A conversation about wholesome sleep seems to be a trending topic as it eludes more of us into a deeper understanding of what sleep really is, and why it’s so important to stop depriving us of it. Our lives are fully scheduled with work, family, physical activities and social expectations, often resulting in irregular sleep patterns.
Naturally, all of us need a good night's sleep, and its importance has taken up hefty real estate in my brain. The obvious reasons being that it’s essential for our overall well being, including: health, performance, looks, feel and function. Digging a little deeper with help from Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, I’m fascinated by the several functions that take place during sleep and why securing quality and quantity is equally crucial.
Healthy diet and exercise are important yes, but according to Walker sleep is the key health enhancer and dictates our metabolic rate and studies have shown we lose weight when we sleep. There might not be any biological functions that do not benefit from solid sleep. Sleep is the most important factor to physical and mental well being as it resets our brain and body health each day. Sleep literally cleanses our brain and resets it.
The concept of super humans, super moms or super CEOs running around without solid sleep is obviously not sustainable, and hopefully a concept of the past. With all of the scientific knowledge about sleep that is available, I now view sleep deprivation as a seriously dangerous pattern that I will stay away from, like texting and driving. As well as now being aware that I can’t run a business or train physically if I’m sleep deprived.
When starting to treat sleep with more importance and respect I had to redesign several behaviours and habits in order to power-down my brain and disengage from the day. My sleep enhancers include: a good mattress, not falling asleep over Netflix, staying away from phone activities and alcohol before bedtime, no coffee after 2pm, and taking time for a bath - relaxing and hydrating my mind and body.
Solid Sleep and Dream Essentials:
| Scrub your dry body with Mjúk body scrub and soak in a wonderful bath or take a long shower. Let the salts massage you and the oils caress your skin. |
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| Apply Varmi body lotion generously to skin and gently massage in circular movement to nourish the skin and sooth the senses. |
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| Spray Nærð tonic splash over your face and chest, take a moment to breath it in and let it dry. |
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