Top tips to beat the October Sleep Slump
Are you ready for the October Sleep Slump?
Yes, you read that correctly! The October Sleep Slump is when you start to feel more tired than usual especially if you’re not sleeping well in the first place.
At this time of year, there’s less light. As we head into October with the clocks going back at the end of the month, the seasonal darkness sets in.
When it’s darker, your melatonin (sleep hormone) levels go up which means, your body winds down and makes you feel sleepy.
Get more light
Resarch shows that we are deeply affected by the light or lack of it, so it’s important to get as much light as possible, especially in the morning. That will help the body turn down the melatonin (sleep hormone) and turn up serotonin (daytime happy hormone).
When in rhythm, you should feel lively and happy during the day and sleepy at bedtime! That may sound like a dream, but it is possible if you respect the rhythms of nature.
Establish healthy rituals
Having a regular bedtime and get up time will help your body stay in tune with its natural rhythm. Chopping and changing bedtime and get up time confuses your internal body clock.
Get your body moving
A healthy balanced human being sleeps well at night and a balanced human being needs to move. Yoga is a wonderful way to keep the body flexible, the energy channels open and the mind clear. The benefits are clearly documented everywhere and there’s plenty of research to back it up from Harvard to the NHS.
The right wind down
We should be prioritising sleep as it affects every single biological process of the body. It’s also one of the most powerful performance tools known to man. It’s therefore important to prepare for sleep with the right wind down. Watching a thriller just before bed on TV is not the best type of wind down.
Your wind down should start at least an hour before bed which means the technology and TV need to be turned off. Start moving into stillness, limit difficult discussions, tone the lights down, no more emails or checking the bank balance!
Eat right, eat light, eat early
Your body’s digestive fire is at its highest when the sun is above your head. Therefore 8pm is not a good time to be having the bulk of your calorie intake.
In the evening, your body dials down the digestive fire because its trying to lower the body temperature. In order to go into a deep sleep, your body temperature needs to drop. If your body is digesting food, your body temperature rises.
Eating light in the evening will help avoid a rise in body temperature when you’re trying to go to sleep.
Most people think that being tired is the key to getting to sleep and staying asleep. You actually need energy to go into a deep sleep. If you’re not getting the right nutrition, or your body is not digesting well, that too, will affect the quality of your sleep.
Be kind to your digestion and it will be kind to you!
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