Chris Lewis 🚀’s Post

🌟 Self-care Saturday 🌟 Let’s talk about something we all need more of—sleep. 💤 Getting enough sleep isn’t just about feeling rested. It plays a vital role in both our mental and heart health. Quality sleep helps reduce stress, improve mood, and lower the risk of heart disease. Here are a few tips to help improve your sleep. As always, take what works for you, and leave the rest. There is no judgment here. 1️⃣ Stick to a schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day—even on weekends. 2️⃣ Create a relaxing routine: Wind down with calming activities like reading or meditating before bed. 3️⃣ Limit screen time: Avoid phones, tablets, or laptops at least 30 minutes before sleep. 4️⃣ Mind what you eat and drink: Limit caffeine and heavy meals in the evening. 5️⃣ Create a restful environment: Make your bedroom a sanctuary—quiet, dark, and cool. Sleep is self-care, and it’s essential for a healthy mind and heart. So tonight, give yourself the gift of a good night’s rest. 💤💖 #SelfCareSaturday #SleepWell

Quit hitting snooze!!! If you wake up ready to get back in bed, I got you!! 3 Sleeping Mistakes You’re Probably Making USING AN OLD PILLOW If you can’t remember the last time you replaced your pillow, it’s probably time. If you're not sure, try folding your pillow in half. If it doesn’t spring back into shape immediately, it’s best to replace it. Pillows can be full of dust mites and dead skin, which can trigger allergies, so it’s best to renew often. NOT TAKING TIME TO UNWIND If you’re feverishly working on your laptop right before bed, don’t expect great sleep results. Set aside even 5 minutes to do some deep breathing, light stretching, reading or listening to calming music before you get in bed. Then, when you lay down, your body will be primed for sleep. INDULGING IN DESSERT When you eat a lot of sugar or calories right before bed, your blood sugar climbs and then falls rapidly as you sleep, which could wake you up in the middle of the night. Also, the caffeine in chocolate can keep you up at night. Get some morning sun ....it sets the tone for your sleep tonight!! (Google circadian rhythm)! Go make it a great day!!!

✨ Tips for Easing Holiday Stress with Neurosonic ✨ December is filled with festive anticipation, but also packed schedules, gift shopping, and preparations that can heighten stress levels. Here are a few ways Neurosonic can help you unwind and relax: 🤎 Pause and Take a Breather Use a 10–25 minute Neurosonic relaxation program to calm your body and mind. Taking a moment for yourself can work wonders during a busy day and recharge your energy. 🤎 Improve Your Sleep Restful sleep is the best remedy for stress. Neurosonic’s sleep-supporting programs help soothe your nervous system and create the ideal conditions for deep, restorative sleep. 🤎 Recovery for Your Body Holiday preparations can be physically taxing—standing, cleaning, and carrying can take a toll. Neurosonic’s recovery programs relieve muscle tension and boost circulation to help your body bounce back. 🤎 Create Moments for Yourself Make Neurosonic a part of your holiday routine, such as a relaxation session at the end of the day or an energy boost in the midst of festive preparations. Remember, holiday peace starts with you—take a moment to unwind and enjoy gentle relaxation. With Neurosonic, you can embrace the season feeling lighter and more refreshed. 🎄✨ Learn more about holiday stress from Firstbeat Technologies: https://lnkd.in/dF2QdX4h

Stress, Sleep Deprivation, and Eating Habits: A Complex Interplay In today’s fast-paced world, stress has become a constant companion. Whether due to work pressures, family responsibilities, or endless to-do lists, many of us find ourselves stuck in a cycle of tension and overwhelm. This often leads to two interconnected issues: sleep deprivation and poor eating habits. But how do these factors interact, and what steps can we take to improve our nutrition despite these challenges?...read more https://lnkd.in/g9-uJwgQ

Are you getting enough sleep? Do you know that not getting enough sleep drives metabolic diseases? Not getting enough sleep and good quality of sleep are very harmful. In fact, sleep deprivation drives metabolic diseases and imbalances such as metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and much more. Not getting enough sleep leads to high cortisol levels which result in high insulin levels and insulin resistance!! For 5 tips on how to improve your sleep habits, join my Facebook group: Healthy Lifestyle Living! The quantity and quality of your sleep is critical!! https://lnkd.in/erpcQAiy

