Blog

5 hours of sleep is not enough. You knew that though, right?

“If the environment in which our ancestor’s nervous systems evolved was like the quiet windswept plains of Africa, then the environment our nervous systems are currently encountering is more like the seven stages at Coachella, each blaring a different, desperately important message.”

~ Asia Suler, One Willow Apothecaries

A fitting description for modern day living don’t you think?

Caring for our nervous systems is no longer a luxury in these times, it’s a necessity. We’ve got to find ways to build resilience, to strengthen our own core. To dig deep with self-care.

A common theme that keeps coming up with those I work with is… sleep (or a lack of). Some of us aren’t sleeping because, well, the world, our world, is unsettling. It’s also over-stimulating. There’s just so much information coming in and our nervous systems weren’t built to hold it all.

Get this – 80 years ago we slept an average of nearly 8 hours every night. Today the average is about 6.5 and declines with every year.

A lack of sleep is dangerous.

Research shows that injury/accident rates skyrocket with sleep deprivation (5 hours or less) and insufficient sleep creates inflammation, affects cortisol levels which ultimately affect insulin release and uptake – this domino effect leads to adrenal fatigue and hormonal issues. Chronic lack of sleep also increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Those of us who aren’t getting enough sleep will age faster and shorten our lifespans. A sobering thought.

So if you’re the kind of person who accidentally finds themselves wide awake at 2am staring at the ceiling, I get it.

When you learn how to take better care of your nervous system not only do you sleep better, think clearer, access deeper states of creativity and digest more (literally and figuratively)— but you reconnect to your core, your centre. You learn how to become more responsive and less reactive in your waking state. Yes it’s possible!

Is getting to sleep and/or staying asleep an issue for you? Like to investigate your own relationship with sleep and better understand how our habits and routines in modern life result in sleepless nights?

Sleep and good sleep hygiene practices are one of the 10 habits we cover in my Good Change programme. The next intake is September 29 and I have ONE space remaining. The Early Bird pricing ends in less than 2 weeks!

You’ll walk away from this 12-week course with the knowledge you need to get a good night’s sleep and learn the essential daily habits you want to have in place to help your nervous system stay resourced and resilient.

In the meantime here are five tips to help you cultivate your sleep safety net so you can surrender to deep sleep and rest. Try 1 or 2 and notice how you feel the next morning:

1. Turn your screens off an hour before bed (if this is a stretch, try 30 mins)
2. Do something to wind down, something that brings you joy (meditate, journal, read, belly breathing, yoga nidra, stretch/restorative yoga, have a non-caffeinated warm drink)
3. Massage your feet with warm oil (add essential oils like lavender or bergamot if you like) to get you out of your head and into your body.
4. Feel your fatigue. What signs does your body give you that fatigue has set in?
5. If you’re a night owl (awake after 10:30pm), wind your bedtime routine back by 15 minutes per week, or an hour per month, until you wake feeling well rested and energised.

Early Bird doors are closing next Saturday for Good Change.Your journey begins 29 September.

If you’d like to experience deep rest, vitality, clarity, calm and improved health overall, schedule a time for a free chat with me here or use the link below. For the full effects, the Good Change journey is 1 year. For a taster, you can enroll for the 12 week introductory course. You can join from anywhere – all you need is internet access.

PS – I’m so confident Good Change will be something you LOVE that I’ve backed it up with a satisfaction guarantee: You do the work and if – after three weeks – you don’t think it’s worth it, you get your money back. Simple.