Hack your Sleep

WOD: 01/17/19



Thruster 5-5-3-3-2-2-1-1-1 reps

 

For time:
9 thrusters
1,000-m row
15 thrusters
1,000-m row
21 thrusters

Men: 65 lb.
Women: 45 lb.

Hack Your Sleep

by Elise Elliott-Smith

How’s your sleep?  Whether you are trying to recover from a hard workout, build muscle, lose weight, or just function, sleep is super important and a lot of people are not getting enough high quality sleep.  Most people need 7-8 hours of sleep and more may be better for tissue repair and muscle growth. Ideally sleep should be uninterrupted. It can take some discipline to get to bed early and it can be super frustrating if you do make the effort and then can’t fall asleep.  Even more frustrating is when you wake up in the middle of the night, toss and turn, and can’t fall back to sleep. There are a lot of different reasons why people do not get enough high quality sleep, but stress is one of the big ones, in addition to poor sleep hygiene.

If you are having trouble sleeping, send me an email and I will send you my Sleep Cheat Sheet or pick up a copy at the box.  And for now, here are some of my top recommendations:

  • Get outside for 15 minutes in the morning.  Getting natural light in the morning resets your internal clock and sets you up for sleeping well that night.

  • Get your WOD on.  Exercise helps promote sleep but if you have trouble falling asleep make sure to get your exercise early in the day (avoid working out within 3 hours of bedtime).

  • Finish eating and drinking alcohol at least 3 hours before bedtime, and finish drinking water 1 hour before bedtime.

  • Minimize blue light exposure before bedtime.  Adjust settings on devises to reduce blue light (“warm”), and consider wearing blue light blocking glasses.

  • Soak in Epsom Salts, use magnesium cream or oil, or take Magnesium Glycinate 1-2 hours before bedtime.

Sweet dreams……


Elise Elliott-Smith

Elise.healthcoaching@gmail.com


Derek Eason