Latest / Beyond Limits With Olivia Marie / How To Sleep Better TONIGHT!

Transcript

How To Sleep Better TONIGHT! · Beyond Limits With Olivia Marie

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Okay everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Live Well podcast.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: As always, I'm going to give you guys a live well update about you know how I'm living well and all that stuff.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: And guys, Akasha has been sleeping so good.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: I know I always bring this up in every intro.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: I give you guys basically an update on how Akasha is sleeping, but if you guys have any kids or puppies, you know the struggle is real.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: And she's like sleeping through the night, like most nights, which is I think her longest stretch she made it.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: It was either four or five days straight of sleeping through the night, which has not happened since December.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: So it's been over six months since I've actually gotten like that amount of sleep in a row, so it's just crazy.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: So that's amazing.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: The weather is beautiful where I am right now in Toronto, so it's warming up.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm taking walks.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: I also have an obsession with adding chaga to my coffee.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: If you guys have not added chaga to your coffee, chaga is basically the king of mushrooms, it's really good for immunity, low with antioxidants, gives you energy.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: And whether I go out and get an iced chaga chino for my favorite place, nut bar in Toronto, or I just add some chaga powder, I just use the four stigmatic one to my coffee.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: I think I still actually have a a coupon code for that.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: So I will leave that in the description box if it still works.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and yeah, it just tastes really good.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: You get benefits plus coffee.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's iced, it's a vibe.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: I've even been making like iced cold brew with chaga, so I'll make some decaf cold brew, add in some chaga, and it's super, super delicious.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I've been really into that.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: I also added eucalyptus leaves to my shower, which is not only totally a vibe, but really good for your immune health and your lung health, especially right now.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: So all I did was get some like dried eucalyptus that was at my local flower shop.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: I think honestly, I think it was like nine, eight or nine dollars for it, and then you just zip tie it to your shower head, and the shower, like as soon as you open the door, it's like a spa vibe experience.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: The water comes down off the eucalyptus, you get the smell, like it just it just makes it more of an experience, and I'm all about elevating everyday experiences to make things more delicious.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: So super excited about that.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: But today we're gonna talk about sleep.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: I can't believe I haven't done a sleep episode.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: I've been meaning to do one for a while, especially, you know, speaking of Akasha, when I was having like a lack of sleep, especially in December, January, and I wasn't sleeping through the night.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: I really noticed the effect of not having a good night's sleep, you know, has on your health, both your mental health, your physical health, your gut, your hormones, and all of that.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: I was I was in it.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I can say firsthand I've experienced like everything that I'm gonna talk about in this episode, and luckily now she's sleeping, so it's better.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: But for those of you who don't have a puppy and are just not sleeping well, I'm here to get you sleeping better so that we can fix all of those things.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: So that is the update from me.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like do I have anything?
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I do.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: I have to pick the podcast winner of the week.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: So this week's podcast winner is Lauren McPhee.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: So just feel free to DM me on Instagram to claim either your energy healing or your uh free initial health consult.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: So her review says, one of my new go-to podcasts.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: I've been following Liv on Instagram for years and was excited to dive more into her content on her podcast.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: I really love that she discusses a wide variety of topics and even gets into the energetics of specific subjects as well.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: I feel that was something that really stood out to me in comparison to other health and wellness podcasts.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: I've listened and provided a whole other layer of knowledge.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast has definitely become one of my new go-to's, and I am incredibly grateful for all the incredible wisdom and insight that Liv continues to share with her audience.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much, Lauren, for your review.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: It was so sweet, um, and I'm so glad that you enjoy it.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: If you would like to be entered to win either an energy healing or an initial health consult with me, all you have to do is submit your rating and review, take a screenshot, and email it to live at keepupwithlib.com, and every couple weeks I will choose a new winner.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of just an energy exchange, a way for me to say thank you to you guys for your ongoing support.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: So, with that being said, let us dive into the episode.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Live Well Podcast.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast is designed to help you live well, body, mind, and soul.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Liv, a natural health and wellness expert, and each week you will walk away with the insights, tools, and tips to truly live your best life.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: If you are looking to live well, you are in the right place.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: A new episode starts now.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, guys, this is gonna be all about how to sleep better tonight because consistent, high-quality sleep is super important and should not be underestimated.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: I cannot stress this enough.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's when our brains detoxify, it's when our nervous system rests, it's when our bodies heal, it's when our gut gets a break and it's able to replenish.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: And without regular deep sleep, we are on track to get hormonal imbalances, weight gain, mood swings, brain fog, and so many other frustrating but yet preventable symptoms.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: So, why you can't skimp on sleep?
