, etc…the physical body. The body is an amazing thing, but when it is not working properly it can be a source of discomfort, lack of sleep, chronic pain, and overall stress. When the body is holding on to pain and stress it affects many aspects of your life, however today we are talking about sleep. The body needs a way to relieve the tension, pain, and stress it is holding onto or it will limit your ability to get the restful sleep you so desperately need.
The most effective way to deal with this is to have a recovery routine to help your body deal with these stressors appropriately, help your body heal, and let your body recover appropriately at night so you can sleep.What does a recovery routine look like, you may ask? Well, it can be quite simple or quite complex depending on your limitations, injuries, and needs. A simple recovery routine could be as simple as making sure you stretch, foam roll, and drink plenty of water every day. A more complex one could look like going to a professional recovery studio to have a plan built specifically for you including compression therapy, percussion therapy, and corrective stretching. I actually recommend people starting off at the more complex level with a professional to make sure they are getting the help you need and not end up making yourself worse off than when you started.
Restful sleep is a necessity, not a luxury.
Studies for years have shown us the importance of a restful night’s sleep. As much as people try to fight it or find ways around it, no viable solution has been found to get humans to not need restful sleep.
If you are finding yourself unable to get good sleep and want to actually fix the problem, not just cover up the symptoms, then I suggest you click the link below to schedule your session with a professional recovery expert to get you on the path to restful sleep, recovering faster, having more energy, and feeling like yourself again!
