As our lives get busier and busier, we find ourselves trying to cram more and more into the day. In a society where we are rewarded and praised for how much we can achieve in one day …… our days are getting longer and longer with less time for sleep. This is coming at the expense of our health.
Could sleep be the key to change all of this?
Here's how sleep plays a key role:
The Physical / Functional Effects: 🏃🏻♂️
Sleep is nurturing and healing for the body. When we don’t get enough sleep the body automatically becomes inflamed. One study by Irwin and colleagues provides evidence that sleep deprivation is associated with enhancement of pro-inflammatory processes in the body. Sleep deprivation also adversely affects your hormone levels, affecting the way your body processes glucose, making you feel hungry and more likely to store body fat. It is no coincidence when we feel tired we are likely to reach for sugar. This further extenuates this biochemical inbalance. And in the long-run leads to Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity.
If you’ve experienced a bad night's sleep:
Look for natural, non-stimulating energy support instead of using sugars or caffiene.
- Ubiquinol, B Vitamins, burning rosemary essential oil.
If feeling inflammed and heavy from lack of sleep, natural anti-inflammatories will support.
- Tumeric, Fish oil, Green veggies, Magnesium, Vitamin D.
Genetically 🧬
There is no one sleep gene. As such, sleep may be influenced by many genes — the key is to trace back to the root cause for the particular individual.
Clock Genes - controls circadian rhythms and orchestrates the expression of a range of downstream genes, allowing the organism to anticipate and adapt to environmental changes. Beyond their role in circadian rhythms, several studies have highlighted that circadian clock genes may have a more widespread physiological effect on cognition, mood, and reward-related behaviours.
Genes relating to Neurotransmitter function - MAOA / COMT / GAD / OXTR >>>
Energetically ✨
The physical consequences of being a night owl (as humans), makes our bodies both physically and energetically heavy. This heavy feeling in the body becomes how we start our day! Feeling grumpy, heavy, fat, sore, unmotivated etc etc as we start to think thoughts (that are not true) coming from that moment of how our physical bodies are feeling.
In order to not feel this, we often reach for coffee, tea, chocolate, bubble teas, cigaretes, over-eating etc in order to feel better and get on with the day. However, as you can see, this layers one issue with another, and is how the recipe of chronic illness is made.
Hence sleep being the important preventative ingredient. Energetically, it is true that our sleep quality is a reflection of the day we had…. Therefore, if you spent the day feeling racy, anxious and nervous, your sleep will be directly affected in this same energy. This is why it is always important to not just rely on a quick fix, such as herbs, medications, supplements for sleep. Having a time of the day where you can say, “Im done, its time to relax,” is important as you can wind-down naturally in time for a deep, rejuvenating sleep.
It is a disregarding energy that allows us to ignore the needs of our physical body in this way, constantly over-riding it's messages. This creates patterns where we need to over- indulge in order to get by. Over-indulgence is linked to over-consumption of sugar. Both are linked to gum issues, lack of minerals leading to osteoporosis and anxiety.
If you’ve experienced a bad night's sleep:
Ignore the thoughts of negativity when your body is feeling heavy and out of balance, the next day! This is one short moment in time that doesn’t change the amazing person you are! Be mindful of what you are thinking, counteract with positive thoughts and don’t hold onto guilt or emotions.
Take a short break to get out in the sunshine ☀️ - feel the warmth on your skin and the energy from the sun.
Short day nap around 2-3pm, the hour we could do damage and reach for coffee and really mess up the next night’s sleep.
The hours between 9pm and 1am are the hours in which the body restores and refreshes us the most. The IMPORTANT part about this is …..if we miss this cycle of sleep, we will still feel tired and fatigued the following day. Even, if we are getting the exact amount sleep.
"Every night should be a preparation for the next day"
~ Dr Anne Malatt
Enjoy making your bedroom comfortable and ready for a good night's sleep. Your body will thank you!
We encourage you to contact Ignite Heal for support tailored to your specific requirements
E: admin@igniteheal.com or What’s App +65 9424 0027
For a complimentary 15 minute ‘Discovery Appointment’ to answer your questions.
References:
Elsevier. "Loss Of Sleep, Even For A Single Night, Increases Inflammation In The Body." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 September 2008. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080902075211.htm>.
Schuch, J., Genro, J., Bastos, C.,, Ghisleni, G.,, & Tovo-Rodrigues, L. (2017). The role of CLOCK gene in psychiatric disorders: Evidence from human and animal research. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet.:181-198. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32599.
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