An LGBTQ2S+ Personal Trainer talks SLEEEP
An LGBTQ2S+ personal trainer in Toronto gets factual
Many of us have issues with sleep. 35% of Canadians have issues falling asleep and staying asleep. 45% of Canadians do not consistently find sleep refreshing. As sleep is a noted key factor in fundamental well being, I wish many of us could sleep a bit better. A good sleep repairs and recalibrates and allows us to all function at a higher capacity and we could all use as much of that these days as we can possibly get our sleep-deprived hands on.
It’s actually still a bit of a mystery as to why precisely exercise helps you fall asleep. Intuitively it makes sense to me from an energetic stand-point: when I work up a solid sweat and my heart is bumping out of my chest and I’m done it’s like I’ve had my deep insides power-washed. A stagnant (and troubling) energy gets released. I’m relaxed, I’m clean and free and definitely less anxious. Like way less anxious. And as we all know: anxiety can really effect sleep and sleep quality and yes you wanna hit all of the usual things to combat that - so exercise of course but also certain kinds of breath work and meditation are also really great.
An LGBTQ2S+ personal trainer in Toronto says breathe hard
We know that moderate aerobic exercise (30 minutes) ups the amount of slow wave sleep people tend to get. Slow wave is the real good stuff. It’s the deep, rejuvenating sleep that we all crave. A review of sixty-six studies has shown that aerobic exercise has similar effects as a sleeping pill or behavioural therapy in improving the ability to fall asleep, sleep duration and quality. If you need to read that over again. I’ll wait. 34 of 110
An LGBTQ2S+ personal trainer in Toronto says sleep is a 24hr a day job
But there is a lot that we can do to prepare ourselves all day long for a more restful night’s sleep and it actually starts as soon as we get out of bed from our LAST night’s sleep: getting some serious daylight in as soon as we get up, begins to calibrate our body to fall asleep that evening. So first thing in the morning do not stay in a dark place. Open the blinds, get near windows, go for a walk, sit on the deck… whatever you can do to get some sunshine on your skin first thing do it.
Likewise, the last thing our brain needs before we go to sleep is us staring at a computer screen, our phone, the TV… screens right before bed full stop are just bad so cut them out. No screen time a minimum of a half hour before bed and if you can manage it, an hour is even better.
But what will we do in that time before bed that we are NOT on our phones? Some kind of stretching, soft tissue work or any other light body work is great. Something that feels easy and comforting and helps our nervous system glide into a greater place of ease is amazing. Do that. Meditation, even something really short is a great idea as well. Seriously a little stretching and meditation, totalling ten minutes (just ten minutes) can make a big difference. Try it and see.
An LGBTQ2S+ personal trainer in Toronto believes sleep hygiene is key
Also try having no electronics in your room at all. That means phones, computers or tablets. None of them.
As well, try and get that room as dark as you possibly can and so even if you have an alarm clock, set the dimmer to as low as it will possibly go. If you have windows, black out curtains are a fantastic option if you can.
Staying cool while you sleep is also very helpful in getting you a better night’s rest. So, keep your room and / or bed quite cool to help you get the most optimum shut-eye.
An LGBTQ2S+ personal trainer in Toronto offers a few more suggestions
Almost all of us seem to love (and NEED) coffee or some kind of caffeine throughout the day to help us navigate our overly busy lives. And that’s fine, ultimately. BUT, if caffeine or other stimulants are interfering with your sleep it’s best to back off a bit in order to ensure we are getting the best sleep we possibly can. That will in turn lessen the amount of caffeine that we will need throughout the day. So, maybe consider backing off a little on the amount of caffeine you consume and consider stopping your caffeine intake no later than 1pm or in some cases even earlier.
If you have aches and pains that can keep you restless throughout the night try getting them looked at if you can. Treatment can vastly improve sleep quality and the improved sleep in turn helps improve soft tissue health.
So there is a lot of info here and I won’t keep you much longer but one last one before I go.
Walking can actually dramatically improve sleep quality or more precisely your bodies need for sleep. About three thousand more steps than what you are currently taking now is a good place to start. Try that, and see if it helps. If not, try adding some more but three thousand could very well have some really positive outcomes.
An LGBTQ2S+ personal trainer in Toronto bids adieu
That’s it for me this time but I will be back in a couple of weeks with a post about motivation and why you might be solving for the wrong problem. Until then, I hope the new year has been treating you really well!