Good Quality Sleep, Is More Important Than You Think...

Do you ever wish you could sleep like a puppy... 

with a belly full of food & not a care in the world...???

I know I do, but it's so hard to turn off. My mind wonders, I check e-mails, I hear noises outside or next to me, and if I go to sleep on a full stomach I'll toss & turn as my body digests...So even if I'm in bed early with the best intentions of getting 8 hours of sleep (the recommended amount for hormonal balance, mental alertness, and physical stamina), the quality of sleep is usually not the best, which means being in bed for 8 hours isn't sleeping:-(

The more research I do on sleep, the more I want it. I can feel a huge difference (mentally & physically) when I get poor quality sleep and when I get good quality sleep. When I was younger I used to think I didn't need much sleep. I remember cramming all night for tests and doing well on 2 hours of sleep. Looking back I probably could've done better if I had more sleep, but in the end I graduated and that's all that really matters now...

Actually, all that really matters to me now is good quality sleep...

Many diseases correlate to sleep deprivation in industrialized countries: obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. The thing I'm most concerned about on a day to day basis is the correlation between sleep deprivation, stress, (adrenal fatigue), and hormonal imbalance (high cortisol levels) because it seems that's a major factor contributing to the diseases. 

I try and manage my hormones, but when I am stressed, the less sleep I get. The less sleep  I get the more out of whack my hormones get. The more out of whack my hormones get the more 'yucky' I feel. I know, 'YUCKY' is not a professional term, but I'm not a Doctor. 

Ladies, you know when you feel 'YUCKY'...

Adjectives to describe YUCKY: bloated, tired, depressed, anxious, moody, carb/sugar craver, foggy, 'out of it', stressed, inflamed, fatigue, 'feeling fat', irritability, 'ready to fight', defensive, etc...the list can go on, but I think you get the picture...

To get a l little technical, chronically elevated cortisol levels are both inflammatory and catabolic and cause a myriad of disorders including: thyroid and metabolic dysfunction, cognitive decline, low serotonin levels resulting in depression, irritability, anxiety, carb cravings, immune suppression, altered glucose metabolism, elevated lipid levels, increased blood pressure, low melatonin levels resulting in altered sleep patterns, musculoskeletal issues resulting in difficulty recovering from exercise and possible subsequent injuries.  Cortisol levels are also related to mental acuity and can factor into degenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s...All 'YUCKY' which is why I want my sleep and need to be proactive about balancing my hormones...

There are 4 areas of focus I monitor to help me feel good, a sign of hormonal balance:

1. Nutrition 

- I personally follow Paleo about 90% of time, which means I eat 50% good-quality, mostly grassfed protein, 25% good fats (high in Omega-3), 25% low carb veggies & very little starch.

- I cook about 80-90% of all my meals, so I know exactly what is going into my body. This takes planning but, there are tips and tricks that I will share in another Blog Post to help.

- I drink about my body weight in water and water based veggies, stocks, tea, and other liquids.

2. Exercise

- I train 4-5 times a week and give myself at least 2 rest days which allows my body to recover and absorb the effects of the training. I used to work-out 2-3 daily, 7 days a week and found myself feeling YUCKY. I now know, that was because I was unconsciously causing my hormones to be out of whack, which increased cortisol in my body. But at the time, I thought I could eat whatever I wanted and would just burn off the calories since I worked-out so much...How F-Up'd is that...??? 

Bottom line Ladies, 

IT IS NOT ABOUT CALORIES IN CALORIES OUT!

IT IS ABOUT GOOD CALORIES BAD CALORIES! 

Read Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.

3. Lifestyle

- I take time for myself: laugh, play, have fun, breathe deep, appreciate life, and I try to do at least one thing for myself everyday...it can be as small as taking a walk about the block or as big taking a trip...

4. Sleep

- I try to sleep 7-8 hours every day, turning off all artificial lights because artificial light tricks the body into releasing more cortisol, suppresses melatonin, making it difficult to sleep. I take NightRest with Melatonin, a natural dietary supplement, about 1 hour before I got to bed to help me sleep. 

Read Lights Out by T.S. Wiley.

More on Cooking & Nutrition next week...

Do you feel 'YUCKY'? Do you think your hormones are out of whack?

Click HERE to read about a test you can do to check & scroll down to the video at the bottom...

I'd like to hear from you, post anything you might be feeling...remember, we are a community of women that want to support and help each other, but if we don't know what's going on we can't help...