Cart

Your cart is empty

Continue shopping now

Sleep Well: How to Optimize Your Sleep

Sporty & Rich Wellness - Sleep Well: How to Optimize Your Sleep

 

By: @wellclub__

 

Sleep is the ultimate foundation of wellness. It is one of the main pillars for optimal health - physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. Sleep affects how we feel, think, move, eat, and behave. While there is great and justifiable significance placed on nutrition and movement in order to be well, there needs to be a priority placed on sleep. Our bodies, brains, and spirits need sleep to restore our natural balances.


Sleep deprivation can affect us in more ways than we would think. It affects our mood, mental health, our motivation to exercise, our metabolism, memory & cognitive performance, energy levels, hormones, stress levels, melatonin production, immune system, and it is connected to chronic illnesses. The expression “sick and tired” is a very legitimate statement. Our cells are growing, rebuilding, and healing while we sleep, so a good night’s rest is essential for optimal health.


Below are some recommendations to help optimize your sleep:


Limit Use of Electronics: Try to create a habit of limiting your use of electronics and your exposure to bright lights at least one hour before bedtime. Blue light is emitted from your phone, TV, and computer screen and has been shown to affect melatonin production. Try dimming your lights, keeping the brightness level on your devices low, and using blue light blocking glasses. Or, better yet, support your body to shift into parasympathetic mode by choosing a relaxing activity instead like reading, journaling, meditating, or gentle yoga.


Cool Room Temperature: Keeping your bedroom at a cool temperature, ideally below 20C, is recommended. As our body temperature naturally drops at night time, keeping the room cool helps to signal your body to sleep. Sleeping in a cooler climate has been shown to help fight insomnia, disease, combat aging, and improve mood. A crisp and cool temperature also helps to stimulate the production of melatonin.


Dark Room: As darkness helps to signal the release of melatonin, black out curtains, blinds, or a silk eye mask can help to promote a restful night's sleep. Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and a precursor to serotonin that helps to heal, grow, and rebuild our cells. 


Declutter and Simplify your Bedroom: Creating a “sanctuary” in your bedroom can help ease anxiety and trigger your body into a restful state. 


Eliminate Late Night Snacking: This can help your body to relax instead of focusing on digesting and metabolizing food. Especially avoid any spicy foods that may cause indigestion. 


Avoid Stimulants: These include alcohol, caffeine, and sugar. As caffeine takes hours to metabolize, a late afternoon latte may negatively affect your quality of sleep.


Supplement Accordingly: Consider a magnesium, melatonin, or herbal supplement. Magnesium is a calming mineral and can be ingested or absorbed via a bath with Epsom salts. Herbs such as chamomile, skull cap, passion flower, and valerian all have soft sedative effects. I recommending consulting with a professional prior to taking these. 


Consistent Sleep Schedule: Keeping the same sleep and wake schedule (preferably alongside the rising and setting of the sun) helps to strengthen your circadian rhythm. Natural day light exposure, early exercise, and avoiding late night eating can all help to strengthen your circadian rhythm as well.

Previous
Next

The Wellness Club

Sporty & Rich Wellness - Why Cold Water and Smoothies are Making you Bloated

Why Cold Water and Smoothies are Making you Bloated

Translation missing: en.blogs.article.by Taylor Davis

    By Dr. Natazia zu Stolberg, L.Ac, DACM In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the stomach is seen as a pot, with the fire under it being our metabolism. This digestive fire is crucial for the efficient breakdown of food, absorption of nutrients and smooth flow of Qi...

Read more
Sporty & Rich Wellness - 10 Ways To Calm Anxiety

10 Ways To Calm Anxiety

Translation missing: en.blogs.article.by Taylor Davis

By: @curanaturopathy Anxiety is a complex and multifaceted emotional and physiological response to perceived or anticipated threats, which we commonly refer to as stressors. This response is characterized by various cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and physical symptoms.  It’s no doubt that anxiety serves a true purpose as a natural and adaptive reaction to prepare us to deal with challenges...

Read more
Sporty & Rich Wellness - What’s Causing My Skin to Breakout?

What’s Causing My Skin To Breakout?

Translation missing: en.blogs.article.by Taylor Davis

By: @curanaturopathy Your skin health is a reflection of your internal health. If there's any signs of imbalance in the form of active breakouts, pimples, blemishes, so on, this can give us an indication that there's an imbalance internally and most often it's related to our gut health. Factors such as nutrition, hormones, stress, lifestyle choices can also influence your skin....

