In my previous article we talked about the value of investing in nutrition and nutritional knowledge and what steps to take in order to do that. Before we begin with this article, make sure you read that first.
In this article, we will cover how you can invest in your sleep and rest for less stress and a healthier and more fulfilling life.
Table of Contents
3. Invest in your sleep!
I have often spoken about the benefits of proper sleep and why you can’t sleep in previous articles. After my time in the army, my life changed because of a serious injury which also affected my sleep patterns. As time went on, my anxiety increased and I found myself in a situation where I could literally not sleep at all.
So I know the pain associated with sleepless nights and everything else that comes with it and believe me; It is the shittiest way to live.
You need sleep. Your body needs sleep to repair all the damage that was done during the day. Your organs need sleep to repair themselves and stay in top condition. Your hormones need sleep. Your brain needs sleep. If you work out, then you need even more sleep.
If you don’t sleep, you will feel tired, beat up and your mood will be horrible ranging from violent to passive. Then your immune system will take a dive and you will find yourself sick even when the weather is great.
Investing in your sleep is important. Here are the steps that you must take in order for that to happen:
a. Optimize your melatonin through nutrition
Sleep is closely related to our nutrition. Nutrition affects our hormone production and sleep is very closely linked to the production of a specific hormone, melatonin.
If your melatonin levels are low, you will not be able to sleep right, you will wake up in the middle of the night and/or not be able to sleep for the rest of the night.
And even if you do manage to sleep, you will wake up tired. That kind of beats the purpose of sleeping in the first place.
Make sure you eat some carbs or foods that are high in tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that is also a precursor to melatonin. Rice, dried dates, bananas are all great foods for that purpose.
b. Optimize your melatonin with herbs and supplements
There are plenty of herbs that can help you optimize your sleep. Some of them include valerian root, passionflower, hops and ashwagandha. I cover some of these herbs in their related articles on this website.
If you are not into herbs, then you could take supplements instead. Address low melatonin levels directly by taking melatonin, 5htp or glycine.
Last but not least, you can learn how to optimize your melatonin levels with lifestyle changes as mentioned in my related article.
c. Invest in your bedroom
We spend ¼ of our lives sleeping. For that reason, it becomes important to take good care of our sleeping headquarters (i.e. bedroom).
First of all, you will need a good mattress. One that is flat and not too soft. This is something that comes down to personal preference. Some people buy a mattress that costs as much as a car. If you can afford it, go for it. I personally have learned how to sleep on a yoga mat on the floor if I have to but I do not recommend it to anyone.
Your sleeping environment is also important. You must sleep in a dark place with no sounds. Invest in fixing that dripping faucet or that broken window. It is really worth it if it allows you for a better sleep.
4. Invest in your rest and recovery!
Rest is worth investing in. Most of the times, people talk about the importance of having a great job and yada yada yada. I honestly do not see the value of having a great job if it kills me. It is great if you love your job but I consider myself a life consultant rather than a death consultant.
I want to show people how to get the best out of their life, not end it faster. If you want the latter, just continue doing what everyone else around you is doing: running around like headless children because ‘someone’ said so.
Which brings me to the hot topic: You must always make sure that you get enough rest, plan a vacation and make sure you include restoration activities every now and then.
a. Plan a Vacation
A good vacation is a must, especially in this hectic society where work and business basically dominate our lives.
I have also spoken about the dangers of not taking a vacation in a previous article.
Make it a habit to put some money on the side to take some time off. Visit a different country and do things that you don’t usually do or things you love doing. We build the best memories on our vacations, not working behind our desks 60 hours per week! (unless your job is truly awesome, but still..)
If you don’t have a lot of money, you can still go somewhere. If you are in the States, there are a lot of great places to go to and explore within the borders.
The same applies if you are in Asia, Africa or Australia.
Europe is also a treasure when it comes to a variety of locations, history and experiences. The possibilities are endless here.
b. Focus on restorative activities
Vacations and rest are only one side of the coin and we must also invest in restorative activities.
Meditation, yoga, tai chi and chi gung or even martial arts are great for this purpose. They will allow your brain and body to reboot and can greatly benefit your health and sleep.
I will cover restorative activities in a future article so make sure you subscribe and stay tuned.
c. Balance your energy levels
Last but most certainly not least, part of your restoration should be to always balance energy expenditure.
Understanding when to push and when to stop will allow you to protect yourself, your physical and mental health in times of happiness or crisis.
You can learn more about the importance of balancing energy in a future article, so again, make sure you subscribe for new articles!
This concludes part 2 of the 7 part series. In part 3 we will look into the importance of investing in knowledge and self-improvement. Until then be strong, healthy and free.
Have you ever invested in any of the topics mentioned here? What exactly did you do? Let me know by leaving a comment below.
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Also if you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks!
by Nick Sigma
CWC, EH, E-YRT200
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