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: So many of us are victims to a culture that basically prides itself on productivity, whereas sleep is simply a nuance that gets in the way of work, family, you know, TV, internet, email, exercise, and we make up for this lack of sleep by filling our tanks with sugar, refined carbs, caffeine, and other stimulants that we hope will give us more energy.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: However, if we just prioritize a good night's rest every single night, we would have all the energy we need to take our obligations and do the things that we're passionate about without relying on foods that are going to rob our health.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: So, your body has a finely tuned appetite control system that is governed by hormones that are largely affected by sleep.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: So when you are sleep deprived, it increases the hormone ghrelin, which you guys have heard me talk about on the podcast before.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: It is the hormone that makes you feel hungry.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: And it decreases leptin, which is the hormone that makes you feel full.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: That means you stay hungry and start craving high calorie, like not the calories are bad, but normally this is like high calorie like junk food, high carb, high sugar, not the good stuff for us.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: So after many nights of sleep deprivation, you know, I know when I was had a casha, I can tell you that this is true.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's the sleep deprivation, the ghrhrelin goes up, the leptin goes down, and suddenly you become a bottomless pit and you want to eat all the things because your body is looking for that sugar rush to have energy, not because your body actually needs it.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: So we also need sleep in order to keep our levels of cortisol low.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, cortisol is a stress hormone that makes you gain weight, especially around your waistline.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are holding on to abdominal fat around your waist, this is linked to cortisol.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: We need to get you A sleeping, but B also managing stress and doing everything else.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: Not sleeping is such a big problem, and I can't tell you how many clients come to me, whether it's one-on-one or well-nourished, that are not sleeping well, but it's not even just about quantity, it's the quality of our sleep that it's also suffering.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to break down also like how can we change that and also like the effects it's gonna have.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: So, what is actually happening in your gut right now will play a factor in how well you sleep tonight.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: Now, why?
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Because there's a direct connection between our gut health and sleep.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: So the gut influences the brain, and the brain also regulates your sleep.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: We have this wonderful neurotransmitter that is called serotonin that affects many functions within your body.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: And you may have like casually been able to hear about serotonin as basically the happiness hormone.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: And that's because it is a powerful neurotransmitter when it comes to mood cognition, and cognition is like your brain power, your thinking, and you know, many antidepressant drugs actually target serotonin.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: However, serotonin doesn't just dial up our joy, it also plays a major role in regulating our body clock and regulating your sleep cycle.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: So our bodies don't actually automatically make the perfect amount of serotonin every day.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: How much we produce is affected by many factors, including natural light, food, exercise slash movement, and so how much serotonin we make has a real impact on our sleep.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: And it's basically the precursor substance required to make melatonin, which you guys uh probably heard of.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people like to take melatonin for sleep, um, and one of the better things to actually do is just to support melatonin production versus taking uh sublingual melatonin.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: But melatonin is that like get good sleep hormone.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's also important to understand that sleep is like largely overseen by your circadian rhythm, which is ultimately controlled by certain nerves within the hypothalamus of your brain, which is just an area of your brain that governs it.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: So this constant basically around the clock timing system governs a whole bunch of physiological processes.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: So your circadian rhythm is a bit like a master control room.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: So it calls the shots on many aspects, not just on sleep, but on digestion, appetite, blood pressure, immunity, body temperature, mental alertness, and the secretion of various hormones.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Incidentally, it also helps to regulate your sleep cycles.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: So unfortunately, the hypothalamus and your circadian rhythm is greatly affected by outside factors.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: This means that what happens in our outside and inside environment can influence your rhythm and subsequently your sleep.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Light is a great example of an external factor that influences your hypothalamus and your circadian rhythm.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: So light is filtered through our eyes, signals to the hypothalamus that it's wake-up time, let's go.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: And then the hypothalamus passes along these wake-up signals to the corresponding organs, glands, and all the systems in our body that put us into action.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: So it tells our body to make more of our daytime/slash awake hormones and other neurotransmitters that influence our biological clock.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: So if humans were still living in the wild, the stimulus of the light from the natural environment would basically be a friendly asset to our hypothalamus.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: However, as you know, we no longer live outdoors.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: Most of us are not sleeping on the ground outside, and in fact, a lot of people spend, I think the percentage now that they're saying is like less than 10% of our life outside, which is crazy.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: So it means that your hypothalamus no longer marches basically to the beat of its own natural light rhythm that we were meant to have.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, we are exposed to artificial lighting, computer screens, televisions, phones, and this lighting is not the same as the lighting from the sun.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: This is fluorescent lighting, this is blue light, this is not the same light that our brain is normally used to interpreting as the sun, you know, rises and sets throughout the day.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: As a double whammy, we get too much light at night and not enough throughout the day that interferes with our hypothalamus, our serotonin production, our circadian rhythm, and it basically makes it easier for our natural sleep cycles to be thrown out of wet.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: So, how does your gut microbiome, coming back to that, affect sleep?
