Wake Me Up When the Pandemic Ends
How a good, deep sleep can help you cope.
Our daily lives have been turned upside down. If the significant shifts in your work schedule, kids home and lack of daily structure have you feeling anxious and maybe even depressed, then a good night`s sleep is more important than ever.
Sleep boosts your immune system and helps you feel better on a daily basis. A lack of sleep impairs your brain’s ability to learn and retain information. Sleeping less than 7 hours per night can cause a pre-diabetic condition where the brain and body don’t process glucose effectively – making you crave sugar and carbohydrates. It can also lead to feelings of depression, anxiety and an intolerance to stress. Sleep deprivation can impair immune function potentially leading to greater risk of developing a cold or flu.
Bottom line, deep, restful sleep is your superpower – it can help you stay sharp, healthy and happy.
Here are six important ways to improve your sleeping habits and, by extension, your overall health.
1. Prioritize sleep!
This is like snoozing pre-sleep. We’re on go mode all day, and expecting your body to suddenly shut down when you need it to is unreasonable. Set an alarm to start wrapping up your activities and prepare yourself for bed, physically and mentally – trust me you’ll be much more effective tomorrow.
2. Create a wind-down routine.
We do it for our children, but why not ourselves? Once your sleep alarm goes off, dim the lights, turn off screens, turn down the thermostat a few degrees, and create a space where you reduce stimulation.
Side note: We have a mild addiction to stimulation – it’s that feeling you get when you have to check your Instagram account after you just put your phone down. It could take a few nights to get used to shutting out the world; however, you’ll notice that it’s easier to slip into a restful sleep.
3. A hot bath or hot shower.
An ideal way to start decreasing stimulation at bed time is to take a hot bath or shower give. Not only does it give you the space to have some quiet time and process your day, the cooling effect afterwards is scientifically proven to help you get into a sleep-ready state.
My favourite bath recipe is an Epsom salt bath with a dash (actually, half a cup) of baking soda. The magnesium in Epsom salts and bicarbonate in baking soda have a relaxing effect on your body.
4. Make time for a relaxing activity before bed.
Dim the lights, warm up a tea, and read a book. Practice journaling all the things you’re grateful for that day. Performing a set of stretches is a great way to slow down your breathing, get grounded and connected to your body, and condition yourself to relax.
5. Make your room an oasis.
Your room should be a safe haven that allows you to disconnect from the world. For starters, if you`re working from home, don`t work in your bedroom. Also, keep your room tidy. Often we keep piles of papers or laundry lingering, which acts a subtle reminder that we’ve left something undone – not a good feeling when you’re trying to wind down.
6. Pamper yourself.
In a normal scenario I`d recommend getting a massage. Massage can decrease your sympathetic nervous system activity – your brain’s stress response – and give your body a break. It helps balance hormone levels by decreasing adrenaline and cortisol (which interrupt sleep), and regulating oxytocin and dopamine (which can aid sleep).
But because we`re all self-isolating, here are some other ways you can get massaged – from ideal to realistic (you may need to get creative):
ask your partner to massage you or at the very least, massage your scalp
gently roll out your muscles with a foam roller
self-massage your feet or hands
ask your kids to play with your hair
get your kitty to walk on your back (meow!)
anything else that helps relax your muscles
Your sleep is sacred, one way or another, make sure you prioritize it.
This blog was written by wellbe registered massage therapist Michael Mekhail, RMT.