May you all be blessed with sweet dreams! 

May you all be blessed with sweet dreams! 

By Erika Lundgren, Functional Medicine Nutritionist 

Sleep is not only vital to our health, but a key player in living longer and should be placed at the  top of our priority list. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” mentality that misaligns our biological “clock”  rhythms can literally slingshot you to the grave or potentiate chronic disease. 

Here are some easy ways to help clean up your sleep hygiene and get the recommended  7-9 hours … *My heart goes out to those of you who suffer with severe sleep issues and I’m in  no way suggesting that the following actions are easy solutions for you. 

Make your dinner a balanced, whole food-centric meal while enjoying it no less than 3-4 hours  before bedtime. This is imperative for those of you who suffer from upper GI symptoms, like  heartburn, or experience morning nausea.  

PS: Alcohol and caffeine are Zzzz-slayers, especially close to bedtime.  

Use supportive herbals and supplements, We’ve got plenty! Magnesium Glycinate and  our private label supplement, Give it a Rest, with L-Tryptophan, Valerian root, L-Theanine and  Melatonin all in one. Also, an essential oil nebulizer for aromatherapy (my favorite oil brand is  Pranarom) or calming, detoxifying herbal teas, including chamomile, peppermint, dandelion root,  lemon balm or ashwagandha, can help as well!  

Get into the groove! I don’t mean on the dance floor; although exercise helps too if it’s before  early evening. What I’m speaking about is creating a routine or as I like to say rhythm  which aligns with our Circadian rhythm; our internal 24-h cycle timing system. Try to go to sleep  and rise at the same time everyday – even on weekends! 

Use the bedroom ONLY for sleeping, relaxing without devices, meditating or intimate moments! 

Reduce the body’s toxin burden to help it relax more easily by supporting your detoxifying  organs – liver and kidneys. Eating a whole food-centric diet rooted in colorful, anti-inflammatory  phytonutrients, aka vegetables and fruits, is the ticket here! Shoot for @ least 5 servings a day  while eliminating or greatly reducing processed, sugar-sweetened, and fried foods. 

Downshift your body at night and create calming rituals to help encourage sleep even when the  monkey mind is chattering. Here are some of my favorites that help me reset for the next day!  

• Blue light and our device screens are rhythm killers! I generally turn my devices off at least a half hour (always aiming for an hour) before I head to the bedroom. If this is not always an option, purchasing blue light blocker glasses or installing a phone filter can  help reduce our body’s confusion of what time of day it is since our “Master Clock” in the  hypothalamus is regulated by light entering through our eyes.  
• Set the stage for slumber! To calm my nervous system and negate the hindrance of melatonin production, I’ll light candles and turn off any excess lights. Think mooood lighting here! Plus, it saves me money on the electric bill … #Winning 
• To warm up and relax my body, I love drinking CBD teas in the evening or taking an epsom salt bath. Naturally our core body temperature cools at night while skin temperatures of our hands and feet increase. Researchers hypothesize that taking a  warm bath (or shower) stimulates this temperature regulation process called the “warm  bath effect.” 
• 3-5 minute wind down: meditation, mild stretching or simply connecting with my breath. Sometimes I’ll put spa music on to further the relaxing vibes or ‘download’ my thoughts into a journal or read 10 pages from a book that doesn’t require a lot of thought.