Quality Sleep – Step 2 of 8 to a Happier Life

Quality Sleep – Step 2 of 8 to a Happier Life

You have to create a sleeping routine that is constant 7 days a week; with at least 7 – 8 hours of quality sleep a night. Then, create a sleeping environment that is cool, very dark and device free (yes…every single device must go!). Also, make sure you have zero device time of any kind for at least an hour before you go to bed, and an hour after you wake up.

As human beings, we benefit from deep, restful, rejuvenating, quality sleep in all areas of our life. Quality sleep, or lack of it, influences the way you respond to circumstances, people, and how you feel every day. When we get enough quality sleep, the world is a brighter place. Things are easier, people are friendlier, and we are better people.

So, I’d like to delve a little deeper into the topic for you to get a better understanding of the importance of good quality sleep.

When we sleep, our body goes into a state of repair and sleep does incredible things, not just for the body but for the mind too. 

Having a proper “waking up” and “going to sleep” routine will influence the number of days that you start waking up naturally. Waking up with a fright (an ALARM) is terribly harmful to your quantum health. Instead of setting a “wake-up alarm”, set a “bedtime alarm” one hour before the exact time you want to sleep. Reverse the use of an alarm and rather set it to remind you to go to sleep. If you operate well on 7 hours’ sleep, then set your alarm an hour before. In other words, work it backwards from your wake up time, add an hour and go to bed when the alarm goes off.

One of the great measures of success in life is the number of days that you get to wake up naturally.

The quality of your sleep environment can increase your chances of having a good night’s sleep. We should be having the “ultimate sleep” environment to optimise our sleep quality.
Studies show that if we adapt our cave-man ancestors sleeping practices, we achieve the best and deepest sleep.

So, you should be sleeping in a room that has fresh cool air and that is as dark as possible. No lights – even that of appliances and devices – should be present. Your room should be clean, organised and your bed and bedding should be really comfortable for you.

Ideally, you should have a sleep routine that starts 1 or 2 hours before you go to bed. This should be a constant routine that happens 7 days a week (mostly) like children’s schedules. Ever notice how kids sleep so well! The blue light from our modern day devices stimulates our pituitary gland exactly like the sun does. This means that your brain is releasing the hormones and chemicals that get you ready for daytime functions. When the sun goes down and the moon comes up, our pituitary gland doesn’t receive blue light from the sun any longer, so it then starts releasing the chemicals and hormones that prepare us for sleep.

Also, watching hectic TV shows and movies, reading horror novels or listening to heavy metal music stimulates our brains – which puts it into fight or flight mode and releases cortisol – which is the complete opposite of what you need before you go to bed. Start dimming the lights and turning off your devices 1 to 2 hours before your bedtime.

Here are my tips to help get you better quality sleep:

• Have a warm shower or hot Epsom salt bath before bed
• Make your bedroom as dark as possible
• Get a source of cool and fresh air into your bedroom
• Keep your room clean, organised and comfortable
• Have a notepad beside your bed to write anything down those things that bother or inspires you (to get it out of your head)
• Do breathing exercises before sleeping
• Do a mediation before you sleep
• Light some candles and / or place some crystals and put on some relaxing music while you’re mediating
• Smudge / sage your bedroom out regularly
• Drink a lot of water throughout your days
• Wear block-out / anti-blue light glasses
• Set an alarm to go to bed at night rather than an alarm to wake up in the morning

Make sure to read all 8 posts in this series and view our offerings if you’re interested in coaching.

Contact me via WhatsApp +27 72 159 6142 or hit the big green Whatsapp button on any page