So last night found me looking at 11:00 on the clock again, about to sit down and write a post. I was really tired, but knew I'd get a second wind if I'd just fire up the Mac, but I consciously chose not to. I am trying to improve my sleep habits - do you get 7-9 hours a night? Do you wake up feeling refreshed? Do you wake up without an alarm clock? If you do, tell me your secrets. I am all ears.
Coincidentally, today's Whole9 check-in for those who signed up for their Whole30 daily (love it, by the way!) is all about the importance of sleep. So when I saw that this morning I felt my decision to hit the hay last night had been the right one.
With that in mind, here is a quick recap of today's eats - I have a date with a workout buddy at 6:10 tomorrow morning. The irony that I have already failed the sleep equation tonight to write this post is not lost on me.
Breakfast: SWYPO maybe. Whatever. It was DIVINE. My oldest wanted a Purple Monster Smoothie (blueberries, banana, avocado, coconut milk, splash of orange juice and some ice cubes), my youngest wanted a chocolate smoothie (to the base above I added some cocoa and more coconut milk) and I treated myself to a mocha almond smoothie. Without cleaning the blender from the previous two, I added in more avocado, coconut milk, cocoa, banana, a couple of tbsp. of almond butter, a splash of orange juice and about half a cup of very strong coffee. Blended, this thing was heaven! And I needed all of those fats, I just felt infinitely better after.
Lunch: Approximately two eggs, scrambled in ghee and drizzled with hot sauce, plus a side of sautéed garlicky kale topped with toasted pine nuts and one of my sweet and salty favourites - cantaloupe with prosciutto. Sometimes this is on the menu in Italian restaurants where the cantaloupe is cut into spears with prosciutto draped around it. I went for a more rustic presentation (just cubes of melon and shredded prosciutto) and it was equally delicious.
Dinner: I didn't have any prepared protein, so I quickly threw a curry marinade together for a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that my dear husband grilled. With that I had carrot, apple and raisin slaw salad with curried mayo (I made mayo last night) plus grilled asparagus.
Snacks: a bite of a Larabar. I'm doing some taste testing for ideas...
Honorary mention: yesterday I was treated to a wonderful, totally Whole30 compliant breakfast by my husband. An omelette filled with garlicky mushrooms that had been sautéed until they were perfect, half an avocado, some tomatoes and fruit. Plus coffee with coconut milk. It was such a treat, and I completely forgot to take a picture before diving into it.
With that, I'm racing off to bed. Share your going to bed early tips with me - please!
I guess if you are the Food Nazi, I'm probably the Sleep Nazi. I have never had a problem getting to bed and getting to sleep. But I do find that some days I need to consciously force myself to sit down and unwind. I think the big thing is that we need to learn to procrastinate a litte. I try to make a timeline for myself and whatever I accomplish in that timeline is great, but whatever doesn't get done, gets pushed to the next day. I'm really good at this and it's probably part of the reason that my house is always such a mess! For example, last night I wanted to prepare some food after dinner (7pm). In my mind I decided that I would work in the kitchen until 8:30. Then I would stop, pour myself a cup of tea (maybe not a good idea for you if the caffeine keeps you up. I have no problems with caffeine unless you count withdrawl symptoms...) and watch tv for a while as I wrote my blog post. I also decided that at 10pm, I would get up and make sure everything was in order for the next morning; coffee set up; running clothes out; water bottle filled; etc. Then I promised myself that I would be in bed at 10:30, lights out at 11. I find it easier to get to bed on time if I have a plan for doing so. Maybe you could try it. Let me know if it works for you.
ReplyDeleteSome tips I've learned (thanks to the use of steroids and their best friend, insomnia!) from my friends at the Sleep Clinic at the University of Ottawa:
ReplyDelete1. Turn off all electronics AT LEAST one hour before going to bed. This doesn't help you actually get to bed early (especially for an Energizer Bunny like Nicole), but the ultra-violet hues that emanate from our electronics, actually stimulate your brain for up to two hours. So if you look at your iPhone in bed, right before you turn in, your brain is still in "on" mode for a couple of hours, affecting the quality of your sleep.
1a) Take the TV away from all sleeping quarters (none in the bedrooms, no Blackberries or iPhones near where you sleep).
1b) Watch TV with the lights ON! Not only is this better for your eyes, but incandescent light actually mitigates the ultra-violet light that your brain absorbs.
2. Every hour of sleep before midnight is roughly equivalent to four hours of sleep after midnight. So even if you go to bed at 9:00 a.m., and get up at 5:00 a.m., you will still be far more rested than if you went to bed at 11:00 p.m. and woke up at 7:00 a.m. I've tried this...it works!
3. Watch the temperature in your home during sleeping hours. It should never be higher than 68 degrees. Warmer temperatures means your body's cooling system has to work harder to keep your body from overheating, therefore taking away from the rest your body needs. If you're like me and you cheap out on hydro in summer, I use an oscillating fan when I can. It moves the air around and creates a breeze. NEVER point a fan directly at you when you're sleeping. That's a great way to wake up with stiff muscles.
4. Lavender scents promote relaxation...and there's a difference between relaxing and sleeping. The two can be mutually exclusive. I sprinkle lavender powder (non-talc) under my sheets when I make my bed. In between bed changes, I give a sprinkle in my pillowcases. Ahhh! Bliss!
5. Read something that is important to you. For me, it's my Bible (hint: the Psalms are like a sleeping pill!), but for someone else it could be a Paleo cookbook (sorry, Nic, couldn't resist), a romance novel, or a how-to book. I can hear people saying "But won't that get your mind working?" Maybe, but it'll be working on something that triggers your endorphins (happy hormones) and a happy person sleeps restfully, while an unhappy person sleeps fitfully.
I really need to make sleep more of a priority too. I'm lucky if I get six hours a night and they are never uninterrupted. I can't sleep in either because A needs her meds at 6:30 am on the dot. I really like the tips above by Tammy. I'm going to try some of those. Lol by the way, I'm typing this in my bed, on my iPad, with the lights off at 11pm. Wow I could not be doing more things wrong if I tried! I struggle with keeping my body temp normal at night. It's what wakes me up constantly. I'm hot so I wake up and push the sheet off of me. I'm freezing, pull the sheet back. It goes on all night. Can't put the room at 68 because my ac would be running all night. I have a fan but it's very small and directly on me... Maybe I should have it pointed elsewhere. I really need better sleep now that I'm working out more. Especially to keep the anxiety at bay. Anyone ever try then "healthy sheets"? That's what they're called in French. They're supposed to help control your body temp. Thinking of trying that too.
ReplyDelete