Sleep! So important! Stay tuned below for a wealth of info on all the Ws of sleep. + most importantly, the ‘How’ of getting enough good quality sleep.

When Aaro was a baby we joined a mom+baby group. They hosted a sleep expert one week + it changed the way I thought about sleep, not just for my babe, but for me as well. There’s so much necessary benefit we gain when we sleep, but we generally put sleep last on our priority list because there are so many seeming priorities during the day. + sometimes we just need some time + space to mindlessly scroll on social media. For me that alllllways happens at night. Usually right before I get ready for bed. It’s a bad habit, because at that time of night the energy to have discipline to put the damn phone down + go to bed is extremely low. But, as you probably already know + will read below, screen time + social media scrolling isn’t just a weight on our energy it can interrupt our sleep patterns. So this month the habit that I’m putting a lot of focus on developing is going to bed early enough so I am getting between 7-8 hours of sleep each night, + I’ll slowly start waking up earlier, because those quiet morning moments are just….ahh, magic.

A last note – once you start getting enough sleep, especially if you’ve been sleep deprived for awhile, you’ll probably feel more tired than you think you should. Sleep loss is cumulative. So every hour of sleep lost is an hour of sleep that needs to be made up. Gulp, right? We get used to being in survival mode. But that’s not a good enough reason to put off prioritizing your best sleep. So let’s work on this together! Are you with me?

You’ll find all the infos below, a video I recorded that gives an overview of this info, + free worksheets to help get you set up for the best sleep of your life. + if you’re looking for a little extra support, there’s a form you can fill out at the bottom + I will send you a sample of some supportive sleep oils.

Why you need good sleep + what it does for you. 

Sleep is foundational to your overall health : mental, emotional, physical. It plays an absolute vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety. Sleep improves your mood + gives your body the opportunity to repair + renew. The way you feel while you’re awake depends in part on what happens while you’re sleeping. During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development. Sleep helps your brain work properly. While you’re sleeping, your brain is preparing for the next day. It’s forming new pathways to help you learn and remember information.

Benefits of getting enough, good quality sleep :

• Improves learning
• Helps you pay attention, make decisions, be creative
• Supports healthy growth + development : deep sleep triggers the body to release the hormone that promotes normal growth in children + teens, + boosts muscle mass + helps repair cells + tissues in people of all ages.

Reasons why we might not be getting enough good sleep.

It is estimated that about 80% of disease is the result of persistent stress + stress is the number one cause of short-term sleeping difficulties.

Common stress triggers : 

• School- or job-related pressures
• Family or marriage problems
• Serious illness or death in the family.
• Financial stressors

Usually interruptions to a good night’s sleep disappears when the stressful situation passes, however, if short-term sleep problems such as insomnia aren’t managed properly from the beginning, they can persist long after the original stress has passed. This can create a snowball effect : sleep-begets-sleep, + the opposite is true. Without good sleep, it’s harder to deal with stress, which can make it harder to get good sleep. It’s incredibly important to have tools + mechanisms in place for dealing with stress + sleep [in a healthy way].

What happens when you don’t get good sleep? 

The damage from sleep deficiency can occur in an instant (such as a car crash), or it can harm you over time. 

• Raises your risk for some chronic health problems . 
• Affects how well you think, react, work, learn, + get along with others.
• Trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling your emotions + behavior, + coping with change.
• Linked to depression, suicide, and risk-taking behavior.
• A new study warns that sleep-deprived children are more likely to abuse drugs and binge-drink when they hit adolescence.

Physical Health

Sleep plays an important role in your physical health. For example, sleep is involved in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. Sleep deficiency also increases the risk of obesity. For example, one study of teenagers showed that with each hour of sleep lost, the odds of becoming obese went up. Sleep deficiency increases the risk of obesity in other age groups as well. Sleep helps maintain a healthy balance of the hormones that make you feel hungry (ghrelin) or full (leptin). When you don’t get enough sleep, your level of ghrelin goes up and your level of leptin goes down. This makes you feel hungrier than when you’re well-rested. Sleep also affects how your body reacts to insulin, the hormone that controls your blood glucose (sugar) level. Sleep deficiency results in a higher than normal blood sugar level, which may increase your risk for diabetes. Your immune system relies on sleep to stay healthy. This system defends your body against foreign or harmful substances. Ongoing sleep deficiency can change the way in which your immune system responds. For example, if you’re sleep deficient, you may have trouble fighting common infections.

