7 Tips for Falling Asleep Faster

Coach Karen — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 18:41:50 +0000

In this blog, I am going to be talking about some very easy tips for falling asleep faster. Let’s get started right away.

When we are asleep our body temperature drops and many biological systems slow down. Even though we are in a more relaxed state our body is still working hard to carry out a whole array of extremely important functions that benefit us while we are awake. These functions include repair, detoxification, healing, storage of energy, and fighting off infection.

During sleep, important hormones such as growth hormones are released. Growth hormone is important for cell growth and repair and for muscle development. When we get good sleep, the hormones that control our appetite are also regulated. When we are sleep deprived these hormones are out of balance which causes us to eat more and feel hungrier.

Not getting enough sleep during the night or being stressed right before you go to bed can cause elevated cortisol secretion from the adrenal glands. High cortisol is known to contribute to excess body fat, suppressed immune systems, and poor memory.

External interruptions in our sleep environment caused by light, temperature, and sound can interfere with the body’s healing and recovery process. These interruptions can also cause a decline in cognitive function during the day.

Here are some tips to help you fall asleep fast, stay asleep long enough for proper endocrine function and wake up refreshed:

Eliminate all light.

Any light (even a tiny light from a charging device in the far corner of your bedroom) can interrupt the secretion intensity and duration of melatonin. When melatonin stops being produced or if there is a pause in melatonin secretion, your body will think that it’s time to wake up.

Wake up with the sun.

Wake up with the sun when possible. If you have to wake up before the sun, try to keep the lights as dim as possible in the early mornings for as long as possible. This will not only ease your body and brain into waking but it will help to keep your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.

Go to bed with the sun.

Dim the lights in your bedroom at least an hour before bedtime. This lets your brain know it’s time to wind down and that darkness is on its way.

Avoid devices with screens.

Avoid any electronic screens doing anything that requires a lot of thinking. These activities can keep your brain wired which affects your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Be mindful of your eating and drinking.

Avoid eating, drinking, and working out within 2 hours of bedtime and caffeine within 8 hours of bedtime. Ideally, seize drinking caffeine by noon every day. Adopt healthy eating habits.

Make it chilly.

Drop your thermostat at night to somewhere between 60 and 68 degrees.

Make comfort a priority.

Make comfort a top priority when you’re choosing your pillow and bed linens. Instead of a synthetic down comforter or low thread count sheets, splurge for a natural down comforter and high thread count sheets. You may need to spend a bit more money to gain a lot more comfort, but the investment is worth it!

Use these simple and easy tips to fall asleep faster and wake up with a lot more energy. I have also written about essential oils that can help you sleep faster. You can check out my article here.

And on that note, I’m off to unplug so that I can manufacture some of that precious growth hormone.

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The 7 R’s to Rewiring Your Brain (7 strategies to break bad habits!)

Coach Karen — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 01:19:16 +0000

Actions, behaviors or thoughts that we do without thinking about it are habits. Oftentimes it’s incredibly easy to fall into bad habits because our brains come to love the reward that is associated with them. You’re probably here because you have a bad habit and are looking ways to break that bad habit. Or maybe you’re here because you’ve set some new goals for yourself this year but in order to achieve them, those bad habits have to go!

Also Read: Two Secrets of Successful Habit Change

I’ve been doing a lot of research lately on habits including the science behind them, how to break old ones, and how to create new ones. The following list of strategies is a combination of what I’ve learned through my research and what I’ve learned through my experience of helping clients break habits to achieve their personal goals.

Remove (the cue).

As I wrote in this post, the habits process starts with a cue before the action. If you take away the cue, you are more likely to take away the action as well. The challenge is that sometimes the cue itself is also a habit or it’s difficult to identify the cue. By the time a habit is formed, your brain has already switched to auto-pilot. If you have a habit that you’re trying to break, think about what happens immediately before the bad habit. Describe the situation, environment or feelings that come up before you follow-through with the action. Writing in a journal, meditating or talking to a friend can help process the habit and find the cue or in some cases, a collection of cues.

Replace (the action).

The second step in the habit cycle is the action itself. Often this strategy is used if you’re working towards a weight loss goal but your current nutrition habits are standing in the way. Many people are so used to eating dessert after dinner because it’s a way of bring the meal to a close. Instead of eating dessert, you can swap the dessert with a cup of hot herbal tea or step away from the table and go for a walk. You’re not likely to get rid of the cue (i.e. dinner) but you can change what happens after that.

Resist (the easy choice).

The human brain is naturally wired to be attracted to convenience and efficiency so tap into whatever willpower you have left to give in to the easy choice. Perhaps you’ve fallen into the habit of pushing the snooze button repeatedly after the alarm goes off. When you set your alarm the night before you tell yourself that THIS is the time that you’re going to stop snoozing. But when the alarm goes off, you fall right back into your 7-time snooze because that’s what your brain is used to. Your brain may even convince you that snoozing is the right thing to do. Do everything in your power to resist against that little voice in your head telling you to do the easy thing.

Also Read: 5 Self Discipline Tips for Adult Athletes

Rethink (your thoughts).

Habits aren’t always in the form of actions. They can also be in the way that we think about things. One bad habit that people often fall into is negative self talk. There are many psychological theories for why people talk bad about themselves but it’s possible to change your thinking, one thought at a time. The next time you sense a negative thought about yourself, imagine yourself throwing that thought out the window and think about something positive instead.

Reach out (for help).

Joining an accountability group or breaking a habit WITH someone is a powerful way to help you follow through with breaking bad habits. It can also be a great way to implement the other 6 strategies on this list. If you’re here because you want to break bad habits and/or create new ones, I have a great solution for you! Every month I host a 30-day Daily Habits Challenge for people who want to do just that. To learn more and save your spot in next month’s challenge click here.

Also Read: 15 Ways to Reset, Renew and Reinvent Yourself

Reward (yourself).

Habits stick because they are associated with some reward. Sugar addictions are so hard to break because the reward associated with consuming sweets is biological. When we consume sugar, our brain releases dopamine (the happy chemical) in our brain. The reward for staying in bed even after multiple alarms is the feeling of being comfortable and warm underneath your covers. The reward for happy hour with your coworkers isn’t necessarily the buzz you get from the cocktails, but rather the feeling of being social. If you’re trying to break a habit, try to figure out how to reward yourself with something else when you don’t do that action.

Repeat (the process).

Habits are not innate. In other words, we aren’t born with the habits that we have. By definition, habits are “actions learned through repetition and practice”. Therefore, it’s possible to change them but it requires consistency and repetition to break old habits and replace them with new ones. Depending on how complex the habit is, it could take up to 254 days to make or break it. No one is perfect at making or breaking habits in the beginning but the more you repeat the desired action, the faster the result. If you miss a day, don’t worry! Get back on that habit train ASAP because the more you miss out on following through with the desired behavior, the lower your chances of actually making a change.

Looking for help in breaking or making habits?

Join my 30-day habits challenge and I’ll provide the support you need to help you do just that!

Registration is now open!

This 8-module workshop will take you through my process of creating an action plan that makes sense for your personal vision, mission and goals. I’ll guide you through a series of exercises in order to set goals, plan actions, identify roadblocks and create a system to measure your success.

The post The 7 R’s to Rewiring Your Brain (7 strategies to break bad habits!) appeared first on Healthy Green Athlete.

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