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Newsletter 9

Good morning,

I hope you enjoyed the lovely sunny weather over the bank holiday.

Today I’m going to remind you about a very important but often neglected aspect of wellbeing- sleep.

In the last 50 years, the average amount of time we sleep each night has decreased by 1 ½ – 2 hours from over 8 hours of sleep every night to under 7. That’s a staggering amount of sleep– equivalent to a full month of continuous sleep every year.

This leaves a significant sleep deficit that is never resolved and from what we know about how lack of sleep affects our brains, hormones, and immune system, it may be the single greatest contributor to chronic illness in general.

Sleep ensures the regeneration of new tissue and cells.  It literally creates the space necessary for healing, helping the body to defend itself against neurodegenerative disease and long-term mood disorders.

In a recent animal study, researchers at the University of Rochester’s Medical Center showed that sleep helps us to clear toxic, metabolic waste from the brain.

In other words, sleep is an essential part of detoxification and renewal.

While the rest of the body uses blood and lymphatic fluid to take away toxic waste from cells, the brain isn’t equipped with this lymphatic plumbing. Instead, the brain relies on cerebrospinal fluid, which flows through the brain and spinal cord. Cerebrospinal fluid and the brain’s immune system make up the glymphatic system.

The glymphatic system filters out waste and harmful metabolites that play a role in disorders that affect the brain, like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Using mice, researchers at the University of Rochester tracked the flow of fluid between brain cells and through the central nervous system. They found that brain cells contract. They also found that the space between cells increased from 14% of brain volume to 23%.

This translates into a 60% increase in space between cells. During sleep, cells are bathed in larger amounts of cleansing fluid than during waking hours. When the brain is not able to clear out waste, it accumulates in the brain.  This waste is toxic, and can instigate mechanisms like inflammation and cell death.

Therefore it is very important to prioritise getting optimal sleep. Here are some reminders about creating the opportunity to create optimal sleep.

Set up a regular sleep routine.

  • Consistently match your sleep schedule to nature’s circadian rhythms: asleep by 10:30 p.m. and awake seven to eight hours later.
  • Your ideal bedtime is 10:30pm. If you’re going to bed much later than that, start going to bed earlier in quarter-hour increments every other day.

 Don’t drink caffeine after 2 p.m.

 Stop eating three hours before bedtime.

  • If you’re NOT sleeping through the night, enjoying a light snack within an hour of bedtime may be helpful. Just a few bites of that evening’s leftover dinner is sufficient.


Monitor your device use.

  • Install a blue-light filter on your devices.
  • WIFI should be turned off at night.
  • Avoid close screen activity two hours before bed.
  • Stop all electronic activity at least one hour before sleep.
  • Put your devices on airplane mode until morning and leave in a different room.
  • Limit electrical devices in your bedroom and make sure they are turned off at night.

Sleep in the darkest room possible.

  • Turn off all night lights and block bright illumination from street lights etc
  • Utilise blackout blinds
  • If needed, sleep with a good eye mask.

Ask someone if you snore or are a mouth-breather at night.

  • If the answer is yes, talk with your dentist.
  • It may be a good idea to get a sleep apnoea check
  • Snoring and mouth breathing make for a poor night’s sleep

Track your sleep!

  • Consider using the Sleep Cycle app to track your sleep.
  • The heart rate variability monitor that I use with clients is a great way to check the quality and quantity of your sleep  as well as many other wellbeing factors ( inform Nicki if you are interested in utilising)
  • Try out the Bella beat Leaf, Garmin or OURA ring for basic tracking.
  • Tracking your sleep helps you spot trends. I’ve spotted many trends in my own sleep through tracking, and have altered my habits to obtain more deep sleep and REM.

 Love is Medicine Project.

This a free online event that will be very informative

You can enjoy the series in its entirety from May 21-May 27 for FREE

Join 50 renowned teachers, healers, scientists, coaches and experts as they reveal the path to wellness and balance.

You will learn:

  • The real reason we get sick and stay sad and lonely
  • How healing occurs
  • How to experience more love in its many forms
  • How to get unstuck from bad habits and unhealthy patterns in health and relationships
  • The healing power of nature and harnessing your vital force

You’ll have new insight and strategies, along with your own intuition to make the best decisions for yourself moving forward.

Take a look

The link to this is –http://ndnr.ontraport.com/t?orid=137818&opid=37

Wishing you a good week

Emma