LEARN 5 SLEEP STRATEGIES TO HELP BANISH BRAIN FOG
 
Day 1 Email- The Sleep Highway
 

Over the next 5 days my goal is to help you learn at least 3 sleep strategies so you can think more clearly after a better night’s sleep!

 

Let’s start off learning a little bit about the Stress Sleep Highway…

While cruising through our day, we encounter stress. In response, our body releases the stress hormone cortisol. This provides the extra gas needed to keep moving when we hit construction. The trouble comes when cortisol stays up for a long stretch of time because as cortisol goes up, it puts the brakes on melatonin pushing it down. Melatonin is a hormone needed to help us sleep at night. When cortisol goes down, melatonin goes up (helping us sleep).

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WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Good amounts and good quality sleep help improve memory!

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How can we calm down our cortisol (otherwise known as chill out)?

• Take a walk outside barefoot in the grass

• Make a gratitude list (list 3 things you are grateful happened today -on paper or in your mind)

• Take a warm Epsom Salt Bath

• Take a deep breath in and out-- counting to four with each breath in, hold it for a count of 4, then breathe out over a count of 6, hold for a count of 4

• Read a book

• Practice mindfulness (check out the Calm or Headspace apps for ideas)

• Practice meditation

• Listen to Tibetan singing bowls- I think this might be my favorite. It instantly relaxes me -you can check this out at  5 Minutes to Relax: Singing Bowl

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BONUS TIP- Cortisol helps our bodies regulate insulin sensitivity. When cortisol is up, it decreases our body’s ability to use insulin like we should. In a nutshell—When cortisol is up, we often gain weight more easily.

Think of it like this: Stress drives down the highway and creates cortisol. That cortisol cuts off insulin from changing lanes to go where it needs to. Cortisol keeps its foot on the gas blocking melatonin from merging and pushing the insulin into the background. This can cause weight gain.

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For today...

Commit to one thing in the list above you can try for just 2-5 minutes and head on over to our Facebook group and share what you are committing to choose to do today.

Talk soon,

Renee

 

P.S. If you miss any part of the challenge, you can find all the day's materials here.

 

Day 2 Email-Morning Light

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Hi!

 

Yesterday we kicked things off by navigating the Stress Sleep Highway. Remember that melatonin hormone I mentioned that helps with sleep? Today we want to focus on getting the morning melatonin level to fall and waking up! Light to our eyes helps this. So when you get up, open your blinds and turn on the lights. Try to spend at least 2 minutes in the light. Consider eating your breakfast where you see the light out the window.

 

BONUS: Try to safely get outside in the light for 5-10 minutes twice in the day. The light helps send the right messages to our bodies about daytime and nighttime to help us sleep better.

 

 

For today… Snap a picture of where you plan to get your Morning Light tomorrow. Then, head over to our Facebook group and post it!

If you miss any part of the challenge, you can find the materials in the archive.​

 

Talk soon,

Renee

 

P.S. Did you know exposure to morning light helps you sleep better at night and have more alert and energetic mornings? Invite your friends to join us here.

Send me an email to let me know you shared for an entry into a drawing for a chance to win a Sleep Number Silk Pillowcase and Sleep Mask set or a True Temp pillow protector (donated by Sleep Number of Sandy, Utah)!

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Day 3 Email- See the Light

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Hello.

 

So far, we’ve Put the Brakes on Stress and Found Our Morning Light. Click to watch a short video and get started with today's tip!​​

 

Now, let’s think about the light in our rooms at night. For most people, there are many sources of light in our bedrooms. That same light we used yesterday to help turn off the melatonin switch and wake up in the morning, turns it off at night also and disrupts sleep.

• If you have a TV in your bedroom, set the sleep timer so it will shut off in a hour so the light and noise aren’t keeping your brain busy all night (as it will likely effect some stages of sleep for you and often the one that helps our memory)!

• Instead of the usual night light, try a motion sensor nightlight with an amber/orange light.

• Instead of keeping your phone next to your bed and being tempted to look at it when you wake in the night, move it across the room (it is best out of your room however I know many use it as an alarm clock).

• Does your alarm clock or air cleaner give off light? If there is an option to turn down the brightness or turn it off? If yes, do it.

• Is there light coming in a window? Do you need room darkening curtains?

• If you read a book in bed, can you change out the light bulb to an amber/orange light bulb (such as Sleep-Shift or Nite Nite).

All of these things help you brain recognize sleep is coming. Quality of sleep tends to improve brain fog!

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For today…

Commit to sit in your room tonight before bed and look around. What is giving off light? Where can you move your phone (if this applies to you)? Are there any noises that could be interfering with your sleep? Grab something to make a note with as you head in to bed. While you're at it, try moving your bedtime up 30 minutes tonight and see if you wake up more rested. The hours between 10pm-12am matter. Melatonin is generally higher then and positively impacts sleep quality.

Head over to our Facebook group and share how you found your morning light yesterday and if you got in your daytime light yesterday? Have some questions? Feel free to ask and plan to share what you saw tonight in the Facebook group tomorrow!

 

Missed any part of the challenge? No problem, find all materials so far here.

 

Talk soon,

Renee

 

P.S. Did you know I help women discover practical solutions to have the energy to outlast their kids and/or grandkids? If you know anyone who might be interested in learning more (or if this might be you 😉), fill out an application to learn more about working together here​​

 

Day 4 Email- Create your Sleep OASIS

 

Which sounds most familiar to you?​

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Susan starts thinking about getting to bed about an hour before she wants to get there. She washes her face and starts

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her skin care routine. Next she brushes her teeth, turns down the lights, and gives her phone a last look putting it up across the room from her bed. She settles into her soft bedding and spends 5-10 minutes in prayer, relaxation, or mindfulness. She drifts off to sleep and wakes the next morning refreshed. She opens her blinds to see the morning light, gets her first glass of water, and sits down to a breakfast of protein and healthy fat. If there is a stressful email when she checks her phone, no problem. She is able to address it from a place of strength and resilience. She welcomes the start of this new day. When she arrives at the gym, she has plenty of energy to fully participate in her workout.

