Having spent years struggling to sleep due to every kind of reason from family, babies, toddlers, teenagers, to the conveniences of modern life as we live in a world with access to 24-hour technology, to varying work schedules, quality, and age of mattresses and pillows, and don’t forget consumption of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine, you can name a million things that can affect our sleep and we used to think of sleep as an inconvenience, we never realized how important sleep was to our health. We knew we needed it but we did not know-how by having a good night's sleep, pattern, routine, and bed would change the way we looked at sleep and be a blessing in our life. Nowadays we use sleep as an important part of our healthy lifestyle. When you look at your health and wellness where do you rank sleep? How important is sleep to you?
When we started our lifestyle changes we looked at it in a new way, that is what dōTERRA brings to you! A new understanding of life and the style of life you live. We sometimes overlook sleep. So which more important Diet, Exercise, or Sleep?
Everyone knows that diet and exercise are key components of any healthy lifestyle. However, another component equally important, and arguably even more so is sleep. Although the amount of sleep a person needs varies, experts recommend that adults get at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night.
Unfortunately, about 30% of Irish people are not getting the recommended amount of sleep per night, and approximately 15% of adults in Ireland experience occasional sleeplessness or difficulty sleeping. Many factors can negatively impact how much a person sleeps as mentioned earlier, however, sleep is the first thing that many of us neglect to meet the demands of our busy life schedules.
Why Is Sleep? So Important? We did not value sleep, we only slept when we were tired and you can get into that rhythm of not sleeping and you create a bad habit. Finding out Sleep doesn’t exist to just pass time or to keep us from working 24 hours a day was a wake-up call and one we needed as we had so many health issues.
So why is sleep important? Sleep is important because it is inherently physically and mentally healing, and it allows for our bodies to not only recoup from the stress of everyday life but also to recharge and refocus. Depriving your body of sleep has been associated with many health risks and places a tremendous burden on virtually every organ system in your body. Lack of adequate sleep was an issue that leads to the ability to lose, or maintain, a healthy weight, influenced how I felt, learn, and behaved and negatively impacted my cardiovascular health and overall wellbeing.
When you look at some of our everyday tasks we can see how sleep can have an impact not only on yours but those around you, not getting enough sleep can reduce reaction time and interfere with our ability to drive, to think I would be driving around the country with no sleep was a big eye-opener and something I am not proud of.
The less sleep you get, the less opportunity you give your body to heal and prepare itself for the following day whatever it entails and reducing the overall quality of life.
What Can You Do About It?
Of course, life will always find a way to present obstacles that are out of our control, from a sick child to a last-minute work project to a neighbour in need. Each of these will undoubtedly affect how we sleep. However, we must focus on what we can control, and fortunately, there are several tips and techniques that you can apply to help ensure you are not only getting enough sleep but also getting quality sleep.
Eat Healthy and Maintain a Healthy Exercise Routine
Eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise keeps our weight in check, but it also helps with sleep. There are a couple of products that we would use to assist us with our eating well and keeping a healthy routine and it is not an essential oil, Lifelong Vitality Pack is easily dōTERRA's number one product. While there is no complete replacement for a healthy diet and exercise program, today’s modern diet does not provide the nutrients we need to not only stay healthy but also have energy and prevent premature ageing. The foundation of the Lifelong Vitality Supplements is Microplex MVP. This is our multivitamin complex. Our bodies have a really difficult time digesting synthetic vitamins, so this product is sourced from whole foods, in a highly absorbable form, provides 22 essential, and highly absorbable, vitamins and minerals to support normal growth, function, and maintenance of cells.
Along with the Microplex MVP is xEO Mega or vEO Mega (vegan) our essential oil mega complexes. We tend to eat diets high in omega 6 oils, which are not bad in and of themselves. However, they should be balanced at a 1:1 ratio with omega 3 oils, which typical diets lack, the ratio is typically closer to 15:1. This type of diet leads to free radicals in our bodies from the imbalance, which leads to chronic inflammation. xEO Mega and vEO Mega help to balance out this ratio and get our bodies back to a healthier state.
