Hello sleepless friends near and far. Today we have an important message for you! If you’ve started your health journey–and especially if you’ve started your new way health journey–you will find that sleep is one of the main ingredients of a healthy lifestyle. After all, getting restorative sleep regularly can impact your ability to take care of your health through diet and exercise. And of course, it can even affect your motivation to do any of these things to begin with! One might argue that if you can only fix one thing, sleep is THE one thing to fix.
As most of us likely know all too well, when we don’t get sufficient sleep, we may experience changes on both a personal and physical level. We often become cranky, moody, or simply unmotivated. We may feel more aches and pains or discomfort. And we may even feel disconnected to our sense of inner peace, because inner peace comes from taking care of our whole self. So when looking at the impacts of insufficient sleep on our health, we encourage you to view it through the lens of our mind-body-spirit connection.
Mind
Sleep is essential for optimal cognitive function. During deep sleep, your brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and enhances problem-solving abilities. A good night’s sleep can leave you feeling mentally sharp, emotionally resilient, and ready to tackle the day’s challenges. Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to cognitive impairment, mood disturbances, and an increased risk of mental health conditions like anxiety and depression which, as many of you know, can perpetuate poor sleep patterns.
Body
Sleep is your body’s time for repair and regeneration. While you rest, your body mends tissues, supports immune function, regulates hormones, and supports metabolic practices. But when you don’t get adequate sleep, it can lead to weight gain, a weakened immune system, and an increased risk of chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease (which can also perpetuate poor sleep). Our holistic approach recognizes sleep deprivation can manifest as physical symptoms, some of which can become long-term issues.
Spirit
Quality sleep fosters emotional balance and inner harmony. It can be the difference between surviving and thriving. Without sleep, it can be challenging to feel like yourself at all and if this pattern continues, you might even feel like you’ve lost sight of yourself. Everything feels harder because it is harder when your body and mind haven’t been afforded the rest they need to function effectively. It’s important to remember that if you feel this way, it’s a wake-up call, or rather, the opposite of a wake-up call. A call to heal your relationship with sleep and the habits you have around it.
So what do you do if you’re stuck in a sleepless time loop? It can be helpful to target the source of your poor sleep. You may find that your relationship with sleep is connected to your mind-body-spirit, rather than just one aspect of yourself. One of the most helpful things to do is to practice better sleep hygiene, improving the habits you have that support quality and restful sleep. If you would like to learn more about sleep hygiene, consider joining our “Optimize Your Health” Program, a monthly group session that delves into different core health concepts. This October will be all about promoting better sleep. If you would like to join, click the link below.
Poor sleep can be an indicator of imbalances, whether they be related to your mind, body, or spirit–or all of the above! It’s important to notice the signs and to remember that it’s never too late to improve your patterns around sleep. We wish you deep and restorative rest.