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: So, so far we know that light, food, exercise all affects serotonin production in our gut.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: This reduces our ability to make melatonin, which is why we all need to catch up on good quality sleep.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: Still with me?
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, good.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: So, basically, because this story is about to basically take an even stronger twist, we're gonna throw another curveball in there for you.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: There is a big thick nerve that connects your brain to your gut.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: It is called the vagus nerve, okay?
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: If you were to think about the only nerve you want someone to get on, it is your vagus nerve.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: The vagus nerve is your friend.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: We want this to be activated.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: This is our rest and digest, this is our calm nerve.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: This is when you when you do like deep baji breathing in yoga that like where you kind of like contract your throat and you make that noise, that's vagus nerve stimulation.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's amazing.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: About 90% of the neural fibers in this nerve transmits information from your gut to your brain.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: Not the other way around.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so it's gut to brain, not brain to gut.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: This is compelling proof that our gut has a direct say in our brain function.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: So, even stranger, it turns out that there are trillions of bacteria that form in your gut microbiome that also directly communicate with your nervous system, to the extent that certain microflora can also influence serotonin production.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: So, your gut bacteria can reduce serotonin levels and interfere with sleep.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: And just as a side note, if it's reducing serotonin, not only is it interfering with sleep, but it's going to lead to things like depression and anxiety.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: That is why gut health is so important.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: The interesting thing is that sleep deprivation also appears to negatively affect your gut bacteria.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we have the fact that like your gut bacteria, if that's bad, that's decreasing serotonin.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: So you're not sleeping as much, but then that vicious cycle is reinforced because you're not sleeping as much, that also negatively impacts it again.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: So it's beginning to this vicious, vicious cycle.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: And actually, they have found now that even one like 10-hour flight like jet lag in terms of like a disruption in your like sleep can cause a temporary dysbiosis in your gut bacteria.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: So this is just like one, and then while this was corrected by like one night of sleeping normally again, it does demonstrate that even like moderate amounts of poor sleep quality or not getting enough sleep can negatively impact your microbiome.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so can you imagine like what's happening over years or months or weeks in case of when I had a caution of not sleeping properly?
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, this leads to a self-perpetuating cycle of bad sleep, poor gut health, poorer your gut health, the wet, the worse your sleep, the worse your sleep, the poorer your gut health.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, in turn, what we eat and the foods then also reinforces.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna add in that factor because then when we're sleep deprived and we're tired and stressed, what do we crave?
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: Sugar, caffeine, convenience foods, all of which don't do our gut bacteria any favors, right?
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: So we also have to think about that the gut microbiome can also affect your emotions and mood.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: So stress, depression, anxiety can all make falling asleep harder or getting good quality sleep hard as well.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: So the lack of sleep continues to impact your good gut bacteria by affecting your mood, and then the spiral continues.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: We also have to factor in just a couple other hormones just to like show you guys how interconnected this like weave a mess of getting good sleep is, because the bacteria in our gut are involved in producing some key hormones and neurotransmitters.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, such as serotonin, but also things like GABA and dopamine, and these all play a role in not only your mood but your ability to sleep.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: So, as you guys can see, it's super important that you need to take care of your gut and what you eat in terms of getting good night's sleep.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: So if you guys are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of factors that go into getting good night's sleep, please get into my one-on-one.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm opening some spots for June and I can help you sleep better and like help you navigate this all because I know it can be overwhelming to be like, okay, Liv, I need to make sure I do my hormones, I need to do eating, I need to do my circadian rhythm, my serotonin.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so if you feel like you need help getting a good night's sleep, definitely reach out because we can help with that.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: So, new findings actually also suggest that your gut microbiome follows its own circadian rhythms.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: That means independent of your sleep, your gut microbiome has its own thing.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where you know, go back and listen to the intermittent fasting episode and why intermittent fasting, why fasting is so important, and why it is so important to not eat a few hours before you sleep, and why you know you want to give at least a 12-hour break between meals, which means either stopping at like 7 p.m.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: and not eating till at least 7 a.m.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: or you know, 8 p.m., 8 a.m.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: at least 12 hours.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: So go back and listen to that episode, but because there is like think about like a a security guard switchover, right?
