Last week we shared Part 7: Ten Commitments for Perfect Health – Exercise, and this week we will discuss the importance of Part 8: Rest and Rejuvenation.
In the previous article we discussed the key benefits to a well diversified exercise program. This week we will focus on the importance of quality rest and rejuvenation and how to insure you are creating the best sleep environment possible to maintain and maximize your energy, fitness, health and vitality on a daily basis. Next to optimal exercise and fuel one of the most important areas for creating perfect health is to be sure you have identified specific mastery action plans focusing on rest and rejuvenation that result from a great nights sleep.
Now that you have read (part 7) exercise and you are consistently enjoying a wide variety of aerobic, anaerobic and all around fitness activities it is essential for you to provide your body the rest and rejuvenation it needs through deep regenerative sleep.
The quality of your sleep is one of the most important factors that help to determine your beauty, health and longevity.
The Part 8: Ten Commitments for Perfect Health – Rest and Rejuvenation are essential strategies to maintain your body, mind and spirit for peak performance and perfect health.
While most people intellectually understand the importance of restful and rejuvenating sleep the majority of people are sleep deprived due to many factors. When you are unaware of the best strategies and systems to insure you experience quality sleep on a consistent basis you will suffer significant side effects. Deep sleep is essential for every aspect of our long term health and well being. The body, mind and spirit benefit greatly from optimal rest, rejuvenation and deep sleep strategies and suggestions to provide even better health and vitality.
80/20 Rule Applied to Rejuvenation
Once again it is valuable to remember the 80/20 rule which is based on the hypothesis that 80% of our benefits come from 20% of our actions and behaviors. Therefore it is essential for you to understand the key aspects of deep sleep and how to insure you understand and provide the optimal environment which will allow you to maintain vibrant energy, perfect health and maximum longevity.
Therefore 80% of the sleep benefits you receive can come from 20% of the simple sleep strategies you implement to receive the most effective and efficient rest, rejuvenation and sleep. By keeping your sleep systems focused on maintaining the essential principles revolving around our biorhythms, circadian rhythms, seasonal cycles and sleep environment then you can optimize deep and restful sleep consistently.
Sleep deprivation is one of the greatest issues facing the majority of the world’s population with serious consequences and unhealthy side effects. This can easily cascade into a chain reaction of cause and effects which can negatively affect every area of your life.
26 Strategies for Rest, Rejuvenation & Deep Sleep
A mastery action plan with simple strategies to insure optimal rest, rejuvenation and deep sleep includes:
- Establish a fairly consistent schedule of sleep each and every day. It is better to set a sensible goal to sleep from 22:00 to 06:00 each day than to fluctuate all over the clock on different nights Six to eight hours of quality sleep each day during the prime sleep time is better than constantly changing hours and helps keep you more consistent and well rested. Staying up past 22:00 is almost sure to result in late night snacking and unhealthy beverage consumption.
- Plan your fitness activities in advance and establish a consistent routine that works well for you which also helps you enjoy a better nights sleep.
- Avoiding consuming too much liquid before sleep is important to prevent waking at night for bathroom trips which can affect your quality of sleep.
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine and excess sugar in the evening which can disrupt a good nights sleep.
- Many people are so emotionally out of balance and mentally confused that they routinely harm their health even further by sabotaging their sleep schedule.
- Doing some deep breathing prior to bedtime is an important consideration if you feel anxious or stressed.
- Be sure to plan time to calm your brain and wind down at the end of the day to prevent the mind from being overly active and interfering with sleep.
- It is important to maintain a comfortable body temperature during your sleep in order to enjoy a great night’s sleep. If you are too cool or too warm you may find yourself waking up to adjust your bedding which can disturb your sleep.
- Even while traveling or on vacation it is important to maintain a fairly routine schedule and adjust your itinerary accordingly since many people tend to totally alter their schedule which can cause a less healthy sleep routine.
- While traveling for business or vacation it is extra important to maintain a healthy sleep schedule at least 80% of the time since you are usually placing your body under additional stress. Limit your late night indulgences to less than 20%.
