A good night’s sleep is essential if you want to reduce insulin resistance.
If you are sleep deprived for a night or two you can expect to feel a bit groggy and irritable the next day. Losing sleep is a bit more serious than just that though. It can also significantly increase your insulin resistance.
Good sleep practices and habits help overcome the problem of not enough sleep. Here are 5 tips to help you stop counting sheep and start stacking z’s.
- Avoid caffeine after midday. Caffeine has a half life of 5 hours in the body so have of the caffeine in that large Americano at 12 is still there at 5pm and a quarter is still hanging around at 10.
- Have a bedtime routine that lets your body know that it is time to start thinking about sleep. Turn off the tv, laptop, tablet, phone etc. an hour before bedtime. Maybe have a bath. A bedtime tea or milky drink. Power down.
- Darken the bedroom as much as possible. Blackout blinds or linings on your curtains can make a real difference.
- An essential oil like lavender on your pillow is very relaxing and if you like it can send the signal to your brain that it is time for a rest.
- Use a torch instead of turning on the light if you need to go to the bathroom in the night. Once you have turned on the light your brain is up and ready for action.
