Clean sleeping

When your reality is a whirlwind of work, social events, family commitments and some late-night obligatory attendance to your social media, it can raise your stress hormone adrenaline and can unknowingly make you feel quite hyper at night. This can impact enormously on the quantity and quality of sleep you get.

Sleep nourishes and recharges our bodies in a whole heap of amazing ways, from fat burning to the growth and repair of every cell in our bodies - we can all say that feel and look better after a good nights sleep. Sleep also acts as an antioxidant for the brain, clearing free radicals, the by-products of the brains vast daily tasks; including the complex regulation of hormones.

Research shows that poor sleep can be detrimental on the endocrine system and many hormonally driven imbalances such as PMS, weight issues and infertility, may have an association with poor sleep. The key chemical messengers involved in the sleep/wake cycle include, cortisol responsible for getting us up and winding us down for the night, that communicates with melatonin, our sleep hormone released from our pineal gland.

While we sleep, melatonin communicates with leptin, a hormone secreted from our waist, bum, and thighs and tells our brain when to burn energy/fat and lack of sleep can interfere with this hormonal pathway, leading to stored fat. When it comes to mood, lack of sleep can lead to low mood, due to lack of sleep reducing serotonin – our happy chemical messenger.

For troubled or light sleepers, following some basic clean sleeping tips can set up your internal and external environment for tranquillity and a perfect sanctuary for sleep.

Clean Sleeping Tips

• No caffeine after midday and avoid cola, alcohol, chocolate in the evenings

• Switch off all electronic devices 1 hour before going to bed

• Go to sleep at the same time each night – ideally before 11pm

• Aim for 7-9 hours sleep each night

• Don’t exercise hard in the evenings – a restorative yoga class is a good alternative to spin or HIIT

• Avoid wine, recreational drugs or other stimulant ‘relaxants’ to wind down

• Don’t take any vitamin and mineral supplements in the evening unless specified.

• Put a plant in your bedroom or air purifier to clean the air and reduce stuffiness

• Check that any medication you may be taking does not have sleep disturbance side effects and speak with you G.P about possible alternatives with less side effects

• Burn some relaxing essential oils in your bedroom – lavender, rose or camomile

• Infuse some rose petals and make yourself a Dream Milk or calmative rose tea

• Read in bed for 30 minutes or listen to a sleep focused guided meditation (electronic device allowed only for this!)

• Slip on your MOODY sleep mask to help you focus on sleep

Sleep support

For insomnia try tart cherry powder for melatonin support

For serotonin support try 5-HTP

For blood sugarstablising + reducing night time snacking try chromium

For wakefulness or restlessness during the night try valerian root