The truth is we need a high quality and quantity of sleep to achieve a high quality of life.

And here’s our best tips for achieving that:

• Sleep is sacred healing time for our bodies that are our vehicle to carry us through life. Consider sleeps’ importance and ask yourself if you are honouring this essential part of life.
• Allow yourself to switch off and begin winding down during the day starting a couple of hours before bed. You may need to plan ahead here.
• No bright lights (particularly Fluro and CFL’s) or screens (TV’s, devices etc) in the 2 hours before bed. They stimulate the brain to produce Dopamine and Noradrenaline (Neurotransmitters that keep you alert) and block Melatonin production. This will either effect you falling asleep and/or your quality of sleep (i.e. depth and cycle quality).
  • The blue light in the screens is stimulating to the brain, this can be blocked by “blue blocker” red lensed glasses, I recommend SD Protocol for a pair. Also you can download an app called f.lux which strips the blue light from the screen, so you can watch without the stimulation yay!
• Avoid stimulants at night, this includes Tyramine rich foods such as aged meats and cheeses, soy products and fermented foods.
• There are a couple of supplements I love to use to relax my body and mind and facilitate the transition into deep regenerating sleep. I love using calming Essential oils such as Lavender, Orange, Frankincense, Vetiver, Cypress, Cedarwood or Petitgrain. Anywhere from 2hrs before bed onwards rubbed into the body with a carrier oil (e.g. Coconut oil). I also take Magnesium each night, especially after stressful days, as it breaks down dopamine and noradrenaline which are the “alert” brain neurotransmitters and relaxes your muscles. I don’t want to be alert at night! Also, a calming herbal tea that won’t fill the bladder up too much is a winner!
• Go to bed and rise at the same time daily to create good circadian rhythm. This is essential for our biochemistry, particularly neurotransmitter and hormonal 24hr cycles.
• One sleep cycle is 90 mins- consists of 4 stages or Non-REM sleep and one stage of REM sleep (at end of 90 mins, this is where we dream). Research show we need 5-6 cycles per night for body repair and regeneration. Brain needs this time for “de-frag” and other vital “software upgrades and integration” such as memory formation, this along with repair. The research is very clear that if we skip sleep time we tend to shorten our lives and have much higher disease rates as we move through life, notably dementia.
• We are in a catabolic state in daytime which means our body is in breakdown i.e. Kicking Arse. When we sleep we are in metabolic state which means we are in the repair shop receiving maintenance.
• Room must be dark as possible to ensure adequate levels of Melatonin (“the sleep chemical”) are produced.
• Avoid sleeping within 5ft of devices. Turn off standby TV’s and opt for flight mode on devices, try to avoid sleeping on the other side of the wall to electrical boxes particularly smart meters! The Electromagnetic Radiation affects us.
• It would be out of character as a chiro if I didn’t mention the importance of your sleep position on your quality of sleep and its effect on your bodies mechanical alignment. It is important to sleep on either your back or side. The pillow should be different in width for each because the side of your head distance to your shoulder tip is different to what you need when lying on your back. We only need a very thin pillow with slight raise for neck curve support when on back (can use a rolled towel btw) as per the video. On our side we need a pillow that is the same width as the distance between the side of your head and tip of shoulder if you were standing in a straight position. This keeps our spine aligned while we sleep which is not only super important for our structural health, but it also allows mechanical tension in the spinal cord to be released in the vertebral canal which means a calm nervous system that sends signals around the body more efficiently, so your body can regulate and heal itself better.