The Importance of Sleep
Here in New York City, so many of my clients suffer from inadequate sleep. Reasons for this vary from too much noise at night, anxiety stemming from the stressors of city life, and even sleep apnea for clients who have excessive weight impacting their breathing. Whatever the reason, the result is a lack of energy. And when we struggle to find energy to make it through the day, we end up turning to sugary carbohydrate foods for quick energy sources. This in turn increases weight when we experience a sugar crash again 1-2 hours later and need another sugar fix, and the resulting excess weight negatively impacts our sleep even further…a vicious cycle!
The solution is to first recognize the problem and figure out how to improve your sleep so that you wake up feeling rested. If the noise/lights of the city is the problem, earplugs/white noise machines/eye masks/dark curtains are all good tools to improve your night’s sleep. For anxiety after a stressful day, journaling your thoughts and soothing your nerves with Sleepytime tea and a hot bath can help a lot. Valerian root tea is another option that is a little stronger than Sleepytime tea, but should not be used if you take other sedative medications.
If neither of these are the problem, ask your doctor if you can be evaluated for sleep apnea. There are oxygen masks you can wear at night if you are diagnosed with sleep apnea to improve your night breathing for a more restful sleep.
Furthermore, it’s amazing how regular exercise will make you feel tired at night and you can’t help but drift off into a deep sleep!
A regular good night’s sleep will help regulate your metabolism and help you have the willpower to choose healthy foods instead of craving sugar for fast energy.