I can’t stress enough how important sleep is for your overall health and wellness. While restless sleep can have many causes, its negative impacts are consistent and detrimental to wellbeing. Without sleep, the body’s immune system weakens, motor skills slow, and in serious cases, one can develop adrenal fatigue which can leave you unable to get out of bed for days, reverse your daytime/nighttime energy levels, and leave you craving sweet and salty foods. No thank you! And, while it may not be possible to control all the causes of sleep disruption, there are four, easy habits to get a good night sleep.
Up Your Magnesium Intake
Magnesium is a main ingredient in the recipe for a good night’s sleep. This mineral helps balance blood-glucose levels, essential in steadying your body’s metabolism. Let’s say, just as an example, that you eat sugary snacks all day long, up until bedtime. A few hours later, mid-REM cycle, guess what? You’re hungry again which disrupts your sleep and wakes you up. If instead, your daily diet includes minerals like magnesium, you are less likely to get hungry throughout the night and more likely to sleep soundly. Apple cider vinegar, cacao, and parsley are ingredients packed with this sleep-soothing mineral. Looking for a yummy nighttime snack? Try hot chocolate for some sweet cacao nutrition goodness!
Have a Night Cap
Keeping on the blood sugar kick, adding a simple dose of cashew or almond milk as a nightly night cap can keep you sleeping soundly. This bedtime treat can steady your blood sugar levels for an extended time, giving you that full 8 hour dream-filled slumber. At Urban Remedy, we love to relax and add the sweet flavors of cinnamon and vanilla to our cashew milk night cap.
Settle Down
A calm, settled mind will help you fall asleep more easily and stay asleep longer. Adding some simple, relaxing yoga poses to your bedtime routine can help you combat insomnia.
Add Acupuncture to your Routine
This ancient Chinese practice consists of sticking small needles into particular pressure points to alleviate tension. Studies have found that acupuncture can actually increase nighttime melatonin levels, as a natural depressant produced by the brain to calm the body’s nervous system. Is chronic pain keeping your nights restless? Acupuncture can also lower symptoms of chronic pain. Pain-free bodies lead to dream-full nights!
Consider adding these four habits to your daily routine to achieve deeper, more restful and restorative sleep.
