Laughing in the Face of Sleep

In American culture, it is greatly looked down upon to participate in any rest or relaxation. Sadly, being able to function on very little sleep is actually applauded. This cultural defect could be the reason why insomnia is estimated to be the #1 health problem in America and the instance of chronic illness is rising through the roof.

Why Sleep Needs to be Your Best Friend

Simply put, you cannot be healthy without sufficient sleep, period.

According to Research Reports in Clinical Cardiology, when you sleep six hours or less each night, your body operates with a heightened state of low grade, chronic inflammation and has an increased risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. With a lack of sleep, you are setting yourself up for improper insulin maintenance and on your way to insulin resistance. (1)

The scary thing is that more than one-third of American adults get six hours or less of sleep per night. Additionally, chronic illness is on the rise with more than forty percent of Americans suffering from it. There is definitely a link between lack of sleep and chronic illness occurrence.

Overhaul Your Sleep in 30 Days to Heal Chronic Illness

There are four areas to pay attention to, in order to overhaul your sleep and, not only start getting adequate amounts of sleep but increase the quality of it.

If you take one week to address each of these areas, you will be able to overhaul your sleep in thirty short days.

1 | Burning the Midnight Oil

Let’s face it, the population is chronically stressed. Being overcommitted, ultra burdened, bombarded by constant information and living lives without margin, leaves no room for rest or sleep. Sleep is viewed to actually get in the way!

God did not design humans to run themselves ragged trying to obtain the American dream. He designed us to work hard AND enjoy His creation while building in downtime and even a Sabbath day to rest and even nap!

When you are chronically stressed and your body is running on overdrive every day for 12-16 hours at a time, there is no way it will be able to turn itself off at the proper time of night and sleep soundly for at least 8 hours.

To overhaul your stress, you’ll need to go to this post and download the free workbook to walk you through managing the stressors in your life and getting rid of chronic stress to result in longer, better sleep.

2 | Find Your Rhythm

Within our bodies, God designed a circadian rhythm. It’s a biological process that occurs over a period of 24 hours that is directly related to the rising and setting of the sun. Additionally, our sleep hormones like melatonin and serotonin rise and fall with the sunrise and sunset. Or so they should.

In order to overhaul your sleep, you’ll need to allow your body to get into a regular and long-term circadian rhythm.

How to Optimize Your Sleep/Wake Cycle {Your Circadian Rhythm}

• Form regular sleep habits by going to bed at the same time every night and waking up in the morning at the same time.

I know this may be difficult depending on the season of life you are in. I get it, I am a homeschool mom, wife of one, running two home businesses and soon going back to school. It can be hard but sleep habits must be prioritized so you don’t disrupt your circadian rhythm.

3 | Get Rid of This Artifical Element for High-Quality Sleep

Technology today is everywhere. While it is an important part of life, there is an inherent danger that lies within it that disrupts your sleep. From iPhones to computers and iPads and smart TV’s, they all emit blue light. Even LED lights and certain alarm clocks operate with the blue light frequency instead of the red light frequency they used to.

Blue light is a shorter wavelength than red light and, with constant use, can actually cause retinal damage and, in regards to sleep, it can disrupt sleep hormones immensely. It can also disrupt proper cell division leading to inflammation (2)

Remember that I said God designed our body rhythms to fluctuate with the sun? Well, with the artificial light that we are constantly around, your body gets confused as to what part of the day it is and what hormones it needs to be utilizing.

In order to overhaul your sleep, you need to turn on only amber lights and stop any screen time two hours prior to going to bed so your body can start to understand it needs to enable the sleep hormones – or the winding down hormones.

If you have to be on the screen closer to bedtime like I do sometimes, you need to get a pair of these blue light blocking glasses. They aren’t the sexiest thing but your health is WAY more important.

4 | Go Out in This Natural Element to Regulate Sleep Hormones

There are so many health benefits of getting out in nature and escaping the concrete jungles you might often be surrounded by. The natural light out in nature that God gave you helps boost your mood and regulate your cortisol levels. Cortisol should be high in the morning and low at night and by regulating your stress, ditching the blue light and getting out in nature at certain points during the day (at least), your cortisol will adjust accordingly.

Purpose to go Outside

1. Get outside first thing in the morning for at least 10 minutes
2. Take a walk in nature in the middle of the day when the sun is high in the sky
3. Go outside as the sun is setting

Do those three things as often as possible to help reset your cortisol levels and improve the quality of your sleep by reminding your body when the sun rises and sets.

5 | Deficient Nutrients

You may be eating healthy, whole food, anti-inflammatory diet, and practicing proper sleep hygiene as I’ve laid out in steps 1-4 but you may still be confronted with poor sleep.

When this happens, it is wise to look at a certain essential nutrient that most people are deficient in. That nutrient is magnesium.

“Think of magnesium as the relaxation mineral.” Dr. Mark Hyman, MD

Magnesium is responsible for hundreds of biological processes happening in your body. It is in every single cell of your body. In regards to sleep improvement, magnesium helps to support healthy levels of GABA which is a neurotransmitter that helps your body relax and sleep deeper. It also regulates melatonin which is the primary sleep hormone responsible for the sleep-wake cycles in your body.

You can deplete your body of magnesium with the following:

“Magnesium levels are decreased by excess alcohol, salt, coffee, phosphoric acid in colas, profuse sweating, prolonged intense stress, chronic diarrhea, excessive menstruation, diuretics, antibiotics and other drugs, and some intestinal parasites.” Dr. Mark Hyman, MD 

You can find high amounts of magnesium in the following foods:

• Kelp
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Brazil Nuts
• Dulse
• Pecans
• Walnuts
• Figs
• Dates
• Collards Greens
• Dark Chocolate
• Bananas
• Shrimp
• Avocado
• Parsley
• Dandelion Greens
• Garlic
• Spinach
• Flaxseeds
• Salmon

To Supplement with Magnesium

Be sure to avoid cheap and hard to absorb types of magnesium like:

1. Carbonate
2. Sulfate
3. Gluconate
4. Oxide

Be sure to use these types of magnesium:

1. Citrate {Powder}
2. Chloride {In oil form as lotion or flakes for bathtime}
3. Glycinate {In pill form}
4. Aspartate {In pill form}

*Too much magnesium can cause diarrhea. If you have severe kidney or heart disease you should only take magnesium under the supervision of your physician.

You Can Get the High-Quality Sleep You’ve Always Dreamed of

If you’re struggling with getting enough sleep and deep sleep, I want you to try steps one through five to overhaul your sleep so you can heal chronic illness. I don’t want you to be another statistic!

By committing to getting at least eight hours of sleep per night, going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, eliminating blue light at night, getting outside in natural light and being sure you’re not nutrient deficient, I bet you will find the high-quality sleep you need so desperately.

Don’t forget to download your sleep tracker {and LOTS of other important worksheets, charts, and trackers to organize and manage your healing process.}

See the Other Posts in my 365 Days of Change Series

• Overhaul Your Kitchen in 60 Days
• Overhaul Your Stress in 30 Days
• Overhaul Your Sleep in 30 Days
• Overhaul Your Pantry in 60 Days
• Overhaul Your Toiletries in 60 Days
• Overhaul Your Cosmetics (coming soon!)
• Overhaul Your Cleaning (coming soon!)
• Overhaul Your Medication (coming soon!)