Danielle Kwoka
- Aug 13, 2018
- 4 min read

The Beauty of Beauty Sleep

Hey guys! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and are rested for this Monday morning!

Mondays for me, are first page of the newspaper. Mondays feel fresh and light. I can do anything on Monday. So while I was brewing my coffee earlier on this summer Monday morning, I was thinking about all the things I get to do today. I got to help people move their bodies more. I got to pick up some items that I needed for the house. I get write while I drink coffee. I get to work on a business that I help build from the ground up. It's tough, but I love it.

Okay, it's true, I'm not always this motivated. But today I am, so we're rolling with it. Refer to my Managing the Bad Days https://www.betterfitnurses.com/blog/managing-the-bad-days for the days you aren't so motivated;)

As I take a nice deep belly breath in with nose to mug, I am present in the moment. And I enjoyed the delicious coffee aroma and the plethora of oxygen that I will give to my body.

How am I able to feel so present sometimes and not other times.

It's time to pull out that TLC CHECKLIST https://www.betterfitnurses.com/blog/a-little-tlc and breakdown step number one.

TLC 1: SLEEP 7-9 HOURS A NIGHT.

Set your day and life up by making sleep the biggest priority. According to sleep.org, the sleep health experts, the sleep recommendations for good health had broadened at almost every age range in 2015!https://sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-sleep-foundation-recommends-new-sleep-times

Monday's are my favorite days because I have gotten the best sleep. Almost always. True, I had already eaten breakfast by the time I sat down to write this but still. On a regular basis, I make sleep a priority and my Sundays almost always revolve around getting good sleep. Because I am well rested, my Monday looks wide open. I do feel like I can do anything... because I have the energy for it!

Getting good sleep isn't only about the amount of hours that you delegate for sleep (what time you get in the bed to what time you much be waking up).

If you are a restless sleeper or get up in the middle of the night, you cannot be getting good quality - even if you are sleeping the proper amount of hours.

Creating a bedtime routine is important to getting good sleep because just like Pavlov's dogs, your body will learn to understand the cues of going to sleep.

Here are some easy tips that have been shown to help you sleep better:

Have a bedtime routine
Arrange a pleasant sleeping environment
Limit daytime naps to 30 minutes
Avoid caffeine later in the evening (after noon)
Exercise regularly
Avoid heavy or rich foods, fatty and fried foods, spicy dishes, citrus fruits and carbonated drinks close to bedtime
Having access to natural light

https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/sleep-hygiene

https://www.sleepassociation.org/about-sleep/sleep-hygiene-tips/

Furthermore, as a coach, it is pretty obvious when we see clients or athletes that haven't slept. They just will not perform their best. No matter what mobility drill we give them or what approach we try, they will not reach a 100% effort in that session because they have not come prepared.

Not to say that it's unacceptable to have days where you do not perform at 100% effort. Of course there will be days where you just don't have enough hours in the day and you weren't able to catch those extra zzz's. We just don't want to make a habit of it. It's important to plan when you will be able to get good sleep and then take the steps to make sure your sleep is good quality.

Better sleep leads to better performance. And of course, Better sleep and better performance leads to Better Fit Nurses.

Client Story

I have a client who yields physical warning signs when she has been on little sleep. My client is a doctor who is opening a new facility, also happens to be a mom of two young boys. So a lot of stress you could say. And a lot of things to do.

Knowing that her day to day is so stressful, we strategically create her workouts to put her in a state to create stress reduction as she is lifting. Warming up properly is extremely important for this client.

On one particular week, my client had reported not being able to get to sleep on most nights for the past week and a half. My client also reported sciatica-like pains in their back at random times during the week. We focused a lot of those next sessions on breathing, warming up well, core stability, and lumbar-pelvic mobility.

My client was able to get some more sleep the following weekend and we haven't seen back pain since.

Creating a great care plan for your body in your workouts is necessary to keeping your body working, moving, and feeling great! And this was no different for my client. Making sure that we focus not only on hip and trunk stability but also on getting good quality sleep is vital to keeping that back pain away.