Katherine Tomasso
The situation: your customer tells you they work out, eat well and takes time for them...but still finds it very difficult to enjoy a solid, rejuvenating sleep that provides them with enough energy to live the life they want to live. They know that the impact of sleep on health and for glowing skin is essential.
Whatever they do, your clients often feel tired and asks you if you can help. See below for important lifestyle hacks that can help improve the quality of sleep for you and your clients:
Important Reminder:
It's crucial to be very clear and let your client know they likely won't get back to a consistent good night's sleep in just two or three days. If they want to do it naturally, without using sleeping pills or other medicated solutions, your customer will have to set new habits over the span of 2 or 3 weeks.
In any case, before you can give a pertinent answer on this subject, you need to understand how sleep works.
Sleep is not continuous. Every night, we wake up on average 3 or 4 times without realizing it. We begin with a phase of very light sleep, as when we doze off in front of a movie and wake up 15 minutes later with the impression of having been "absent" for a few seconds. Then we enter a phase of light sleep, where we can still be easily awakened by excessive noise or brightness. We then experience deep sleep. Deep sleep is the most restorative for our immunity, the most important for consolidating our learning and the most regenerative for our cells. Finally, REM sleep is our dreaming and emotional expression phase.
So waking up during the night is normal. What's abnormal is not being able to go back to sleep. This can be linked to racing thoughts, anxiety, poor sleep hygiene (physical activity in the evening, poor nutrition...) or a lack of sleep.
Here are a few tips to help your client get back to a good night's sleep:
Improved Sleep Tip #1: Exercise Outdoors.
Daylight sets the pace for our day. Spending time outdoors tells our brains that it's daylight and that it's not the right time to sleep. Walking, cycling, jogging or simply getting out and feeling the energy flowing in our bodies, oxygenate our cells and create the physical exertion that will then justify a well-earned rest. In a lifestyle where the near-continuous light from our screens can trick our brains into thinking it's still daylight at 10pm, this clear awareness of day and night is essential for restoring quality sleep.
Improved Sleep Tip # 2: Be Aware of the Timing and Nutrition of Your Evening Meal.
As deep sleep is the most restorative, we try to create the conditions to reach it as soon as possible after getting into bed. For this to happen, the body must be at rest which means digestion must be complete. In the evening, avoid fats and animal proteins in favor of complex cereals. And try to eat 3 hours before bedtime.
Improved Sleep Tip #3: Commit to Staying Well-Hydrated.
Drinking enough water - between 1.5l and 2l a day - is one of the most critical parts of an effective wellness routine. In addition to its well-known benefits for healthy skin and muscles, and for curbing food cravings, drinking enough water also helps you get a good night's sleep. The easiest way to do this is to always carry a bottle of water with you so you can hydrate regularly.
Improved Sleep Tip #4: Avoid The Snooze Button and Maintain a Sleep Schedule.
Even if you went to bed later the night before, it's better to get up at the same time the next morning and take a restorative nap in the afternoon. This can be as short as 15 minutes for an occasional boost, or as long as an hour if you're really tired. But not longer than an hour to ensure you're able to fall asleep early enough for your regularly scheduled alarm.
Improved Sleep Tip #5: Eliminate Screens 1 hour Before Bedtime.
The "stimulating " effect of screens on the body at bedtime is well known. Ideally, you'd like to eliminate them all. But if "all" is a little too drastic, prioritize the ones you're used to scrolling on, as they keep the brain alert and prevent the sleep cycle from setting in.
Bonus Sleep Tip: invest in a basic alarm clock to avoid having to use your cell phone to wake up. Ideal for allowing yourself to turn your phone on or two hours later!
Improved Sleep Tip #6: Don't Make Your Bed Your Workplace.
Confinement has led to a change in our working habits and remote work is now very popular. Many of us have got into the habit of working in bed for comfort or lack of space. But to maintain quality sleep, it's important for the brain to understand that when you're in bed, you're in bed to sleep. Not to work or watch TV.
Improved Sleep Tip #7: If Your Bedroom Doubles As Your Office, Be Sure to Fully Power Off The Computer Screen at Night.
If the bedroom also houses a desk, make sure you don't leave the computer on or the screen on standby once your working day is over. For a laptop, closing the screen is a sign that the working day is over and the brain can go into "rest" mode. If you're using books or paper files, everything will be put away to be reopened at the start of the next working day.
Improved Sleep Tip #8: Build a Custom Routine of Evening Rituals.
We read a lot about rituals at the beginning or end of the day. There are no right or wrong ones. The important thing is for everyone to be able to identify what helps them to calm down: reading, listening to a podcast, herbal tea, journaling...
Improved Sleep Tip #9: Clear Your Head Before Going to Bed.
Write down everything you have to do the next day, what you mustn't forget, what you haven't finished during the day... This "brain-clearing" operation before going to bed helps you to fall asleep more quickly and, above all, to avoid being woken up by these preoccupations in the middle of the night.
You now have some simple but high-quality wellness tips to deliver to your customers to help them take action to improve their sleep. Yet another opportunity to position yourself as a true wellness expert!