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Linda starts to bed at the time she wants her head to be hitting her pillow. She grabs a quick few bites of a muffin on her way. She remembers a load of laundry in the washer and moves it over. Next she heads to wash her face, brush her teeth, and thinks about what to skip in her skin care routine to just get to bed. She checks those emails on her phone one last time. Before she knows it, 30 minutes have passed. Thinks to herself how stupid it was to waste time and hurries to finish getting ready for bed. Then jumps into bed and peeks at her phone once more. Her head bobs as she falls asleep scrolling her Instagram. She is restless, readjusting her pillow, and throwing blankets on and off. Many nights, she is up to the bathroom. Often she struggles to go back to sleep as her mind wants to solve the world's problems each time she tries to close her eyes. Six hours later, her alarm goes off and...she hits snooze. A few snoozes later, she drags herself out of bed straight to her coffee. It's so late now, she'll have her breakfast in the car. By 10 AM, she's rereading the same sentence to understand it and by 2, she is nodding off at her desk.

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There are likely parts of both Linda and Susan's stories you can identify with. Women have good intentions and know exactly what their body needs when they take the time to listen. Sleep plays a major role in our brain functioning at its best and detoxifying well. Detoxification is how our body rids itself of waste to achieve health and healing. Next step to help improve your sleep and think more clearly is to continue working on your sleep OASIS! Last night, hopefully you identified any lights in your room and even noises that could be interfering with your sleep. Today think about the rest of the bedroom environment.

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Here are some things to consider.

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• Temperatures between 65-75 F generally promote better sleep.

• Good ventilation and/or air purification (but not a noisy one) can be helpful.

• Take a look at your bedding. There are sheets and pillowcase that aid in cooling with sleep. Women who are struggling with hot flashes have found this type of bedding to be helpful. Consider a True Temp pillow protector like the one generously donated by Sleep Number of Sandy, Utah for our drawing or sheets and mattress toppers that may help keep you cooler while you sleep.

• Do your pillow and mattress support your sleep or interfere with it? Do you wake with a sore neck or find yourself turning your pillow over several times a night? Would a different pillow help? If a new mattress is needed but not in the budget currently, look into mattress topper options.

 

For today…

Look around your bedroom again for anything that could be the contributing to sleep being less than optimal for you. Then, please head over to our Facebook group and share how you can create a Sleep Oasis with a temperature change, an air cleaner, a bedding/pillow change, or something else (maybe it's one thing Susan from the story above does you would like to adapt).

 

If you’ve missed any day of this event, head over to the archives for all the info!

 

Talk soon,

Renee

 

P.S. If you are feeling like you want to learn more about practical solutions to sleep better and think more clearly, book a free call for more details!

ALSO- It's not too late for your friends to join here. Then send me an email to let me know you shared for an additional entry into a drawing for a chance to win a Sleep Number Silk Pillowcase and Sleep Mask set or a True Temp pillow protector (donated by Sleep Number of Sandy, Utah)!

 

​Day 5 Email- SWAP it out

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How was your sleep last night? With the practical strategies you've learned in the past 4 days, I'm hoping you are sleeping better and maybe even thinking more clearly.

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In the past 5 days, we’ve Put the Brakes on Stress, Found Our Morning Light, Seen the Light, and Created a Sleep Oasis.

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Let's start out today by watching my short SWAP IT OUT video here.

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We're all extraordinary, unique individuals. We often metabolize different food and chemicals in different ways. Because of this, eating certain types of foods or drinking caffeine may impact our sleep patterns differently. DON'T WORRY...I’m not going to tell you today to give up all your caffeine so keep reading! 😉

Whew—now keep reading. Many, many people sleep better when they stop their caffeine intake by noon. Try out stopping your caffeine at different times of the day and see how it effects how you fall asleep and sleep through the night. Consider a SWAP for decaf in the

afternoons or a tea, such as Matcha green tea (this is what I use). Could you mix half decaf and half caffeinated? Can you swap out sparkling water for a change? Ask yourself- do I feel less tired? Do I wake more refreshed? Am I thinking more clearly? What time was I hungry for lunch with caffeine cut off earlier in the day? Do I have less bloating or am I less anxious?

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For some people, blood sugar swings interfere with sleep. Consider adding a small serving of a complex carbohydrate (quinoa, oats, sweet potato, potato- yes even a small regular old potato and the smaller ones are better as if you eat the skin you get more fiber, chickpeas, or beans) to your dinner and track how you sleep. Complex carbohydrates take longer for your body to break down than more simple carbohydrates. Many people who wake after several hours of sleep can be experiencing blood sugar fluctuations. Consider adding a snack an hour before bed such as a small amount of peanut butter on celery or an apple and see how you sleep. Track different dinner combinations or near bedtime snacks and see how they effect your sleep.

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And for today…

What food or drink swap are you willing to try out to see if you can sleep better and think more clearly?

Head over to our Facebook group and share your food or drink swap? Not sure what good SWAP for you is, ask for suggestions!

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If you missed any part of the challenge, find all materials on the archive page.

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If you're tired of being tired or just don't feel yourself lately, book a bonus Sleep Check In and let's get you feeling better.

Happy sleeping!

Renee

 

P.S. Remember to cherish the unique and extraordinariness that is you today!

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