How to get better sleep

Did you know poor sleep is associated with chronic/persistent pain? Indeed it is, chronic sleep lose is associated with increase pain sensitivity from a recent study from Harvard Medical School researchers and Boston Children’s hospital. There are also studies that show significantly higher rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus in people who average less than 6 hours of sleep per night. So why is sleep so important?

Sleep is the ultimate recovery tool - way better than any machine or supplement in todays market. When you sleep, the body cleans the bad toxins and byproducts used by your brain, muscles, and organs - which is why sleep always feel refreshing after. Sleep cleanses your body and keeps things running smoothly.

Getting the right hours to sleep is most likely, one factor that is limiting your recovery and being pain free.

Here are some tips and tricks that I like to tell my clients to improve their sleep habits.

• Set a time and go to bed - before 11pm

• Avoid caffeine in the late afternoon or evening.

• Quiet the house by turning off screens 1hr before bed

• Avoid checking emails of messages before bed

• Exercise during the day

• Eliminate naps. If naps are needed, limit them to power naps of fewer than 20 minutes

• Reduce fluid intake in the evening

• Reduce Alcoholic beverages in the late evening

• Darken and cool the bedroom

• Remove kids and pets from your bed

• Park your ideas. Place a notepad and pen next to your bed

• Relax, meditate or read a book before bed

• Stay in bed. If you cannot sleep, close your eyes and relax

• Set a wake time and stay in bed until then

  These are a few tips that I find very helpful for most of my clients!