Nutrition by Dawn - Blog

I know we’re all busy planning a summer filled with fun, and hopefully there will be plenty of bonfires with friends, picnics in the park, and getaways for you in the coming months (or whatever brings you the most joy). While we work on getting our calendar all set up for summer, don’t forget that those long summer nights are going to call for something else, too: plenty of R & R. 

I don’t find many women who tell me that they think they always get plenty of sleep. The reality is that most of us will have a day (or two) every so often where we’re running on a little less steam than usual. I can get by on that small amount of steam for a day, or two, or maybe three, but I always find that not getting enough sleep catches up to me after a few days. 

We all have a different sleep number for what we need to get, but it averages between 6 and 9 hours for most of us. I’ve found that my personal sweet spot is right around 7 to 7.5 hours–but, of course, I won’t turn down the opportunity to sleep in a little on a lazy weekend morning. ;)

If you’ve ever gone through the motions on a day when you just didn’t have enough sleep, you know that sleep is super important. 

Sleep is part of the fuel that our body needs to operate, so when we don’t get enough sleep, we really are running on empty. That means our body has to put so much more effort in just to complete our everyday tasks. When we don’t get enough sleep, our body has to work overtime to complete our to-do list, and that adds additional stress. 

You probably make sure that you plug in your phone before going to bed so that it will be fully charged and ready to go for the next day. We all know that we can’t use a phone if it’s battery has zero charge. Your body is just like your phone; it needs that period of recharge time in order to perform! Giving your body as much time as it needs to recharge will let you start the next day with a full battery, ready to take on the world. 

Today, I want to talk about how you can get a little more sleep in your life so that you can be the best version of yourself.

1. Get into bed just ten minutes earlier than usual.

There may be days when you wish you could get an hour or two more sleep than usual, but your schedule probably makes that kind of wish impossible. Instead of expecting to add hours to your sleep routine when that’s just not realistic, try getting into bed 10 minutes sooner than usual each day. 

It might take you a few minutes to fall asleep once you’re tucked in, so that 10 minutes can help soak up some of the extra time you spend in bed waiting to drift off. Adding 10 extra minutes of sleep doesn’t sound like a lot, but over the course of a week, you’re adding a little over an hour of sleep into your routine in a way that’s so small, you probably won’t even notice those minutes are gone from your waking hours. 

2. Stick to the bedtime you set for yourself. 

We all have roadblocks inhibiting us from getting to sleep as early as we may like…mine comes in the form of a delightful teenager who likes to procrastinate his homework. :) The mom in me wants to stay up with him while he puts the finishing touches on his assignments, but I’m going to try something new and stick to the time I set for myself to go to sleep. 

There will always be something demanding our attention, but it’s important that we keep our promises to ourselves, as well. Try setting a goal for what time you want to be in bed each night, and then make it a priority to stick to that time. You may be shocked by how much of a difference it makes!

3. Make your sleep time quality time.

When it’s time for bed, make that your time to sleep–not your time to toss and turn or stare at a phone screen. I’m a big believer in taking the proper supplements for my health, and I find that taking my omegas helps a ton in the quality of my sleep. If you would like more information about how I supplement my sleep, I would love to help you out so that your time spent snoozing is high quality!

It’s not always an easy choice to prioritize our sleep when so many things demand our attention, but it’s so important that we do. Sleeping enough and sleeping well are key to living a healthy, happy, and balanced life. 
 

What time do you usually call it a night? Let me know in the comments!

If you need some inspiration for healthy living, please join me in my Facebook group Never Diet Again for a great community filled with great discussion!