These days, clean eating is not enough for well-rounded health. Gweneth Paltrow, the founder of goop and author of Goop Clean Beauty says, “sleep plays such a vital role in determining your appetite and energy levels, I believe it should be your priority.” In just the past few years, the way society views sleep has changed. It was once a sign of hard-work and productivity to brag to others about the few hours of sleep you got. However, now people are becoming more aware of the importance of sleep to not only wake up and feel refreshed, but to improve your overall health.
Getting started
Clean sleeping has nothing to do with showering before bed and tucking yourself into nice clean sheets sprayed with lavender. Rather, it is about the habits and routines that can improve your quality of sleep and make you feel more rested. Clean sleeping isn’t necessarily a new concept. It’s more that we’re finally following the advice we have always heard, but tended to ignore.
How do you clean sleep?
Clean sleeping can be whatever it means to you personally. Some of the most important techniques for success are as follows:
Go offline: In today’s day and age, light pollution is a real thing. Look around your room: your alarm clock might be glowing red and your electronics are charging on your night stand. Various studies have shown that light from electronics reduces the naturally occurring sleep hormone known as melatonin. To resist the temptation of going online before sleep, turn your phone on airplane mode to prevent distracting notifications.
Cleaning up the routine: The term “sleep hygiene” refers to the practice of cleaning up your sleep habits. Some starting places include limiting day-time naps to no more than 30 minutes a day, steering clear of caffeinated drinks close to bedtime, and avoiding foods that are known to disrupt sleep, such as citrus and spices. Wondering if you need to check your sleep hygiene? Signs include drowsiness during the day and taking a long time to fall asleep at night.
Create your ritual: Once you have the above stuff down, create a routine special to you to help signal your body that it is time for bed. This could be anything from taking a shower, to reading a chapter of a book, or meditating for five minutes. Once you start to do this regularly followed by sleep, your body will begin to notice when it is time to wind down for the night.
It’s no secret that a nighttime routine will actually help you sleep better, but sticking with it is a whole other thing. Start slow and be patient with yourself. Change is a gradual process. No matter if you decide to incorporate one or all of these tips, you will start to notice an improvement in how you feel when you wake up to start your day.
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