As the leaves change, so do your sleep patterns! 🍂🛌 Fall brings shorter days, cooler nights, and a few things that can affect your rest. Here’s what to keep in mind: 💤 Earlier Sunsets: With less daylight, you might feel sleepy earlier. Embrace the cozy evenings! 💤 Cooler Temps: Perfect for snuggling in—keep your room cool for deeper, more restful sleep. 💤 Fall Allergies: Watch out for sneaky allergens that can mess with your Zzz’s. 💤 Daylight Saving Time: Gaining an hour of sleep sounds great, but it can still throw off your sleep schedule. 💤 Increased Appetite: Comfort foods are calling, but eating too late can disrupt your sleep. Get cozy and make the most of those fall nights! 😴 (📸: @cyarmstrong)

If you can do this every day you can see a big improvement in your quality of life! Getting sun, fresh air, and being present in nature for as little as 15-30 minutes a day can change your mental clarity and anxiety If you eat protein 1st, veggies 2nd, you are less likely to overconsume carbs. More importantly, you are less likely to overeat! Protein is very satisfying, and veggies fill you up so you will eat fewer carbs/calories Having a bed time routine or just time to wind down can help you get better quality sleep! Sleep is so important for weight loss and mood/energy. If you can start waking up and going to bed at the same time you will see the benefits within the 1st week!

Are you having issues sleeping? Then you might eat the wrong foods before bedtime! Here's what you should avoid and why: ☕Coffee: Avoid caffeine close to bedtime as it stimulates your nervous system, delaying sleep onset and reducing sleep quality. 🍔High-Fat Meals: Heavy, greasy meals can lead to indigestion and discomfort, disrupting your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. 🍺Alcohol: While it may initially make you drowsy, alcohol disrupts your sleep cycle, leading to fragmented and restless sleep patterns. 🌶️Spicy Foods: Spicy dishes can cause acid reflux and heartburn, making it difficult to settle down for a restful night's sleep. 🍩Sugary Snacks: Sugar can cause energy spikes and crashes, disrupting your natural sleep-wake cycle and leading to frequent awakenings during the night. Follow us for more! #wellnessjourney #healthylifestyle #bettersleep #insomnia #qualitysleep #holisticwellness

So if morning light is amazing for our wakefulness in the day and sleepiness at night - how much do you need? Very roughly - 👉 Sunny? 10 mins or so 👉 Overcast? 10 - 20 mins or so 👉 Very overcast? 20-30 mins or so Not much time, is it? And if you can't get outside for whatever reason, invest in a good lamp that mimics sunlight - it's not as good, but better than having nothing. Light is also going to help with your mood and general well-being. (this is the research speaking btw, not woo-woo) So, just make it part of your morning routine - not a special effort, just what you do. If you need help with your sleep and more, do get in touch. p.s. personally I have a Lumie Vitamin L artificial sunlight lamp (no affiliation, just for info purposes)

Earlier this week was one of those “occasions” when felt that I only got a handful of hours of sleep. Under those circumstances, would you reach for a cup of coffee to start the day?? I hear it all the time; people complaining about how tired they are, and how they are going to need so much coffee to get through their day!  Most people believe that having a coffee will give them a jolt of energy. But here’s the catch: Did you know that caffeine is an insecticide?– a toxin developed by the plant that will get rid of bugs and insects. So, what does our body do when we drink coffee? Our adrenal glands get stimulated, our blood starts to race, our blood pressure goes up – all of this so that our metabolism gets sped up so that we can get rid of this toxin as quickly as possible.  Incidentally this makes us feel good, right? But we are only feeling this energy because our body is trying to get the caffeine out! Once we run out of this energy, then we fall into a habit of needing another coffee to get that high again!  Can you see where this is going?  You drink coffee in the morning to give you the energy to get through the day. But the coffee affects your sleep, so you wake up tired. To get through the day, you start with a cup of coffee…. And so on, and so on. To make matters worse, as with all addictive products, there are uncomfortable symptoms that we can experience when we try to break that cycle, such as headaches, nausea and (surprise!) tiredness. That’s all well and good Kim, I hear you say. So, after your sleepless night, what did you do? The truth?? Nothing…. I drank my normal water, I got outside to get some fresh air, but otherwise, I did nothing special. You see, I have discovered that even when I have those occasional rough nights, I continue to have the energy that I need to get through my day, AND, I don’t even feel the need to go to bed early the next night. Pretty cool, eh? Want to try an experiment?  Want a bit of a challenge? Take a holiday from caffeine for 7 days and see what life is like without it. Who’s in??