Go the Fu@# to Sleep!
All throughout my career in health, I have educated people on the importance of sleep. ‘Get 8 hrs’, ‘you should wake up feeling refreshed’ blah blah blah… Little did I know Id have one of ‘those’ babies who doesn’t bloody sleep! 11 months ladies! Common kid! I love the book ‘go the fuc# to sleep’ by Adam Mansbach. It is totally relatable and makes the seriousness of sleep deprivation, a little lighter. I know if you are reading this, you can relate. Sleep deprivation is torture. Everything is harder, slower, requires more brain cells. The next nap is always being played out like a romantic fantasy novel, far away in a distant part of my scrunched up, smooshy brain. And romance? Hah! It felt like I was preparing for a marathon! I day dream and microsleep and try and laugh it off knowing that it has to pass soon. Surely! (please pass soon). 3-4 hours of sleep a night is not cool and its not so funny anymore… We know sleep is important! Everyone knows it! BUT what if you can’t get any sleep? What if you are a new parent or just can’t shut off? You’re pregnant or menopausal? What can you do to avoid total burnout? Lots actually… here we go!
Sleep Cycles
The National Sleep Foundation suggests from age 18-64, you should be aiming for 7-9 hours a night. Adults move through 90 minute sleep cycles, starting with a lighter sleep, then a deep sleep, then a dreaming state. Each sleep state has its own benefits. In light sleep, your body relaxes, your blood pressure and heart rate drops and your mind quietens. As you enter deep sleep (NREM) you begins to defrag and balance your hormones, repair tissues and renew cells, your body begins to detoxify and your immune cells recalibrate. The next phase (REM) is where your brain files away the good, the bad and the ugly and allow you to retain information and wake up clear headed in the morning.
We go through these cycles over and over throughout the night but spend most of the first half of the night (11pm-3am) in NREM sleep and most of the morning in REM sleep. My interpretation is 1st half of the night repairs the body, second half repairs the night. (source)
So what happens if we don’t get through a few good sleep cycles?
It’s pretty clear that sleep is important, if you don’t go through these sleep cycles enough, then your body and mind doesn’t rejuvenate. A recent study discusses the effects in great detail. The author, Goran Medic suggests Sleep disruption is associated with increased activity of our nervous system and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, metabolism and creates an inflammatory response. In otherwise healthy adults, short-term consequences of sleep disruption include increased stress response, unspecific pain, reduced quality of life, emotional distress and mood disorders, and cognitive, memory, and performance deficits. Long-term consequences of sleep disruption in otherwise healthy individuals can include hypertension, dyslipidaemia, cardiovascular disease, weight-related issues, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and colorectal cancer. Yikes! And as a nation, we are chronically sleep deprived! Now I am not saying this to scare you BUT it is what we see over and over again in clinic and so much of it stems from sleep. So, is it worth the bit of extra work to balance? I absolutely think so!
Now, I write this article with professional AND personal experience. I kept soldering on through sleep deprivation and not resting my body along the way and I started to notice a few things;
My hair started falling out
I crept closer and closer to a hypothyroid diagnosis
My blood pressure increased
I had a temper (sorry to my eldest!)
I got sick, nearly every 3-4 weeks
My bumps and bruises took ages to heal
My anxiety and depression felt harder to stay on top of
My iris changed and the colour of my eyes went more grey
I spouted grey hairs like no tomorrow
My skin dried out and began to wrinkle
All in the space of 6 months...
So what do you do?
There’s a few things you can do to balance out sleep deprivation. I’m not going to tell you to sleep more, nap more, share the load because I am yet to hear of a mother that does! (but high five if you do!) Here’s some 5 tips you can do to avoid total burnout whilst you get through the early days of parenthood or recover from what is preventing you from sleeping properly (and yes, there is light if you want to get back into a regular sleep pattern!)
#Tip 1 – Eat Well All I want when I’m tired is an IV drip of strong coffee and chips and gravy. I have learnt about the intricate details of blood sugar regulation and finally given them up, most days. When your body needs energy, it burns sugar. Carbohydrates are basically sugars so your body craves these when you are sleepy or exercising. Opting for carbs like breads, pastas, rice, potatoes and cous cous is going to seem like a great idea at the time, but an hour later, you will be hungry, tired and looking for more. What you really need when you are running on adrenaline is good quality fat and protein and easy to eat and digest foods. When you’re tired, your body enters a state of fight or flight (it’s stressed!). Sugar and caffeine will increase the stress when what you really need is some nurturing and to reduce your stress. I’ve got some of my favourite, easy suggestions here.
