28/06/24
Recovery and Sleep
To be honest the past few weeks have been a little tough. After I ran a marathon the other week I felt completely depleted, physically, emotionally and mentally. I have been trying to claw my energy and enthusiasm back ever since. I felt hungover from exertion and at the same time I felt like I didn’t have time to rest. Having children to look after and a business to run I wasn’t allowing myself the hours I needed to recharge. So as always from a survival point of view, my brain searched for a quick fix, (normally sugar) but this time it was wellness supplements.
I am sucker for anything that claims to make me healthier. So when it comes to supplements you name it, I’ve tried it – from mushroom tea, to liquid gold, to multi vitamins, to smoothie supplements. I was frantically adding my latest one into my basket when I had this light bulb moment. I am constantly looking outside of myself for answers, buying this and reading that, looking, searching…. I realised in that moment that if I stopped looking out, and turned my view within the answer was right there. And it was, all I needed was sleep. I just had to draw a line for bed time at 9.30pm and get some early nights (which we all know is absolutely free!)
Sleep has eluded me for the past 8 years. I have children that still wake in the night and sometimes join me in bed. My mum always said once you have had children you always sleep with one eye half open and I now agree. I rarely get deep sleep and certainly not enough of it. The trouble is the more tired I am from parenting the later I seem to push my bed time. Once the children are finally settled (sometimes as late as 9.12pm) I just don’t want to let go of that free evening, as I know as soon as I open my eyes in the morning the next shift (sorry day) starts all over again. I then feel lethargic on waking and the whole cycle continues.
So I have decided that one of the most important things I can do for my health and wellbeing this month is give myself the gift of some decent nights sleep and thats decent nights sleep in a row not a one off.
Here are my top tips to book ending the day in the most beautiful way possible so that going to bed is framed in temptation.
1. Have gorgeous bed linen to dive into. (Always white and always The White Company).
2. Enjoy a brilliant novel that you can get lost in. No more self help books, embrace escapism.
3. Don’t eat too late (I work best on a 7pm cut off), your gut microbes need to rest too.
4. Eye mask to black out the light.
5. Lights out by 10pm.
Wish me luck on reclaiming my energy and I hope you find some zzzzzzz this month too.
Photo by Tatiana Syrikova from Pexels
