We all know sleep is important but do you realise just how important it is?
Sleep rules EVERYTHING.
😴 How well we recover from stresses such as intense exercise, hectic work schedules or even a difficult relationship.
😴 It governs our overall energy levels and our ability to burn fat or build muscle (so pretty vital if you're trying to lose weight or bulk up)
😴 It determines how well we heal from an injury or illness
😴 It regulates our hunger, appetite and satiety (ever had a poor night's sleep and woken up craving something sugary or stodgy? Now you know why.)
Without quality sleep our body cannot recover from the day. Constantly getting poor quality sleep is a serious stress on the body. It can never fully recharge and you end up feeling more and more run down as time goes on. And this will have a huge impact on that fat loss goal you have.
(Notice how I'm talking about quality, not quantity here. HOW you sleep is much more important than how LONG you sleep.)
We are often told we should be sleeping '8hrs a day' to get adequate recovery and rest. But this is a very generic rule of thumb.
Have you ever got a full 8 hours but woken up feeling like you could sleep for another 8? Or had a solid 5 hours sleep and woken full of energy and ready to hit the day?
We are all different with varying demands, schedules and preferences and what works for one person won't work for the next. If you're a shift worker, a new mum or suffer with chronic pain, you will struggle to get enough sleep and you cannot control that. But you can control how WELL you sleep.
Improve your sleep quality by adopting a simple sleep ritual. Here are some ideas:
🛌 make your room as dark as possible by dimming lights or investing in black out blinds
🛌 try playing some soothing white noise or music while drifting off (I love the Sleepiest app)
🛌 shut off all electronic devices an hour before bed and read a book rather than social media
🛌 follow a basic meditation or mindfulness technique for 10mins to unwind
🛌 write down anything worrying you to declutter the mind and clear your thoughts
All my Nutrition & Lifestyle coaching packages include sleep and stress management. I take a holistic, deep health approach in all my coaching. Feeling good is so much more than just eating better and being active.
Need help? Drop me a message!