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New year, new sleep. Sleep is one of our most underappreciated parts of life yet it is one of our most important. During our hours of sleep- recommended to be anywhere between 6-10 hours nightly- our body takes time to rest, heal, and restore. Our minds do the same, sorting out all of the information from the day, processing, making sense, and resting as well. Without sufficient sleep, our body starts to crumble. Stress rises, our emotions become frantic, and we become exhausted in mind, body, and spirit. Recovering from trauma, addictions, and related mental health issues, we know that maintaining balance, as well as health, is important. Sleep is the one practice we do every day that can help us keep the balance in our holistic health. As the new year begins, make a resolution to transform your sleep and kick these five harmful habits to the curb for good.

Staying on your digital devices until bedtime

Many of us are guilty of it. We’ve laid in bed, staring at our phone, working on our laptop, watching the TV, or had our eyes glued to some kind of digital device until we fall asleep. Unfortunately, digital devices and our interactions with them are not the same as bedtime stories. The blue light behind the screens of our favorite devices stimulate our brains to be awake by simulating daylight. Extensive amounts of research have proven that interacting with our devices creates a hyperstimulation in the brain. If our brains don’t make a  smooth transition into sleep, we don’t fall into the deep REM cycles we need to feel well rested.

Not moving enough during the day

Getting better, deeper, more restful sleep could be the inspiration you need to maintain that new year resolution for fitness. Being active during the day helps your body expel natural energy build up which makes the body restless at night. Being completely sedentary throughout the day is not helpful to getting rest at night. Regular exercise, which is recommended at a minimum of 20 minutes a day, helps you be more tired at the end of the day and sleep more deeply.

Drinking caffeine after 4pm

There are two things you are recommended not to do after 4pm because of the way they can affect your sleep. First, is napping. Second, is drinking any kind of caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant substance which keeps your mind alert and awake. Drinking caffeinated beverages, which  could include soda, energy drinks, coffee, or even caffeinated teas, can keep your mind up later on.

Not meditating and managing stress

Few things interrupt a good night’s rest like a mind and body struggling to sort through unmanaged stress. Meditating helps your brain and body decompress from the daily stresses of life and recovery. Stress inflames the body down to a molecular level- which meditation is proven to reverse.

Call The Guest House Ocala today for information on our residential treatment programs for traumas, addictions, and related mental health issues: 1-855-483-7800