There’s something you do everyday that can dramatically impact your health. It will help keep you happy and balanced. I am talking about the importance of your sleep.

Unfortunately in our super busy, over caffeinated modern world we are not making sleep a priority. Most of us are not sleeping and when we are sleeping we are not sleeping well.

With all the priorities we have in our days, most of us are not prioritising sleep. And because of this, the results show up in our health.

Sleep is how our body repairs itself. Sleep is a cornerstone for a happy, healthy, energetic life.

Without adequate high-quality sleep, having optimal immune function is next to impossible.

And there’s so much you can do to help get the quality rest you need your body needs. It’s so much more than just putting your head on your pillow and closing your eyes. Although it is great to know that our daily habits and behaviors can transform our health.

You’ve heard the term “circadian rhythm” but maybe don’t quite know what it means.

Your body works on something called circadian rhythms, this is your internal clock. This is your natural, internal process that regulates your sleep-wake cycles.

This works by light exposure goes into your eye, and transferred from the retina to an area in your brain where serotonin is produced into melatonin. Melatonin will make you feel sleepy and actually help you to fall asleep. The balance between your cortisol and melatonin makes up your circadian rhythm.

Light exposure trumps everything when it comes to sleep hygiene. You need light to hit the retina to stop the production of melatonin in the body. This is the driving force behind your circadian rhythms. Most adults only get on average 20 min of light a day. We need to increase this to ensure we have quality sleep at night. If you want to regulate your circadian rhythm then you need to expose yourself to more light, 30 minutes twice a day, minimum.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone produced in response to darkness and controlled by the parasympathetic “rest and digest” nervous system. Melatonin is made from serotonin, the “feel-good” hormone.

Cortisol

The hormone cortisol is often associated with stress. Cortisol is made in the adrenal glands and is deeply connected to your sleep-wake cycle. It’s not exactly the opposite of melatonin, but does affect your energy levels and motivation levels is opposite ways.

Cortisol is controlled by your sympathetic “fight or flight” nervous system and is released in response to stress. It is what fuels the rush of adrenaline that allows you to respond and move quickly, it’s important to understand that cortisol is released during acute events, like being chased by a lion, but also in response to chronic events, like being in an on-going unhealthy relationship, a stressful job, financial stress
It’s clear we want our cortisol highest in the morning and throughout the daytime to give us fuel, motivation, and focus, and we want our melatonin highest at night as we sleep to help us feel sleepy, fall asleep, and stay asleep.

Since light exposure boosts cortisol and inhibits melatonin, getting exposed to light first thing in the morning and throughout the early day is possibly the most important thing you can do to help regulate your circadian rhythm. And as a result impact the quality of your sleep.

Then at night opposite is equally as important. We should be reducing the amount of light exposure as much as possible. Once the sun goes down, it’s time to limit artificial light and begin encouraging the production of melatonin.

It’s super important to know that our body doesn’t recognize the difference between artificial blue light and sunlight, if you’re watching TV, using iPads or phones, working on your computer, or even in a room with LED lighting, your body interprets light signals, suppresses melatonin, and synthesizes cortisol, which isn’t what you want when you are winding down for sleep.

Take some time to check your evening sleep hygiene. I personally follow a simple protocol of Sleep 3, 2, 1.

• 3 hours before bed no more food

• 2 hours before bed no more work

• 1 hour before bed no more devices

  
  
  

Here's what I do to support my sleep naturally

Two hours before bed, I turn on my dōTERRA  essential oil diffuser, add 5 drops of Lavender or Serenity oil. Close the bedroom door so that it saturates the air with calming soothing and relaxing molecules of essential oil. When I enter the room and breath these in, the tiny molecules enter my blood system and calm my nervous system. Supporting a deep sleep.

if you would like to know which oils are best for supporting you sleep, DM me. I will send you my sleep ebook.