Giving Yourself The Gift of Rest

It’s January - time to get crazy and cut into the cutting edge of the best person you want to be, right? Wink…

I have something else to suggest. Many people (including myself) felt that 2023 was very depleting. January 2024 many are recovering from a tough year, many illnesses in the fall of 2023, and being mentally and emotionally depleted. In chatting with many of my patients, we’ve been looking at the things that deplete deep sleep and deep rest…and tackling those things can be a major game changer to making the right decisions this year. What could be the right decisions?

• Supporting immunity by eating veggies with at least one meal
  
• Reducing time with toxic relationships
  
• Doing moderate exercise that makes you feel empowered
  
• Making time for joyful or fun activities, just because
  

So the real reason you’re still reason, is how do we get deep rest?

It’s a combination of moderating our hormones (the cortisol-adrenaline pathway) and allowing ourselves to be in a state of rest, on purpose, once a day. It’s hard to know this without testing (hint, hint..we do this) however there are a few tell-tale signs that your cortisol might not be distributing properly:

1. You’re waking between 2-4 am and can’t get back to sleep
   
2. Your memory is starting to freak you out
   
3. Caffeine - way too much and definitely late in the day
   
4. Your ability to handle stressful situations is diminishing - you’re reactive at best
   
5. You’ve had a major stressor in the last year - job loss, death, change in relationship status
   
6. You have issues with your blood sugar - you have PCOS, insulin resistance or Type II diabetes
   

So now you have some ideas. While you’re waiting to see your local ND, we also need to work on activities that calm your body and mind because as we know, the mind-body connection is vital for health and well-being.

Think of a time where you know you will have few distractions and it’s all about you. Whip out a colouring book, a great novel you have been wanting to finish, a cozy blanket, or a meditation or podcast that makes you feel relaxed. Give yourself 20-30 minutes where you don’t have to do anything, and if your brain tells you to feel guilty, remind yourself that this is part of your deep sleep time.

Next, it is time to track your sleep. Head to instagram where we posted all about the deep sleep cycle and how you can maximise your deep sleep time. Hope these ideas help. Need guidance? Book an appointment at Dalhousie Health & Wellness and we’ll chat further.
- Dr. Aoife