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: Think about when people switch shifts.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: Our gut bacteria, you know, changes when darkness falls.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: So when it is nighttime, your gut behaves differently than when it does during the day.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, the lack of sleep will not only make you want to fill your your gut with like sugar, refined carbs, caffeine, and other stimulants to make your body have more energy, but this one even one night of sleep deprivation can also lead to insulin resistance, which yes, paves the way for like type 2 diabetes and obesity and some of those main things, but that's insulin resistance is also PCOS, inability to lose weight, brain fog, concentration issues, lack of energy, and so you really need to get control through all of that because it's not only your sleep quantity, but it is your sleep quality that is going to affect all of this.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: So, I also want to dive into the different stages of sleep because sleep isn't uniform, and you run through like several rounds of basically a sleep cycle that is made up of four distinct stages.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: So, in a typical night's sleep, the average person will go from anywhere from four to six cycles, depending on how long you're staying in them, because that will vary slightly, as well as how long you are in bed.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: So each stage of your sleep actually plays a crucial role and can be broken into two distinct categories.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: You have rapid eye movement or your REM sleep, and your non-rapid eye movement sleep or your N-REM sleep.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna break down each of them a little bit more so you guys can really understand the importance of each sleep.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: So stage one is your non-REM sleep.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: This is the transition from wakefulness to sleep.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: It is the phase that includes that first few minutes where you begin to doze off and your brain waves begin slowing down from that wakefulness.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: So physiologically, what occurs is there's a decrease in your breathing, your heart rate, your eye movements, your muscles begin to relax, although sometimes you can have the occasional twitches.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: So if you ever find that, like sometimes it even happens when you're taking a nap during the day or you're falling asleep and you get those little twitches, those are from the non-REM or the stage one sleep.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: So during this light stage of sleep, you can be awakened easily, but if left undisturbed, you're probably gonna slip into the next stage, which is stage two.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: So stage two is again a non-REM type of sleep.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: Your muscles become more relaxed, your heart rate goes even slower, your breathing goes every slower, your eye movement stops, and your body temperature begins to drop.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_00: And as a whole, your brainwave activity actually slows more.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there's a a couple like brief bursts of activity, but um again, everything starts to slow down even more and more, and the length of this stage of sleep will vary.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: It usually gets longer and longer with each cycle, and then you typically spend about half of your sleep in this stage two area.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: Then we have stage three, which is another non-REM.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: This is the deepest stage of sleep, and it's critical for achieving that like restorative rest that leaves you feeling refreshed in the morning.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: People always think, oh, I got my REM sleep.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: That's we're going for non-REM sleep, not REM sleep, which is so funny because people always say, like, oh, I got my REM, I spent this much time in REM, and I'm like, mmm, no, you want like non-REM stage three sleep.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: So during this stage, this is when everything gets to your lowest level.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: Your heart rate gets to its lowest, your breathing gets to its lowest, your muscles are fully relaxed, and your brain waves begin to basically slow into a pattern with slower frequencies that are known as delta waves.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: So this is the one we want to maximize as much as we can.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: And then we have REM, which is stage four.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: This is the fourth and final stage, and this is the one where your brain activity actually begins to like perk up and you're actually nearing levels that you would normally have during wakefulness.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_00: So everything starts to increase again, your eyes move more quickly from side to side, you know, during your eyelids, and this is actually the time where some people can almost be awake and experience that like almost paralysis of your body and muscles where you're almost awake but it feels like you can't move your body.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: That is an REM.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: So the length of REM will vary throughout the night, but on average, you spend about a quarter of your sleep during this stage.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: So the majority of dreams actually take place in REM sleep.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: So as the brain activity increases and the different areas of your brain are stimulated, you experience vivid dreams.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: And so, in order to protect you from like basically acting out your dream, your brain also sends signals that shut off the neurons to your spinal cord.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: That's why you're able to like have dreams, but you're not, unless you're obviously, you know, suffering from like sleepwalking or something like that.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: That's exactly why your muscles are basically paralyzed from that stage in your dream, and you're just able to lie there and have that.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: So there's ample evidence that basically suggests that REM and dreaming are essential to your cognitive functions, even though this is not the stage of your sleep where it is the deepest.