#Tip 2 – Mini Naps and Meditations Studies have researched naps extensively and the winner is a 20 minute nap. It’s enough to rejuvenate you, rest your body, restore your nervous system and won’t leave you feeling groggy. When I’m putting my baby to sleep, I lay down with him for 20 minutes. I get to rest and I don’t spend all day sleeping and not getting anything done or any me time. When I’m feeding, I close my eyes, connect with him and breathe into my tummy a few times. I relax all of my muscles and come out feeling grounded again. Meditations don’t need to be in a class, on a mat or alongside music, we need to make it practical or we won’t do it. The days I work, I make a point to just focus on my breath while the jug boils, I walk with intent and focus to the lunch room. I sit after I eat and just do nothing for 3-5 minutes. 3 minutes, 3 times a day has profound effects and its backed by science to be as beneficial as a nap!
#Tip 3 - Natural Medicine Natural medicine is profound when used correctly. This means that these suggestions won’t work for everyone because it truly needs to address what is causing your concerns. If you’re not sleeping because of a wakeful baby and I knock you out with skullcap, you’re going to feel groggy and probably worse! However, if you aren’t sleeping because your anxious, wired or suffer from insomnia, then skullcap may be your friend J If you aren’t sleeping because your menopausal, depressed and nervously fatigued, skullcap could be too drowsy for you and in my case, make me feel even more depressed! Can you see where I’m going here? Work with a practitioner to avoid wasting money on the wrong medicine. In saying that, I have found most people work well with magnesium an hour before bed. I like Fusion Organic Magnesium and Bioceuticals Ultramuscleeze Night which you should be able to find at your health food store.
Supporting your nervous system and energy levels during the day is going to mean your body rests easier and sleeps deeper. For me, that means a well-balanced breastfeeding supplement, activate B12 and a herbal mix of Withania, Rosemary, Rhodiola and Shisandra. By supporting my adrenal glands, nurturing my body (they call withania the hug in a bottle), and my cognition, my body is more rested and not on overdrive trying to force it to sleep. Ever tried to put an overtired baby to sleep? We are the same!
There is a lot that can help support you. I always start with food as medicine and supplement where needed. You don’t want to be taking something for ever but your body may occasionally need reminding that its got this!
#Tip 4 – Movement I am not going to harp on about the benefits of movement. We know its good for us right? Im not talking exercise at a gym, a spin class or a boot camp. If you enjoy this type of movement, go for it! Im talking about moving your body, stretching your legs, getting up from the computer. Simple everyday stuff that we dont need to book in a sitter for. At this point in my life, I cant handle any thing more then a gentle yin yoga class, cant do a heated room, cant do Pilates. However, ive been practicing for 12 years! Right now, my body needs slow. Slow walking, slow stretching, slow dancing and this is still enough to show noticeable benefits to my health and the quality of the little sleep I get. What im really getting at is you don’t need to go to the gym to get the benefits of movement and allow it to help you sleep better. Work with your body. Some days you might benefit from a slow walk, some days you will want to run, some days you might feel like one of Lizzy Williamsons 2 minute moves! You have to move though. It’s a pillar of health and we have been doing it for as long as humans have existed and trust me, if you don’t see it as a chore, your body will love it even more.
#Tip 5 – Stress Less Bahahah! I hear you say! But how? How can I stress less when I’m running a household, wrangling 2 kids, building a business, working part time and trying to study? By surrendering. I have finally surrendered that it doesn’t need to be all perfect, no one is really judging my abilities, they are all too busy thinking about their own crap and that I truly deserve to rest when I need to.
I had to make a schedule to look after me or I’d just forget to prioritise myself and keep stressing through each day rolling into the next. We do #mindfulmondays where I focus on doing everything I can mindfully, mindfully washing clothes, being present playing with the kids, being mindful of my thoughts. I do #fabfridays where my priority is pampering myself. I use kind words, I wash my hair, I shave my legs, I moisturise from head to toe. I eat beautiful foods that I want. I don’t do housework, I don’t book anything in, I just go with the flow. These 2 days have been a game changer for me and it’s so habitual know, I look forward to these days and I truly dissolve into them.
I have restricted social media to once every few days and really selected who I’m connecting with. I have turned off notifications, leave my phone in my bag and set a ‘do not disturb’ timer from 8pm to 8am. I’ve turned off the radio and the TV and turned on podcasts filled with inspiration. My favourites are Up For A Chat, Happy Mama and Low Tox Life
I have a beautiful aromatherapy ritual inspired by Kim Morrison, from Twenty8 Essential Oils. I ask for essential oils for Christmas and Birthdays and have grown a beautiful collection. In the morning, ill generally diffuse an uplifting oil, after school pickups we mostly need to ground and by evening, its all about relaxing. Essential oils have become a profound emotional lifeline for our family.
Its nap time now…
No seriously, I’m going for a nap because finally I can sleep without feeling anxious and like I have too much to do to sleep. Ive had my magnesium, Twenty8s ‘Instant Calm’ blend is in the diffuser and ive just fished a big bowl of withania and rose petal tea. I didn’t get here overnight though, I had help and im very much a work in progress but I am so much happier and healthier! I hope this article has helped breakdown the importance of sleep and provided you with some strategies to get the most out of life when your sleep deprived. Trust it will pass, trust in your body and connect with me if you want to get to the bottom of it together. Be well and sweet dreams x
