When Elle was born, I learned firsthand why parents often talk about how little sleep they get. During those first days, weeks, and months, I walked around like a zombie getting accustomed to motherhood. If I had known that over the course of any given 24 hours, I would get my 5-6 hours of sleep, that may have helped me back then. (Even though that sleep was broken into 15-minute to 2-hour increments.) 😮💨
The hardest part wasn’t the endless diaper changing (that was kind of adorable most of the time!), it was the minimal and weird sleep patterns that did my head in. 😵💫
But it wasn’t just becoming a parent that gave me beastly sleep patterns, I never prioritized or paid much attention to my sleep quality. I always wanted or needed to ‘do more’, or stay up late and have fun. I’ll sleep when I’m dead, as they say.
Once I quit my corporate job, for the first time in my adult life, I let myself get enough rest. 7 to 8 hours is ideal - not only from what I’ve experimented with for myself but also what health experts tout.
Too little sleep (under 7 hours each night) may cause cognitive harm and too much (more than 8 hours) may do the same.
When I started getting enough sleep, I was so much happier. It made a tremendous difference in how I felt, how my brain functioned, and how quickly connections were made - ie. I was able to produce better quality everything!
I wished I would’ve done this sooner and gifted myself that extra 1-2 hours of sleep to naturally detoxify the brain and contribute to longterm wellness!
“Sleep deprivation can cause microglia (the brain’s specialized waste clearance cells) to destroy healthy neurons and their connections. This innate detox system is essential for clearing harmful by-products, but in chronic sleep-deprivation, the system turns on itself, pruning the very cells it would otherwise preserve.
The damage sustained by this abnormal process appears to be cumulative over the long term, and may explain the brain shrinkage found in individuals who consistently fail to get enough sleep.”
Drs. Ayesha and Dean Sherzai | Durmer, et al. (2005). Seminars in Neurology, 25 (1), 117-129. | PMID: 15798944
Cool story, doctors, but the problem is I need to know…
How to fall asleep (and stay asleep)
Chronic sleep problems are rampant. Anxiety wreaks havoc on the nervous system. The brain won’t shut off. Too many things to think about, or watch, or scroll through to fall asleep!
But here’s the thing: you are a very special person and the world needs your contribution which is your unique, one-of-a-kind magic. Why not gift yourself the excellent sleep quality you deserve so that you can feel and be your best? Not only for yourself but for the immediate people in your tribe who need you.
Here are some tips that Drs. Sherzai recommend:
don’t drink caffeine after 2 pm since caffeine stays in the body for 8 hours. (This one seems obvious but it’s funny how many people drink caffeine late into the day and don’t think it affects their sleep quality. If this is you, try to have your last cup of java or black/green tea by 2 pm and see how your sleep changes)
‘catching up’ on sleep (on the weekends for instance) doesn’t repair the damage from poor sleep; try to have good sleep habits each and every night
have a consistent sleep schedule meaning go to bed and wake up at the same time each day (even on weekends!) 😯
late night exercise should be avoided. Include your workouts into your routine earlier on in the day
sleep patterns change as we age but even the elderly still need 7-8 hours of sleep each night!
there are several stages of sleep and in order to experience a daily deep detox and restore the brain, we need to be in all sleep stages and run through four cycles of each stage, each night. Planning to sleep for 7-8 hours will likely allow us to experience the needed cycles of each sleep stage
here’s one we keep hearing more and more: avoid blue light and using electronics close to bedtime
And finally, what I think is the biggest reason why we have sleep problems:
start to strategically manage your stress: list your bad stresses and your good stresses on paper (see exercise at the end!)
Drs. Sherzai define bad stress as coming “about as a result of activities that are not defined by you, are imposed on you, are not driven by your purpose or goal, does not have an end in mind and goes on for a long time”.
Good stress is defined as “the kind of activity that creates tension that comes from your purpose, there is success in the horizon when work is put towards the goal, and you have control over (the) time and outcome”.
When we have too much ‘bad stress’ we make poor decisions and revert to making decisions that won’t serve our highest goals.
“Chronic bad stress can increase inflammation and it literally shrinks the brain.”
-Dr. Ayesha Sherzai | NEURO plan
Dr. Sherzai explains that negative emotions from bad stress “starts in the limbic system of the brain, the emotional messages are transferred to the hypothalamus and then to the pituitary gland which then affects the release of hormones: thyroid, growth, and adrenal hormones. These pathways affect almost all aspects of our body from inflammation to metabolism to immune response.”
🛀🏼 Homework 😴
Grab a piece of paper. Draw a line down the middle. On the left, list your bad stresses. On the right go your good stresses.
Looking at your bad stresses, identify what you can delegate to someone else (putting laundry away, doing the dishes, picking up Ruby’s waste in the backyard 🤭). Are there other items that can be delayed or simply deleted as you prioritize your stresses? Cross those off. Be gone, bad stress!
Then focus on the good stresses in your life. Revel in them.
For me, I’m so grateful to have the freedom to do what I love every day which is build a wellness business that supports people in an area that’s often filled with confusion and frustration; empowering them and doing the work together. I’ve also learned to love and feel honor for the daily grind for my little family - cooking and cleaning constantly isn’t what I thought luxury living was but it’s the epitome of my luxury and how I get to spend my time and energy: serving those I love and…eating. 😁
Have a great weekend and happy American Thanksgiving!
Until next time,
J xx
“…the brain literally detoxifies when we sleep.”
-UnDo It! by Dean Ornish, MD and Anne Ornish, p. 143
Change your life and go to bed! 🤓