Sleep. It's not just about sweet dreams and 8 hours. Your body needs sleep to regulate and strengthen its immune system, recharge its batteries, and relieve stress. During COVID-19, it's more important than ever to get a good night's sleep, because that will help boost your immune system and maximize your resilience to the virus. In this video, Midlothian health coach Jaime Monsen offers five tips on how to get better sleep.
5 Tips for Better Sleep & a Better Immune System
- Get into a routine. Think about when you were a child or when you raised your own children. We are very specific with bed-time routines for our children. Maybe it was dinner time, bath time, story time, bed time. We focused on things that would calm them down to get them ready for sleep. Do the same for yourself. What can you do to calm your mind as the evening progresses? Are you turning off electronics? Are you meditating? Are you taking a warm bath? Look for ways to get into a routine and calm your body down.
- Create a nice atmosphere. The atmosphere in your bedroom is vital. You want it to be a spa-like retreat. You want to be able to go in there and feel relaxed.
Think about the colors of your wall and how you can create natural relaxation. Look for calming colors, not sharp colors like red. Use tools like white noise through a box fan, or an app, or a small machine on your nightstand.
Use scents, such as lavender or spearmint, and get them going about an hour before bed-time so when you walk in it has an immediate relaxed feeling. Make sure the sunlight is blocked out of your bedroom and the thermostat is set at a comfortable temperature.
And reduce clutter. Don't have piles of laundry or your workspace filled with work for tomorrow in your bedroom.
- Journal before bed. Some people use this for a way to appreciate themselves and remember positivity from the day, so they relax more. If you're having bad sleep issues, create a sleep diary where you monitor the quality of your sleep, your patterns, and your routines. This can be helpful if it gets to the point where you need to speak with a physician.
- Simplify the bedroom. Don't use your bedroom for office work, TV team, checking emails, etc. Use it for sleep and relaxation only. Separate your work-life and your entertainment from your bedroom, so you can feel relaxed and get a good night of rest and perform well the next day.
- Eat right and exercise. Eating right is going to impact your sleep. If you eat a lot of sugar before bed, you probably aren't going to sleep well. Cutting off food after 8:00 pm can be a good strategy, so you aren't going to bed full and with your body processing food. While drinking water is great, you want to find the time to cut that off as well so you aren't getting up in the middle of the night to use the restroom.
Exercise is a great way to relieve stress. Most who toss and turn in the middle of the night are thinking about things that overwhelm or worry you. Exercising can help relieve those concerns. Exercise such as yoga or meditation can also help you relax.
Join Jaime for a Live Q&A on Facebook at 1:00 pm on Thursday. As always, we'll post a recap after the Q&A if you weren't able to tune in. Check out all of our Strong Immunity September content here.