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Sleep, something we need, yet don’t always prioritize.  You’re definitely aware when off track and out of whack, as little things can seem so big and overwhelming.  We can become emotionally heightened (hello irritability) we stray from our priorities (I’ll train tomorrow…) and brain fog is no joke, making concentrating on even the smallest things, so challenging.  I’ve been going through the motions myself the past many months and have settled into a crazy pattern of waking nightly between 1:00 and 3:00 am, only to lie restlessly awake for hours, often never falling back asleep.  While I’ve tried many non-habit forming sleep aids, they may help me fall asleep, but staying asleep for a solid, decent block of time has been rough.  All this got me researching some things to make my bedtime routine more conducive to my goals…SLEEP! Stay with me here, I’m hopeful if you’re in the same boat, I’m about to hit on a few things you may not have considered. 💡

I try to avoid things at bedtime that stimulate my brain, so switching off my phone and keeping it out of reach earlier in the evening (sorry friends, I’m typically unresponsive after 7:00 pm), using blue light blocking glasses for tv watching (no news negativity), red spectrum light bulbs in all bedroom lamps, a chilipad mattress topper to help regulate my body temperature, white noise (chilipad provides this) no caffeine after 3:00 pm and no late night eating/snacking.  While alcohol consumption is often snubbed for its possible interference with sleep, omitting it hasn’t been on my radar, since the world has been spinning off its axis. I realize I may be fighting an uphill battle here, but I’m omitting one thing at a time to avoid my head poppin off.  That coupled with my personality and ongoing heightened cortisol levels certainly don’t point to me managing my stress and anxiety well.  Peaks and valleys, but working hard to calm the eff down daily.  I strive to have my labs done quarterly and have been overdue for some time now, so taking a look at bloodwork is my next step.  My doc routinely encourages me to find my “Zen” when he observes my cortisol levels, to which I clap back with, “I don’t meditate, so what else ya got?”  Patience is a virtue and not one of my strong suits in life, but I am working on it. I’ve even tried to increase my progesterone to the sleep dosage of 100mg, which claims to also assist with anxiety, something I’ve longtime suffered, but my body did not like that, as I’ve always been sensitive to anything that messes with my hormones and after two weeks of trying it, I was on to the next. Oh, I can’t forget massages and nightly stretching as well.  Yet NOPE!

I’ve read many have success with CBD and I had yet to try it for sleep, so I researched companies that provide high quality CBD products and that led me to Terra Vita.I have to be honest, I didn’t have high hopes, but after the first night on their sleep tincture, I was convinced I needed to stick with it.  After the first night of nearly 9 hours of solid sleep, it was clear I needed to hibernate for awhile.  Because I wear a Whoop Strap to track my training and recovery, I was able to see just how well my sleep cycle was when using it, something the other sleep aids did not provide in my experience.  I had more solid and high quality sleep (all the cycles) and the results have been undeniable. I’m so thrilled to have discovered something that works well for me and apparently many others. Don’t you hate when you’re late to the party?  Well at least I finally showed up!

Here’s what I’ve been using and loving of theirs currently and they have given me a discount code to share of TLG10.

Sleep is so essential for overall health, as it affects every major function of your body.  When the wheels began to fall off, I knew I couldn’t settle and needed to invest in me and I’m hopeful some of these ideas work for you as well.

As an adult, if you’re not getting the suggested 7-8 hours nightly, you may experience such things as:

 

  • Poor performance in the gym, on the field and in bed (SEX TOO!)
  • Intensified cravings of unhealthy foods
  • Difficulty paying attention and focusing
  • Increased depression, stress anxiety and overall mood
  • Likely to be more accident prone
  • Lowered immune system
  • Increased risk of diabetes and heart disease

Things to help you relax and settle in a bit easier in addition to some of what I’ve shared above:

  • Exercise daily
  • Stick to a consistent schedule as much as possible
  • Shut down your electronics an hour before desired bedtime
  • Eliminate caffeine after 3:00 pm
  • Heavy foods that will irritate your digestion close to bedtime
  • Alcohol if you are sensitive to it
  • Meditation, yoga, breathing exercises or a light stretch
  • Speak to a sleep specialist if you think you may have an undiagnosed sleep disorder
  • Consider a hormone specialist (things may be out of whack)

I’d love to hear from you if you’ve had good results with CBD as well!

Sleep tight!

TLG