By Health Coach: Arleen Triolo│ Founder of Grow Nourish Live, www.GrowNourishLive.com │ IG: @grow.nourish.live │ Singapore
Do you ever find yourself in bed lying awake for hours? Or do you struggle to get back to sleep in the middle of the night? Do you have racing thoughts that keep you from that delicious rest? Do you feel so exhausted during the day that you just can’t focus, but are wide awake at night? If that is you, then lean in.
We all know that having a good night’s sleep is not only one of life’s ‘free’ pleasures, but it’s also critical for our mental and overall physical health and performance. And yet, for many of us, a rejuvenating night’s sleep happens once in a blue moon. If you’re anything like me, sleep doesn’t always come easily, even when there is plenty of opportunity to go to bed early.
Here are 5 hacks that will help you supercharge your sleep for more energy and better performance the next day.
1. Be Up for Sunrise
This may sound counterintuitive, but a good night sleep starts the moment you get up…
Morning sunlight, how much and when you get it, significantly impacts your sleep patterns. Our body’s circadian rhythm revolves around the pattern of the sun, meaning that our appetite, energy levels, hormone production and body temperature all operate in accordance with day light and night fall.
The best way to get your 7 – 8 hours of sleep is to spend 30 – 45 minutes in the morning sun, between the hours of 7 – 10am (the same benefits can be experienced even through a cloud covered sky). This can help regulate your circadian rhythm, so that you are better able to fall asleep at night and feel energised during the day.
This practice helps to raise your cortisol levels in the morning, when they should be naturally high, and level off at night, when melatonin (the sleep hormone) should increase.
Cortisol and melatonin operate indirectly to each other. Cortisol, though commonly known as your “stress” hormone, plays an important role in regulating your circadian rhythm and helps to energize your body during the day.
2. Sunrise Exercise
To supercharge your sleep, try to pair your daily dose of morning sunlight with exercise. This also helps to boost your cortisol levels in the morning and, therefore, regulate your circadian clock, and tells your body to produce the sleep hormone, melatonin, earlier in the evening.
So why not take your HIIT routine (High Intensity Interval Training) to the park; go for a morning jog or practice some sunrise stretching and meditation?!!
3. Chill Out
According to the National Sleep Foundation, the room temperature for optimum sleep is surprisingly low – around 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius). Lower bedroom temperatures help to stimulate the production of melatonin which encourages sleep.
In keeping with our circadian rhythms, our body temperature is higher during the day and then naturally cools down as we go into a deep rejuvenating sleep. Switching your heavy down comforter to something light weight, cranking up the AC or ditching your PJs may also help your body to stay cool during the night, promoting a better, more rejuvenating sleep. So, sleeping naked may actually help you stay energised and youthful.
4. Rumbling Ocean Sounds
No, white noise is not just for babies.
One of my personal favourites has been to fall asleep to the sound of running water. This has dramatically impacted by brain’s ability to switch off my racing mind and, judging by the myriad of running water tracks on YouTube and Spotify, I am not the only one who can attest to the soothing power of rumbling ocean sounds.
The consistent and gentle background noise promotes relaxation and quiets a busy mind.
5. Fill up on Sleep-Supporting Nutrients
Last but not least, below is a quick and easy recipe that will boost your body’s natural ability to fall into a delicious and rejuvenating sleep.
This quick and light meal will have you spend less time in the kitchen at night so you can focus on relaxation. It is also easily digested so that your body can prioritise its task of cell repair and waste elimination over digestion. In addition, it is full of sleep boosting nutrients, including:
Magnesium – a nutrient well known for boosting sleep by maintaining healthy levels of GABA (a neurotransmitter that promotes sleep), and for its role in helping your muscles and nervous system to relax.
Potassium – a nutrient necessary for proper muscle function and heart rhythm, and important in the prevention of muscle cramps and restless leg syndrome, which can play a major role in disrupted sleep.
Vitamin B12 – Studies have demonstrated that this vitamin is involved in regulating sleep-wake cycles by helping to keep circadian rhythms in sync.
Vitamin B6 – a nutrient that benefits the body by converting the amino acid tryptophan into serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate levels of the sleep hormone melatonin.
Zinc – plays an essential role in the metabolism of melatonin which is a key hormone for healthy sleep. Along with helping to regulate sleep, zinc has shown to improve the vividness of dreams.
CHICKPEA PESTO ZOODLES
Ingredients
Zoodles:
- 1 medium sized zucchini – spiralized (can be found in the market pre-done or buy a spiralizer at your nearest home store like Home Goods, or on Amazon.com)
- 1 cup of chickpeas
Pesto:
- 2 cups of basil
- 1/2 cup of walnuts
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsps lemon juice
- 3 tbsps nutritional yeast
- Pinch of pepper and salt
Optional: add 3-4 brazil nuts for an extra boost in zinc, magnesium, selenium and B vitamins.
Instructions
- Spiralize zucchini and set aside.
- Place basil, walnuts (and brazil nuts), garlic, lemon juice, oil and nutritional yeast to food processor (or chopper) and blend until creamy.
Tip: Add more oil or lemon juice if needed to make the consistency more creamy.
- Add pesto, zoodles and chickpeas into a bowl and toss until well combined.
And enjoy!
Arleen Triolo, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and founder of Grow.Nourish.Live.
Arleen is lawyer turned Health Coach, blogger, recipe creator, and founder of Grow.Nourish.Live.
Arleen is passionate about helping busy individuals build a healthy lifestyle that supports sustained weight management, a positive mindset and helps to prevent chronic disease. Ultimately she gives her clients the time and energy to enjoy what really matters to them – family, career, relationships etc.
She has experience helping individuals with a range of issues: from restoring optimal gut health to reducing the inflammatory cascade that can lead to chronic disease, to helping others overcome negative belief systems, eating disorders, and insomnia.
Arleen also coaches group sessions and leads workshops on a variety of topics, but she loves to work one-on-one with clients to help them achieve their health goals and live a fulfilled life.
Follow Arleen on Instagram at @grow.nourish.live!
www.GrowNourishLive.com