Daytime Performance and Safety

Getting enough quality sleep at the right times helps you function well throughout the day. People who are sleep deficient are less productive at work and school. They take longer to finish tasks, have a slower reaction time, and make more mistakes. After several nights of losing sleep—even a loss of just 1–2 hours per night—your ability to function suffers as if you haven’t slept at all for a day or two. Lack of sleep also may lead to microsleep. Microsleep refers to brief moments of sleep that occur when you’re normally awake. You can’t control microsleep, and you might not be aware of it. For example, have you ever driven somewhere and then not remembered part of the trip? If so, you may have experienced microsleep. Even if you’re not driving, microsleep can affect how you function. If you’re listening to a lecture, for example, you might miss some of the information or feel like you don’t understand the point. In reality, though, you may have slept through part of the lecture and not been aware of it. Some people aren’t aware of the risks of sleep deficiency. In fact, they may not even realize that they’re sleep deficient. Even with limited or poor-quality sleep, they may still think that they can function well. For example, drowsy drivers may feel capable of driving. Yet, studies show that sleep deficiency harms your driving ability as much as, or more than, being drunk. It’s estimated that driver sleepiness is a factor in about 100,000 car accidents each year, resulting in about 1,500 deaths. Drivers aren’t the only ones affected by sleep deficiency. It can affect people in all lines of work, including health care workers, pilots, students, lawyers, mechanics, and assembly line workers. As a result, sleep deficiency is not only harmful on a personal level, but it also can cause large-scale damage. For example, sleep deficiency has played a role in human errors linked to tragic accidents, such as nuclear reactor meltdowns, grounding of large ships, and aviation accidents. Psychologists and other scientists who study the causes of sleep disorders have shown that such problems can directly or indirectly be tied to abnormalities in the following systems:  Physiological systems

• brain + nervous system
• cardiovascular system
• metabolic functions
• immune system

Furthermore, unhealthy conditions, disorders and diseases can also cause sleep problems, including:

• pathological sleepiness, insomnia + accidents
• hypertention + elevated cardiovascular risks (MI, stroke)
• emotional disorders (depression, bipolar disorder)
• obesity; metabolic syndrome + diabetes
• alcohol + drug abuse (dinges, 2004)

Studies show that sleep deficiency alters activity in some parts of the brain. If you’re sleep deficient, you may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling your emotions and behavior, and coping with change. Sleep deficiency also has been linked to depression, suicide, and risk-taking behavior. Children and teens who are sleep deficient may have problems getting along with others. They may feel angry and impulsive, have mood swings, feel sad or depressed, or lack motivation. They also may have problems paying attention, and they may get lower grades and feel stressed. Sleep-deprived children are more likely to abuse drugs and binge-drink when they hit adolescence, a new study warns.

Basically, no good can come from not getting enough sleep.

How can you get better sleep?

According to leading sleep researchers, there are techniques to combat common sleep problems :

• keep a regular sleep/wake schedule
• don’t drink or eat caffeine 4-6 hrs before bed + minimize daytime use
• don’t smoke, especially near bedtime or if you wake in the night
• avoid alcohol and heavy meals before you sleep
• get regular exercise
• minimize noise, light, + excessive hot + cold temperatures where you sleep
• develop a regular bed time and go to bed at the same time each night
• try + wake up without an alarm clock
• attempt to go to bed earlier every night for a certain period; this will ensure that you’re getting enough sleep

Create your best night of a sleep with a combination of routine + setting up your environment intentionally. In the simple sleep ebook available in the shop, there’s a checklist to create your own bedroom haven.

Essential oils provide dynamic support for getting consistent quality sleep + managing stress. They’ve been an invaluable support in how we set up our space for our best sleep.

The science behind essential oils + sleep

Essential oils are so effective for supporting emotions, because scent is one of the most powerful senses.

Inhale : inhaling an essential oil can induce an internal response within the body for relaxation.  When you breathe the particles of each essential oil they directly + immediately connect with your limbic system, which is the control centre for the emotions you experience. After a restful night of sleep, the aroma has now created a positive association within the brain. This internal response can encourage a restful night of sleep. Positive association promotes further use of whatever particular oil you’ve chosen as part of a healthy sleeping routine.

Set the stage : peaceful room, lack of colour, “retreat”, lighting, smells + sounds.

Routine!! + repeat : routine is soooo super key!!! The same set of actions done at the same time each night triggers the release of melatonin that get your body primed for sleeping.

What we do :

Bath : Wind down with a bath : 1c Epsom salts + 2-4 drops of Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Serenity or Frankincense. Mixed together in a cup, then added to the bathwater.

Diffuse : Add 1-2 drops of Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Serenity, Frankincense, or [my fave!] Vetiver to your diffuser + turn it on about half an hour before you’re going to get into bed. This puts the oils to work throughout your sleep space + helps prime your body for sleep.

Massage : Roman Chamomile or Frankincense + an unscented body lotion. This is one of my favourite rituals with Aaro. This is usually when he starts to open up + talk about his day. Because any conversation or question prior to this is met with an “I don’t know”, or “nothing”…you know how it is… 😉

Chill + connect : read a book, sing some songs, connect quietly with your kiddos. Or read or journal for yourself to have that final quiet introspective time. Journaling is an especially great way to get any anxious or stressed thoughts out of your head for the night.

Learn more about :
JOURNALING here
ESSENTIAL OILS here

If sleep is particularly elusive, or I know I really need a good night’s sleep, I’ll take 1-2 Serenity gel caps as well. Other options include : Breathe/Easy Air oil, or Breathe stick; 1-2 drops of Lavender on your pillow; or Lavender + Cedarwood diffused. 

Ok, you have the info. You have some great tools to get started. When’s the last time you’ve woken up feeling 100% refreshed, stretching + luxuriating in your bed, feeling ready to do. your. day.? What are you going to do today to start setting yourself up for a really great night of good quality sleeeeeep? Grab your copy of the simple sleep ebook, watch the vid below, + if you’d like to incorporate essential oils into your bedtime routine fill out the form at the bottom + I’ll get that to you PDQ [pretty damn quick!].