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to look at some ways that you can really start to start optimizing your sleep and ensure that you are getting like plenty of rest.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, sleeping in the right temperature.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: You need to make sure that your room is cool.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: If your room is hot, you will not get as much of a night's sleep.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure it's honestly it should be set to about 67, 68 degrees.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_00: You can also, now they have like cooling beds and cooling mats, but that's gonna allow you to get a deeper amount of sleep.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: Taking a hot like Epsom salt bath before bed, um, even adding in some lavender essential oil is also going to help you get a better night's sleep.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_00: Calming your system.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: This is super important.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: You cannot go from like writing work emails or getting stimulated by this or that to then going to bed because your brain is going to be wired.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: You need to calm your system down, relax your nerves, relax your muscles before you go to bed.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_00: Killing the caffeine.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: You need to minimize substances that affect caffeine, um, that affect sleep, like caffeine, also sugar and alcohol.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: People always think that, like, oh, when I have alcohol, I'm able to pass out and get a better night's sleep.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: No, the quality of your sleep is actually a lot shittier than if you were not having at all.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: You ideally do not want to be having caffeine after lunch, but max like after 2 p.m.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, you want to also unplug, avoid any stimulating activities for two hours before bed, such as you know, like answering emails, internet, like video games, all of that stuff.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: You do not want to be doing at least two hours before bed.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: You also want to be blocking blue light.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: I'm thinking about doing a whole episode on blue light just because blue light is so bad, not only for your sleep, but for your metabolism and makes you gain weight and all that.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: You want to be blocking blue light at least two hours.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Before bed, so that your melatonin production can be supported.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: So, whether that means getting blue light glasses, whether that means putting flux on your computer, you know, making your iPhone have like a night mode, all of that is going to help.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: I also suggest putting your phone on airplane modes or turning off Wi-Fi and blocking out any electrical signal is going to be best, and if you can keep that away from your bed, that is even better.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: Sweating it out, you ideally want to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, but not three hours before bed because that can affect sleep because it can be too stimulating to your system, and then you're gonna have trouble falling asleep.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, another one is investigating the problem.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: If you are doing a lot of these basic things and you are still like not having a good night's sleep, make sure you're working like reach out to me or someone like me to investigate food sensitivities, make sure you're healing your gut, um, like I talked about, because as we can see, your gut health has a huge effect on your sleep.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: And so you need to make sure you're working with someone for your gut health to improve that.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: Also, making sure you know you're doing mood support, stress support, um, and all of that as well.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: Another one is getting grounded.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_00: So at times, basically, EMFs can impair sleep.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_00: So, I like I said, I recommend you know turning off the Wi-Fi, keeping your electronic devices away from your bed, and also keeping like a common area or a charging station in your home can also be really helpful so that everyone's stuff is kind of like right there.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: Clearing your mind is also super important.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: If you find that your mind's going a mile a minute, you're thinking about 50 million things that you need to do before bed, do a brain dump.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: Take a piece of paper and just write out everything that's on your mind.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: Everything that happened that day, everything you want to remember for tomorrow, everything that is sitting on your mind, do a brain dump, pen and paper, spit it out.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: It does not have to be perfect.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: Let your brain kind of go off so that all of that junk is kind of out of your mind and you can get a better night's sleep.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: Another trick I like to use is the 4-7-8 trick, which is basically a breathing technique.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: So you inhale into your nose for a count of four, you hold it for a count of seven, and then exhale for a count of eight.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: And it's basically a type of yogic breathing that stimulates the feel-good chemicals in your brain that makes you shift into a relaxed or parasympathetic state that's gonna help your body and mind wind down.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: The next one is to catch yourself catastrophizing.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: So before we go to sleep, like we said, we're typically you know alone with our thoughts.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: But the added stress of maybe being overtired, it's easy for your mind to cascade into a spiral of worry that keeps you awake.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: So most of the time, this is like blown out of proportion, and therefore worrying late at night is mostly like a waste of energy, right?
