3-22-21 Health Seekers: 10 Ways to Have Restful Sleep

Hi Friends, 

     Rest is as important to our bodies as any other pillar of physical health. We need restful sleep for dozens of reasons. One is so that our brains can detoxify from the harmful metabolites formed within it throughout the day’s work. Quite literally our brains are washed clean and restored during deep sleep, so that we can face the challenges tomorrow will bring, as well as to be able to fully enjoy the next day too. We need restful sleep for dozens of reasons and the Bible indirectly speaks about this too. Listen:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Mt 11:28 NIV

     Absolute rest can only be found in Jesus, because only He can take away our sinful nature that leads to all our unrest. In addition to finding this sweet rest in Him, God has also taught mankind so much about proper sleep hygiene. It is by God’s Grace that we are given the intelligence, the resources, the equipment and so on, to be able to study anything, including sleep, and to discover all the ways we can improve our health by improving our sleep. Here are 10 things we can do to rest more deeply and feel more healthy.

1- Stop eating at least three hours before bed: besides just feeling full and uncomfortable, this allows our bodies to begin digestion so that we can get the most out of the healthy meals we have eaten. Of course, this includes staying away from caffeine, especially if you are sensitive to it, so it won’t stimulate us, interfering with our sleep. Also this is a big help if you are one of the millions out there suffering with acid reflux. Your tummy will have some time to empty out so that it will make it less likely for the acid to go into the esophagus where it can do damage. 

2- Daytime Naps: if you are like me, day time naps mess up your ability to fall asleep at night…but then again, if you are like my hubby, Joe, they actually help. So pay attention to how they affect your night’s sleep. Here’s something interesting from WebMD: a 20 minute power nap can help with alertness, while more than 20 minutes might help boost memory and enhance creativity. Or like me, it will just make you more tired and cranky…again, gauge yourself and act accordingly. 

3- Environment Signals: keep your room dark and at a cooler temperature. These both work to signal our brains to produce melatonin, the sleep hormone. Hand in hand with this is to increase our sunlight or bright light exposure during the day, so that our circadian rhythm can get in synch with our days schedules. The more awake and energetic we are during the day hours, the more our bodies will want to sleep at night.

4- Quiet Down: not only do our bodies need to calm down so we can fall asleep, but our minds do too. Racing thoughts can be one of the biggest obstacles to falling and staying asleep. Creating a relaxing environment without any noise helps, but also doing whatever you can to quiet your soul- your mind, emotions and will- does so much for us. It should be no surprise that I recommend prayer. Just spending some time talking with our Father, thanking Him for everything that happened during the day, as well as releasing what didn’t quite go the way we wanted, is soothing beyond words. Here’s another tip to quiet our minds: sometimes I will set a timer and put on gentle Christian music, at a very low volume, to help me focus on gratitude to our Lord. It is amazing how much more refreshed I am when I wake up the next morning!

5- Blue Light: If you are going to read from your devices at bedtime, make sure you have turned on the “Night Mode” feature. This will cause your screen to have that orange tint so that it minimizes that blue light effect that can cause sleep disturbances. That light seems to diminish our body’s ability to make melatonin so it can keep us awake instead of letting us drift off into slumberland. Also, even though it is a bit controversial, with some agreeing and others disagreeing (what else is new!), there are blue light blocking glasses you can use…unless you are like me and forget to put them on all the time, yikes! 

6- Shut them off: I know too well this is a hard one, but we really should just get off our devices altogether at least 30 minutes before we go to bed. Not only can that blue light decrease the production of melatonin, but just the stimulation we get from these devices can cause us issues too. There’s nothing like keeping our minds rolling than getting upset from something we just read or heard online! If you really need to read before going to sleep, try reading a good, old paper book…I know a really Good one I can recommend (hint, hint)! 

7- Electronics: Just one more about devices because these things can become an extension of our bodies. Don’t only shut theses devices off, but move them to a different room, or floor if that is an option for you. This is one I struggle with all the time because I use my phone as my alarm clock, but it is so unhealthy for us for so many reasons. I will get more into the issues of EMF’s when we talk about the pillar called environment. But all those notification dings alone can really disturb our restful time, so shut them off…FaceBook will still be there in the morning.

8- Exercise: Here’s another one where you have to know yourself. Some people get overstimulated after exercising, yet others, like me, get exhausted. It doesn’t have to be anything too intense, but some heightened activity can lull you to dream-town. So if you are having issues falling asleep, why not try it…the worse thing that can happen is it doesn’t work, but the best case scenario is you do fall asleep, and have burned some extra calories in the process!

9- Make sure you are healthy: if you suffer from a more serious issue like insomnia or sleep apnea, please get checked out. Insomnia becomes chronic when it happens at least 3 nights a week for 3 months or more. It can affect the way you function, or don’t, throughout your day. (see picture below) But instead of turning to any prescriptions which do more harm than good, try natural remedies. Any or all of the tips here should help, but if you need more, try supplements like melatonin or magnesium, essential oils especially lavender oil, herbal teas like chamomile or lemon balm or get a massage…this is what spouses are for, right? Seriously though, in the case of sleep apnea, it is a much more serious situation and can cause all sorts of problems from heart disease, obesity and even seizure as it did with my Angel Pie. Please seek medical help.

10- Ones we Should Know: Here are a couple of the more popular tips that you have probably heard before, but just in case you haven’t: 1- Set up a sleep routine including going to bed at the same time every night, this helps set our circadian rhythm so our bodies know it’s time to go night-night; 2- a warm bath before bedtime can relax any body aches and just give us a nice sense of comfort; and 3- if you really can’t seem to fall asleep, get up and do something…once again, may I recommend reading the Good Book…that’s the last thing our Enemy wants us to do, so we should fall asleep quickly!

     Besides detoxifying our brains and making it easier to go through our next day with energy and joy, sleep is vital for every part of our health. Again, we are interconnected beings and everything effects everything else. If we do not get sufficient and consistent deep sleep, it will take its toll on our cardiovascular, endocrine and immune systems, plus do damage to our mental health too. So make a decision today to do all you can to get some good sleep and start by resting in the Lord, as the verse says above. Let Him take your worries away and restore you as you sleep. Lord knows after the year I have had, I sure need that. How about you? Then won’t you join me? 

     Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.

<>< Peace, Diane