There’s nothing more important than this

Sleep.

If you struggle with stress or have had a hard time losing weight, then you will enjoy this read. 

Sleep is hands down the most important aspect to your health and wellness. According to the CDC and the National Institute of Health, only 2 out of every 3 adults get enough sleep on a regular basis. That means that 33% of the population is sleep deprived and I am sure that you have been apart of that statistic at some point in your life if you aren’t currently.

If you have a hard time getting through the day without caffeine or stimulants, have constant high stress, or are having trouble losing fat, sleep may solve a lot of your struggles. 

If you been out late into the wee hours of the night and have had a hard time sticking with a consistent sleep routine due to the nature of your lifestyle...honing in on your sleep habits could help you feel energized and inspired more than ever. 

So, here's a little education on sleep. 

Even though we live in a fast paced culture with technology evolving at the speed of light, our big brains haven’t quite evolved at the same speed. Being an animal, our bodies are still wired to a natural sleep/wake cycle better known as a circadian rhythm.

In our modern culture of phone attachment and TV binges, our bodies natural sleep/wake cycle is disrupted. On top of thinking that its daytime at 11pm, we’re being told and pushed that you should put in the long hours and long days now so you don't have to when you're older.

Don’t forget about the days we bragged to our friends about staying up until 3am partying or thinking you were the cool kid for pulling an all nighter in college. Even now, we talk to our friends about getting through the day with lack of sleep like a badge of honor and are envious and worship people who do get enough sleep.

Obeying the standard expectation, we experience sleep deprivation. 

When we experience sleep deprivation, we reach for stimulants like caffeine, sugar, and carbs to get a quick energy burst only to crash and burn a few hours later reaching for the next hit of dopamine. When we’re tired, we can’t focus. We don’t perform well at work, and our memory sucks. Then, we are so exhausted that we can’t even lift a finger to strength train or exercise to improve our health so we perpetually fuel a nasty, toxic system that is destroying our health.

We all intuitively know that sleep is important. But did you know? Sleep is where our body does all of its good recovery work!! Between 10pm and 2am is when the body does its physical repair and between 2am and 6am is when our body does its psychological repair. If our bodies don’t get that repair, then cortisol spikes to keep us awake for our activities.

Cortisol is a stress hormone, which having some in your body is normal and natural especially in the morning, but too much cortisol tells our bodies to store fat.

So if you are a person who consistently exercises trying to lose weight but lacks quality sleep, you must elevate and enhance your sleeping patterns in order to reach your goals. 

Now during our sleep cylces, we don't magically make up or speed up the repair process our bodies need if we sleep in a later to "catch up" on sleep. Our bodies need a consistent 7-9 hours of quality sleep to function at its best. 

So, how are you feeling so far? Any awarenesses about your sleep??

The good news, sleep patterns can be trained in as little as 7 days to a regular schedule.

Here’s how you can start to correct poor sleeping patterns:

1. Minimize your exposure to bright lights 2 hours before bed. This means no TV or screen time. When there is light, our bodies think it’s daytime and then it produces the stress hormones to stay active and alert like it does through the day. If you must look at a screen working, watching TV, or looking at your phone, wear blue light blocking glasses - these saved me during the pandemic when I was working 14 hour days on my computer and you can get a 2 pack on amazon for $15. Here's a link to the pair I use.
2. Make sure your room is completely dark when going to sleep. Any kind of light can kick on the bodies instinct to be awake with light.
3. Get to sleep before 10:30pm. This is important for our circadian rhythms to get optimal physical and emotional repair in that 10-2 and 2-6 time window for recovery. 
4. Don’t eat desert, sweets, or alcohol in the evening.
5. Make sure you are exercising regularly - getting consistent cardio in addition to strength training helps promote sleep.
6. Try different breathing techniques to help you fall asleep or get back to sleep if you wake up in the middle of the night. My favorite breath technique to fall back asleep is 4:7:8. Inhale 4 counts, hold 7 counts, exhale 8 counts.
7. Schedule a 1:1 Holistic Lifestyle Assessment for a full lifestyle analysis and wellness plan of action with with me by emailing at [email protected] 

If you have hesitation to any of this, notice it. Why? What story is going through your mind telling you not to try any of these useful techniques?

Sleep well my dear, you deserve it. 

Aho. Amen.

Megan Wren

Megan Wren is a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach, Fitness Expert, Poet, Author, and Performing Artist. You can find her on instagram at @itsmeganwren