If nutrition is the most important foundational habit, then stress and sleep are 2a and 2b.
They are equally as important and I like to think of them as being different sides of the same coin.
When it comes to stress, the most important thing to understand is that when we experience stress, either physical or emotional, our body reacts. This reaction causes a flood of hormonal changes - ultimately to help us overcome the stressful situation. This inherently is not a bad thing - this hormonal response is designed for us to get out of danger and into safety, and when the danger has past, stress goes down and our bodies return to normal.
However, our modern world has created an environment where we are constantly under stress: our responsibilities are never ending, we have people to please, we never want to miss out, we have hundreds of notifications to respond to on our phones. The long term effect of this is that our body's are always in a stress reaction, which means our hormones are always in a heightened state.
The problem with this is that when our hormones are not in their normal state, the body doesn't react as it normally would. You can do everything right - you can eat perfectly and have the perfect workout, but if you are too stressed, it doesn't matter. The body might not respond as it should.
So for most busy, overworked parents and professionals, it is vitally important to address their stress and start to reduce it. There are a few ways to go about reducing your stress:
- First off all, stop doing things that create stress. Eating processed foods creates stress at a cellular level. By eliminating processed foods your cells functionality will improve and your body will start to heal (and feel better). Working out causes stress on your muscles, joints, and central nervous system. By reducing exercise, we can reduce overall stress on the body. Stop putting yourself in stressful environments - whether it is a stressful relationship, event, activity, etc - you can eliminate stress by stopping it.
- Second, resolve current stressors. If you have a lot of open projects or a long to do list, start completing them! Get organized and get things in order. This will help for individuals who feel like they are unorganized and have their attention split in all different directions.
- Third, start a journaling and meditation practice. There is nothing better than being present with the thoughts in your mind - they may be uncomfortable at first, but if you can start to sit with them, they improve. If you want to take the added step of journaling, that is just another way to get anxious thoughts out of your head.
- Lastly, seek help if you are dealing with a significant trauma. There is no shame in getting help if you can't get a grip on your anxiety. Honestly, it would be a shame to live trapped by trauma that you are too stubborn to seek help for. Put your ego aside and ask for help.
Sleep isn't quite as complicated as stress. It basically just comes down to the following: everything is harder when you don't get enough sleep. You are tired. Your motivation is diminished. It's harder to stick to the choices you intend to make. It's easier to fold to pressure. Conversely, when you get enough sleep (at a minimum, 7 hours of sleep time, meaning 8 hours of in bed time) you feel great, you have energy, you are motivated to make the right choices.
It's really a no brainer. There is no good reason not to get enough sleep. And if you say that you are too busy, I'd argue that you are a poor planner or lack the discipline to be effective. You have the hours in the day, we all do. It's just a matter if you will prioritize them appropriately. And sleep should be prioritized near the top.
Here are some tips on improving your sleep quality:
- Keep your room dark and cool. Get rid of any electronics that create light - your body can sense it and keeps it from reaching REM sleep. Invest in some quality black-out window shades as well.
- Create a bedtime routine. Ideally you should have 30-45 minutes of winddown time before going to sleep. For example, if you want to be sleeping by 10, then at 9:15 or 9:30 you turn off all technology and start doing things to calm your mind.
- Make sure that the bedroom is for sleeping and nothing else. If you watch TV, or play video games, or read in your bed, then when you lay down at night, your body will be expecting to do those things. Do them in a different room. Make sure your subconscious mind knows that when it walks in the bedroom at night it is going to sleep.
- Wake up at the same time every morning. The body is a creature of habit. Train it into a predictable pattern and it will be easier to go to sleep and get up.
- Don't drink or eat 90-120 minutes before sleeping. If you do, your body will be working to digest instead of shutting down. And you may need to use the restroom during the middle of the night - not ideal for quality sleep.
