For the month of February, our Well of Joy community is focused on ways to reduce chronic inflammation in order to fight disease, feel better, and improve our well-being overall. We know diet and exercise play a huge role in reducing inflammation, but did you know sleep is a key factor as well? Here are 5 ways to improve your sleep hygiene (and you don’t have to wait until nighttime to start):

Before we get to the goods, I have to share this research with you since it blew my mind 🤯. A recent study from the journal of PLOS Medicine looked at the sleep schedules of adults ages 50 to 70 and it found that not only does sleep deprivation seem to directly affect inflammation, but it also plays a role in our risk of developing multi-morbidity (multiple diseases).

Researchers discovered that 50 year olds who got less than five hours of sleep every night were at a 30% higher risk of developing multiple chronic diseases than those who slept at least seven hours a night. For people aged 60 and 70, that risk only increased.

Let’s start sleeping 7+ hours a night, shall we?

5. Pay attention to light

I am a massive Dr. Andrew Huberman (Neuroscience Professor & Lab Director at Stanford) devotee and a big takeaway from listening to him for so long is that we need to follow the sun cues for optimal sleep. Dr. Huberman says we need to get outside and view sunlight as soon as possible when we wake up (or the sun rises), and as soon as the sun goes down at night, we need to dim the lights in our home to prepare our body for sleep.

4. Curate your ideal sleep environment

This one is my favorite tip since I have felt such a shift in my own sleep hygiene because of it. Make your bedroom an inviting zen den that gives you an instant sensation of warmth, peace, and calm. In the winter, Jon will go into our room 10 minutes before I do to turn on the bed warmer. It feels like such a luxury to climb into fresh, warm sheets! Speaking of, invest in bedding that makes you feel like you’re staying in a 5⭐️ resort. You spend 1/3 of your day sleeping and it should be as cozy as possible! I happen to love linen sheets, and they only get softer with washing and use. And if I can recommend one swap to you that is a complete game-changer – it’s using a silk pillowcase. My derm recommended it for my skin and hair (less irritating), and a bonus is how cool it feels on your face. I am so obsessed with it, I bought an extra to travel with that I keep in our overnight bag.

3. Cultivate Your Nighttime Rituals & Stay Consistent

You know how there are 7938 interviews with successful people on the details of their morning routine? One might suggest that an evening routine is just as (if not even more) crucial to your well-being. How can you set yourself up for sleep success?

• Take care of anything that is cluttering your mind, or your home. If your mind feels anxious, write your to-do-list for the next day. Bonus if you can take care of something right then, in five minutes or less. The same goes for your physical space – I like to take care of the kitchen, putting any dishes away, and prep lunch/ snacks for the next day.
• Then move on to rituals that feel right for you to start signaling to your body that you’re winding down. For me, it’s doing my skin care, applying lotion, and listening to an evening meditation.
• Dim the lights in your bedroom, and consider swapping your lamp light bulb to red (here’s a good one).
• Set a time to get in bed and stay consistent.
• Have a (real paper) book or journal and give yourself at least ten minutes to read or write.
• As you fall asleep, start a gratitude practice of going through what went right with your day, and all the things you’re grateful for. According to Dr. Daniel Amen, this preps your brain to see the good, and keeps you from that terrible cycle of obsessing over what you didn’t do/say/finish.

2. Power Down

Yes, we know. We’ve been told to put our phone to bed 30 minutes before we turn in since all of that blue light exposure (and brain activity) can disrupt our REM sleep. But if we’re being honest, do we really? I don’t keep an alarm clock or landline in the house, so sometimes you check the phone one last time before bed and oops, now you’re down a rabbit hole of hearting everyone’s cute dog pics on social.

What I have found to be more effective is changing settings to “do not disturb” at least one hour before bed (mine starts at 7:30pm 😆), and then plugging it in to charge in another room. This way, it’s out of sight, out of mind, and you have to physically get out of that warm cocoon to check it (no thank you!).

1. Take a Magnesium Supplement

THIS. This protocol made our number one spot for a reason. Taking a magnesium supplement consistently for more than a year has made such a wild, tangible impact to not only our sleep, but my migraines, focus, energy, and our overall health. I would shout it from the rooftops if I could (and if you’re a client, friend, or family member you know this to be true in real life 😆)! Did you know 75% of us are deficient in magnesium? (Here’s more on that and 2 other deficiencies we may have.) I like this particular supplement because the magnesium l-threonate crosses the blood-brain barrier, is made with clean ingredients in small batches, and tastes delicious. It is part of our nightly routine and when the phone goes on the charger, I habit stack it with taking the magnesium. 10/10 recommend.

“No wonder Sleeping Beauty looked so good…she took long naps, never got old, and didn’t have to do anything but snore to get her Prince Charming.”

— Olive Green, Author

Sleep well, and be joyful, kind friend. Thank you for stopping by today!