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: Because we're ruminating on thoughts, right?
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: We're catastrophizing.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I want you guys to start to notice any catastrophing, worrying thoughts that you say to yourself, and then like when it starts doing this, stop.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: No, no, we're not gonna deal with this right now.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_00: And that's all you say.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because when your brain starts to go on another tangent, you need to start to like you need to gently remind yourself, but firmly, that you are not in like that's not what we're doing right now.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_00: We're not, you know, catastrophizing, we're not running through 50 million different scenarios, um, and use that in order to have a better sleep.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I also wanted to share kind of like a good sleepy acupressure point because acupressure has been, I'm a huge fan of acupuncture, which like you obviously use needles, but this is going to use acupressure, so it's totally safe, natural, um, and all you need is like the pads of your fingers, and it can be done anywhere.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_00: So there's really like two major acupressure points that can be pressed to really help you drift off.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: So, first you want to basically find that small indent at the top of your nose between your eyebrows.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_00: And it's normally where people get like wrinkles, and you're going to like gently apply pressure with your fingers for about a minute before you sleep.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: You can also um press on the sole of your foot about one-third from the from the tips of your toes for a similar effect.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: So in the middle of your foot, um, one third down from the tips, you can press there, or in the center of your eyebrows.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: Those are really two strong acupressure points that can really help you wind down.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: I also find like white noise, I like to either fall asleep sometimes to bineural beats or meditation.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: If you find that you are ruminating on your thoughts, if you just YouTube bineural beats sleep or you know, sleep meditation, any of that, a lot of that can also help you really, really drift off.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_00: But like I said, blocking blue light is definitely gonna be huge because that no screen time is actually going to help your body's you know production of melatonin, which is gonna help you not only fall asleep but stay asleep longer.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: Most of the time, when people tell me that they can't fall asleep at night, I have them block the blue light, and that like honestly does wonders for them, like let alone if we do anything else.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: I also wanted to kind of recommend a really good sleepy time tea.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: So chamomile tea is amazing at night to really help you sleep and wind down.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's also been shown to relieve anxiety, like it's supported in studies, and it's something that I like because anyone can find this at their grocery store for only a few dollars.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: The trick is to steep it 10 to 15 minutes covered.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: You have to steep it 10 to 15 minutes covered, otherwise, you won't get the full benefit.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_00: So make sure you do that, and that's like a great sleepy time tea to help you wind down.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: And the last one I kind of want to recommend in terms of like a good like generic thing, because obviously, you know, in terms of recommending specific supplements to people, you need to have like a health intake with me or be a one-on-one client.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: But in general, magnesium is an essential nutrient that is the most common deficient thing, especially among women in North America.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_00: So when it comes to falling asleep, magnesium can help in a number of ways.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: First, not only in stress management because it promotes like a sense of calm, but it's also important for preparing to fall asleep because it activates the receptors for GABA, which is a neurotransmitter that supports relaxation and sleep.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_00: So it helps the whole body kind of calm down and basically does all the things that you want the body to do to get ready for sleep.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, there's magnesium is rich in like nuts and seeds, but I also like the magnesium powders that you can get, the sprays, the supplements, but magnesium in general is a really great kind of mineral to add to your routine to not only help you sleep, but it's also a really important mineral in the body in general.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: So that is how to sleep better tonight and why it's so important.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_00: Again, make sure you also do things like heal your gut health because no amount of like supplementing with magnesium and melatonin and all that are gonna do good if your gut health is still shitty.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: If you are struggling with your gut health, go back and listen to the gut health episodes.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: I have quite a few on there, so make sure you go back and listen to those.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: As always, if you enjoyed this episode, I would love for you to share it on your Instagram and tag me so that I can share all my stories.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to know what your greatest takeaway is from this, you know, episode.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: Let me know, you know, try these things out.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_00: Let me know how you're sleeping and share how they work for you.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_00: And like I said, if you feel you need extra support, definitely get in to one on one.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_00: And with that being said, I will see you guys in the next episode.