When Sleep Rituals Aren't Enough

You're doing the sleep ritual thing. You've dimmed the lights. Turned off the electronics. Relaxed. Gotten in bed, shut your eyes, and thought of a calm blue ocean.

But you still can't sleep! URG! What a cruel joke! What's going on?

According to Precision Nutrition, here are some things that might be killing your sleep:

     1. Wonky Hormones
               Some hormones, like melatonin and growth hormone, help us sleep. They make us feel drowsy and they rejuvenate and rebuild our body while we're sleeping. But, some hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, while they help us lose fat and stay healthy during the day, can cause problems at night. Just remember, if you can't sleep you may have some hormonal issues. Check out www.precisionnutrition.com ->blog for more information.
     2. The Stress Factor
               Sleep and your hormonal health is also affected by: chronic stress, too much caffeine (or other stimulants), over-exercising (especially chronic cardio or too-frequent, highly intense training) and over-restrictive dieting (including fasting).

*Whether it's physical or psychological, stress can and will knock your hormones out of balance*

According to Precision Nutrition, here are some suggestions on how to FIX YOUR SLEEP.

     1. Include a small portion of high-fiber, slow-digesting smart carbs at every meal.
               If you are tempted to drop your carbs too low, well, just don't. Carbs help with proper hormone synthesis (including your feel-good sleepytime hormone serotonin) and tell the body that you've had enough to eat.
     2. Eat at regular intervals, every 3-4 hours, when you're hungry.
               Don't fast or skip meals.
     3. Balance your intense training with low-intensity relaxing-type activities, like yoga or talking a walk.
     4. If you are concerned about underlying hormonal problems, consult with a health care provider.
     5. If you haven't already, develop a sleep ritual!
               See my previous post about creating a sleep ritual for ideas.

*For those that struggle with sleep, I hope this information helps guide you in a direction to help you get more and/better sleep!*

Until next time,
Hayley Earley, BS, CSCS, Pn1
hearley@mvhospital.net