If you have a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, or just don’t get any restful sleep, I’m hoping this post will help you better understand why you’re a “bad sleeper”!
Good sleep is key to the success of so many nutrition and health-related goals. Without it, reaching your goals gets a whole lot harder. If you’re having a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep, there could be SO many reasons why. Whether your goals are weight, hormone, fitness, or digestion related, finding the root cause for poor sleep is important for meeting those goals! But having poor sleep is also SO exhausting (no pun intended).
As a Registered Dietitian who has worked with hundreds of women, the importance of good sleep is something I make sure to address with each of them. And through my work, I’ve found some common causes of sleep disturbance as well as some ways to deal with them!
Imbalanced blood sugar, and not eating enough calories from carbs in general.
Carbohydrates provide precursors to key hormones and neurotransmitters that help us sleep. They also make us feel full, satisfied, and relaxed. So be sure to get plenty of high-fiber carbs in each day! It will help you in more ways than one!STRESS!
Remember that we can’t “rest and digest” while we’re in a fight or flight state. If you’re chronically stressed and it’s affecting your sleep, some personalized stress management tools will help your mental and physical health. This is part of the importance of a nighttime routine, which we’ll talk about next! 😉 We like bedtime meditation, yoga, warm baths, and doing activities that are calming like coloring or reading. Think of your favorite activities that help you feel relaxed!Lack of an evening routine.
Speaking of stress, how the heck can you expect your body and mind to calm down and rest in the evening if you don’t signal to your body that your work day is over?? We love a morning AND evening routine to help with that! Head on over to Instagram to see some of my favorite habits for a good evening routine.Lack of exercise.
Exercise and movement during the day helps us relax and feel calm in the evening. Incorporating a quick workout or walk during the day can be a fab place to start. This doesn’t have to be some crazy intense HIIT workout. In fact, I recommend low-impact movement such as walking over anything super strenuous!Bedtime screentime.
Deep down, I’m sure you know about this one already. And chances are, you continue to do it. I get it, we live in a day and age where everything we could possibly need is on our phones and computers. But what our phones and computers aren’t helping us get is quality sleep. Blue light blockers and getting off your social media and email at least an hour before you shut your eyes is realistic and a habit you should consider implementing ASAP! Low light helps our bodies to signal the production of melatonin, so remember that when it comes to bright lights as well!Magnesium deficiency.
Poor sleep can be one of the many signs of a magnesium deficiency, and the World Health Organization believes about 75% of us aren’t getting enough magnesium. We recommend talking to a health professional before starting a supplement. And we recommend addressing all of the above before a supplement as well 😉