Last in the Lifelong Vitality Pack is Alpha CRS+. Alpha CRS+ is doTerra’s cellular vitality complex. Cells are the basic building blocks of all life. Healthy tissues, organs, and, ultimately, healthy organisms depend on cellular reproduction and specialized function, energy production, and timely cell death when cells are not functioning at optimal levels. As we age, cellular function can deteriorate and we gradually begin to experience decreased energy and performance. Additionally, cellular stressors, including oxidative stress to cellular DNA and other key cell structures, challenge cellular heath. Providing cells with essential nutrients and metabolic factors of cellular energy and protecting our cells from toxic stressors supports healthy cell function, vitality, and wellness. We would also add Terrazyme to our daily routine, as specialized proteins that act as catalysts for cellular function, enzymes play a critical role in growth, healing, reproduction, breathing, thinking, immune function, hormone regulation, detoxification, and thousands of other biochemical functions. Enzymes also assist in the digestive process and in converting food into energy in cells. If you are eating high carbohydrate foods, these floods the muscles with glucose, causing involuntary muscle movements during sleep, which disrupts rest. Exercising too close to bedtime ramps up metabolism and body temperature and can make it difficult to fall asleep. If you get hungry before bed, try snacking on a hand full of nuts. Nuts provide protein and fat, which are not only satisfying but are slowly digested, which can provide a calm sleep, and rich in magnesium, a mineral that helps to calm the nervous system.
Get Into A Rhythm
As someone who worked late/night shifts for over 30 years, I totally understand the benefits of trying to maintain a regular sleep schedule, going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time has made a big difference to our lifestyle. Creating this rhythm helps regulate your body’s internal clock and may help you sleep better, we have even gone to not even having a clock in our room as we wake up naturally every morning at the same time and we go to bed at the same time also.
Say No to Alcohol, Caffeine, and Electronics
All of the above can make going to sleep a challenge. Not that we used to drink a lot of alcohol but we understood the consequences when we did, a bad nights sleep and 3 days to get over the experience, I am not telling people not to drink alcohol or coffee but I will say it was another massive part of our life when we gave them up however I will say don’t drink alcohol or caffeinated drinks too close to bedtime. Remove all electronics from the bedroom, including TVs, computers, and other electronic devices another one of those simple things we do not realize the damage the quality of your sleep. Try to avoid bright light at least an hour before going to bed. Darkness will help your body begin producing melatonin, a hormone that naturally regulates sleep. To help keep your internal clock in balance, be sure to expose yourself to sunlight in the morning, which naturally tells your body to wake up take a 30-minute walk or jog to wake you up and start your day.
Make Your Bedroom Relaxing
Make sure your bedroom is a quiet, dark, and a relaxing environment, which is neither too hot, nor too cold. Your bed and pillows should be supportive, yet comfortable. If you experience shoulder, hip, or back pain in the morning, you can be sure you did not rest as well as you could have. It may be time for new bedding, we are advised to change our mattress every 10 years, when did you change yours last?.
Wind Down
The last hour of your evening should be winding down, not to be watching some action film or washing the dishes. Your body needs time to shift into sleep mode, so spend the last hour before bed doing a calming activity such as reading, meditation, or taking a warm bath, adding a relaxation blend to a diffuser will bring you to a state of relaxation. Serenity is one of our wonderful relaxation blends it combines a select group of powerful, CPTG essential oils to help calm and relax when stressful feelings arise. With so many high-stress moments and situations all around, it is not uncommon to feel overwhelmed and tense. The Serenity Restful Blend can be used aromatically and topically to promote relaxation, encourage calm emotions, and lessen feelings of tension. Serenity is an ideal essential oil to have around both day and night as it can aid in reducing everyday stresses and promote a relaxing nights sleep. This blend contains essential oils such as Lavender, Ylang Ylang, Marjoram, and Roman Chamomile, which give it its soothing scent, while Hawaiian Sandalwood and Vanilla Bean offer a warm aroma. When used in a diffuser, this blend will help calm and renew with its sweet fragrance. You can also use some of the beautiful oils in a relaxing tea before bed, such as chamomile tea, which may be relaxing and non-stimulating.
Using dōTERRA Essential Oils
Let's talk dōTERRA Essential Oils these oils are like no other in the world first they are so safe and potent as they are CPTG and because of this when you use oils like Lavender and Bergamot they are so rich in linalool and linalyl acetate, compounds that have well-known relaxing properties. These oils can be diffused aromatically in the bedroom to create a calming and peaceful environment, perfect for getting a good nights sleep. They can also be used topically and taken internally to calm the nervous system, promote relaxation, and lead to a restful sleep. Try placing two to four drops of Lavender or Bergamot essential oil in a warm, herbal tea (Chamomile, Lemongrass, etc.), or another favourite decaffeinated beverage about 30 minutes before going to bed, or add two to four drops of Lavender into an empty capsule and swallow about 30 minutes before bed.
We have shared some of our sleeping routines, and if you would like to learn more about how and what we do to help others and our family have a good, peaceful nights sleep, please let us know and we would love to help you as we know our lifestyle has changed ever since we started having a good nights sleep and we would love to help you get a good nights sleep. Night x