Read more
Sporty & Rich Wellness - Are Electrolytes Healthy For You?

Are Electrolytes Healthy For You?

Translation missing: en.blogs.article.by Taylor Davis

By: @gooodmoodfoood I am sure you have seen a lot of information on social media and the internet lately about drinking electrolytes. This may be slightly confusing because we have been told for years that sodium is bad for us and is making us dehydrated! In reality, ultra-processed foods high in processed sodium leave us feeling dehydrated and lethargic. When an individual...

Read more
Sporty & Rich Wellness - The Importance of Non-Toxic Skincare: Health Risks of Popular Ingredients in Conventional Products

The Importance of Non-Toxic Skincare: Health Risks of Popular Ingredients in Conventional Products

Translation missing: en.blogs.article.by Taylor Davis

By: @inceipek1 In recent years, there has been a growing concern among consumers about the potential health risks associated with the use of conventional skincare products. Many popular ingredients found in these products, such as emulsifiers, parabens, and others, have come under scrutiny for their potential toxicity. Emulsifiers: Emulsifiers are commonly used in skincare...

Read more
SIBO: The Most Commonly Missed Cause of IBS

SIBO: The Most Commonly Missed Cause of IBS

Translation missing: en.blogs.article.by Taylor Davis

By: @drmelissa.co Bloating, abdominal discomfort, unusual gas, constipation and/or diarrhoea are all symptoms that western medicine commonly chalks up to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). But IBS is essentially a blanket diagnosis for a group of symptoms, without providing any insight into the cause of the symptoms or curative treatments. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is a condition of the small intestine. The...

Read more
Sporty & Rich Wellness

Where to Start When Healing Acne

Translation missing: en.blogs.article.by Taylor Davis

By: @drmelissa.co Acne is one of the most complex skin concerns to treat. Treatment often involves a lot of trial and error and each case requires an individualized approach to achieve the best result. Patients may opt to treat the skin with pharmaceuticals (oral or topical), conventional skincare products, or with more natural options including supplements, gentle topicals, herbs, acupuncture, light therapy, etc. Regardless...

Read more
Sporty & Rich Wellness - Your Comprehensive Guide to SPF

Your Comprehensive Guide to SPF

Translation missing: en.blogs.article.by Taylor Davis

By: @dermahealthnutrition  Relaxing in the warmth of the sun is undoubtedly enjoyable, but are you aware of the potential risks? Protecting your skin from harmful rays is essential to prevent sunburn, reduce the risk of skin cancer and premature ageing. Here's what you need to know:...

Read more
Sporty & Rich Wellness - The Importance of the Skin Barrier

The Importance of the Skin Barrier

Translation missing: en.blogs.article.by Taylor Davis

By: @curanaturopathy Our skin barrier plays a crucial role in a healthy glowing complexion, but unfortunately there are many internal and external factors that influence the functionality of our skin barrier.  The skin barrier is the outermost layer of your skin, referred to as the epidermis or status corneum - this layer of tissue is...

Read more
Sporty & Rich Wellness - Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Skin Health

Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Skin Health

Translation missing: en.blogs.article.by Taylor Davis

By: @dermahealthnutrition  Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to our health and, according to recent research, may also have a positive effect on skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, and wound healing. Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat and are called "omega-3" because the first double bond in their chemical structure is at the third...

Read more
Sporty & Rich Wellness

The Connection Between Exercise and Skin Health

Translation missing: en.blogs.article.by Taylor Davis

By @coreflexpilates founder @chrisbardawil Exercise keeps our skin clear and firm, boosts its blood flow, removes toxins, and lowers cortisol levels. All of these factors are beneficial for the skin, but there are some things to be aware of when it comes to exercise and skin health, these are mainly; redness, bacteria, and drying out of the skin.When first looking up this...

Read more
Sporty & Rich Wellness - What is Microcurrent and Does it Work?

What is Microcurrent and Does it Work?

Translation missing: en.blogs.article.by Taylor Davis

@drmelissa.co Microcurrent devices have become a staple in the routines of many skincare professionals and aficionados. These at-home and in-office devices claim to tighten and lift the face while softening fine lines and wrinkles...but do they work?  Microcurrent devices provide treatments that are non-invasive and gentle. They deliver low level electrical currents...

Read more