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Sleep is sanity!

Recovery time is crucial for building muscle. If we do everything right – we eat well, exercise a lot, walk, etc. but don’t sleep well enough, we will see hormonal disturbances and lack of muscle gain.

We build muscle and strength during the time between work outs.

Sleep is so important for neurodegeneration and physical renewal.

Many people underestimate the value of sleep. Modern culture has trained us to prioritize work, business, and achievement over rest. It’s the yin and the yang- if they are not in balance neither one would be exceptional.

We are all different and we need different hours of sleep but overall many people need more than they think they need.

I feel when it comes to sleep we must address the mind-  overthinking, worrying, pacing. It is good to work on techniques that allow you to turn your mind off at night- maybe journalling, reading, a night-time routine that induces a peaceful state of being.

I like reading or playing games with my daughter. We have a variety of board games and they just mean – the end of the day for me, letting the day go, relaxing, everything is done, no need to think about the chores that I have for tomorrow.

I also don’t go to bed without my eye mask. When we were renting a house our bedroom was so bright at night that I purchased an extra soft and big eye mask and I don’t go anywhere without it now. As soon as I put it on I feel melatonin taking over my being. It’s a silk mask with raw silk filling so it is also great for your skin – keeping it hydrated and bacteria-free.

This is the link for the one I got. I got it in black and I travel to Bulgaria with it. Its instrumental for a good night of sleep for me.

Some other practical tips.

*No caffeine past noon.

*No heavy meals before bed. In full disclosure, I often have a late dinner but there are certain foods I know I cannot have late at night because if they burden the liver I will have an active mind all night long.

*Enough calories throughout the day- I  do not track macros but I consume a balance of carbs, fats, and proteins. I am not on a particular diet such as – high carb, high protein, high fat, etc. I eat more or less whole foods and I try to track my micronutrients every so often. I did high carb, low fat for years after mold exposure and it was extremely healing for me. It cleaned my body from all the toxic side effects that mold can have. Right now I tend to have a lot of carbs from fruit and veggies but I am not tracking the macros. As I approach perimenopause I am increasing my fats slightly. However, I am still on a carb-dominant diet. My fats are maybe 20% of calories on average with some days being higher and other days lower. I pretty much eat based on availability and what looks good to me.

*Magnesium

*Melatonin if you tolerate it.

*Sufficient movement and exercise during the day

*Day light and sunlight exposure during the day

*Sunset light or red light

*Techniques that help your mind stay empty.  This is a very weird thought but I will say it – falling asleep is like practicing to die. We all have to do it one day and there is an element of letting go we have to perfect. If we don’t learn how to let go we can make life and death harder on ourselves. I know and I get it- its morbid and society tends to never talk about these things but it is an inevitable part of life and it is good to befriend all of life’s seasons, life as a journey, and all of life’s transitions. I think contemplating such ideas helps us live longer, and commit to life with love and gratitude. It rids us of fear.

• Speaking of FEAR – sometimes fear can be all capital letters. So I will share a few random yet powerful thoughts.

Prayer is bigger than fear 

Prayer is bigger than worry 

You cannot pray and worry at the same time. 

You cannot experience gratitude and fear at the same time. 

It is said that the phrase “fear not”, “do not be afraid” appears over 300 times in the bible. I haven’t counted it so I searched to see how many times it really appears in the bible – some say over 100, others say 365 times. 

The opposite of fear is faith! 

We have to see our mind as a calm sea. Deep calm waters.

We have to let go of grudges, expectations, traumas. Use the mind to your advantage. Work with affirmations that allow you to create a blessed life.

*work on flexibility, strength, cardio – my schedules cover all of that.

*use homeopathy – there are many homeopathic remedies- I tend to have CALMS on hand at all times.

*Saunas are very helpful for muscle recovery, detox, and relaxation. I finally bought a far and mid-infrared sauna which also has a sound system inside- it feels like a retreat – my affiliate link for SUNLIGHTEN SAUNAS. 

After I bought it I applied for their affiliate link- I cannot recommend the brand high enough. Its an investment so if you are getting a big gift for a holiday you can set this post aside for then.

Infrared saunas do not feel as hot as regular saunas but you sweat just as much. You cannot use saunas with certain implants – certain joint or silicone implants. I have heard some horror stories of implants leaking due to the high temperature. There are other counter-indicated conditions. That being said it’s one of my favorite health tools. It’s like a heavy workout and deep relaxation in one. It helps with lymph flow, detoxification, skin health, and more.

*Earthing, linen sheets, a good pillow, a cool room.

 *White noise is a must for me. 

*One more unorthodox tip.

I like to lay done and tune into my body. Feel my organs and get a bit more information than I CAN GET DURING THE DAY. We get our extra senses to spark up in the dark and quiet.

There are many more tools that we can use for our individual case. If you have your favorites please share them in the comments.

Hope this helps.

Love