- A short walk a hour before bedtime to see the stars and enjoy nature is a great way to enjoy a beneficial calming effect without upsetting your sleep routine.
- Avoid eating large meals late in the evening which are harder to digest and can upset your sleep. It is better to have a light supper that is energizing and nutritious and much easier to digest and not drain your energy while you sleep. Fast food and junk food are particularly harmful in that they lack quality nutrients with which to rebuild and replenish the body while you sleep.
- Be sure to consume a good balance of carbohydrates, fats, green leafy plants and proteins throughout the day to properly fuel, maintain and repair your body. Eating green leafy plants during each meal is an ideal way to help maintain a healthy alkaline balance which is more energizing.
- A quality bed, mattress or sleeping pad can greatly enhance the quality of your sleep whereas a poor quality one can impair your sleep. Avoid pillows which torque the head and neck out of natural alignment with the spine.
- Comfortable bed clothing can also make a big difference on the level of comfort you feel while sleeping.
- Naturally waking between 05:00 and 06:00 is an ideal time to start the day by enjoying some exercise and fitness training. Any intense exercise right before bedtime can adversely impact the quality of your sleep.
- It is ideal to have the room as dark and quiet as possible for a great night sleep. Use curtains or night blinds to block out lights. Avoid the use of night lights or turning on lights which affects your sleep and interferes with the production of melatonin and serotonin the important sleep hormones.
- Find ways to avoid loud noises and disturbing sounds from entering your sleep area. Listening to nature sounds, primordial sounds or relaxing music is a great way to relax and prepare for a good nights sleep.
- A warm bath or foot massage is usually conducive to relaxing and enhancing your sleep.
- Meditation and visualization is great way to quiet the mind and relax the body for a good night sleep. Reading inspirational or spiritual material can also be helpful.
- Be careful to avoid excessive mental or visual stimulation from cell phones, computers, digital books, videos and TV which can also interfere with your sleep patterns. Avoid the use of these devices in your bedroom all together. Always use common sense and good judgment as to what audio and video input you allow to affect your mind and mood to insure you control what stimulus is influencing you.
- Turn off the sound for electrical devices such as cell phones and computers. Be sure to keep electrical devices such as digital clocks, lamps, equipment and electrical cords at least 6 feet away from your head to prevent EMFs from interfering with your sleep.
- Avoid watching any depressing, violent or upsetting movies or TV prior to going to sleep to avoid disturbing dreams or sleep.
- Consider using aromatherapy such as lavender, sandalwood or rosemary to enhance the quality of your sleep.
- Good Feng Shui in the bedroom is also important to improve your chances for a great nights sleep.
- Our bodies and minds are directly affected by the cycles created by the earths spinning on its axis each day, rotation around the sun and the moon revolving around the earth so it is imperative to remain synchronized with these events.
There are many more strategies to help make your sleep more restful and rejuvenating so take a few minutes to think about what else you can do to improve the quality of your sleep.
Creating a Pre-Sleep Routine
There are numerous ways for you to greatly improve the quality of your sleep which are fairly easy, efficient and quick to implement. Simply having a basic pre-sleep routine can make a huge difference in the quality of your sleep and how rested you feel the next day.
Rather than allowing yourself to become a sleep deprived statistic and feeling exhausted, lethargic and tired you can begin taking baby steps towards rapidly improving the quality and quantity of your sleep time for amazing benefits. Our energy, health and vitality is a direct result of the quality of the sleep we experience on a consistent basis so choose wisely. The outcome for this article is to highlight the importance of optimal rest, rejuvenation and sleep.
While you may feel that there are too many factors outside your control affecting your sleep and that you cannot maintain an optimal sleep schedule totally you can at least begin to build a better foundation for quality sleep. Once you realize that your mental and physical health is significantly dependent on the quality and quantity of sleep you receive it is easier to make massive improvements to your sleep routines which will help you feel happier, healthier and more in harmony each day.
Quality sleep is important for a well functioning body and brain so remember to create optimal rest and rejuvenation strategies for a great nights sleep each day
Mastery Action Plan
- Find a book, CD or DVD to help improve your sleep.
- Mercola.com has some great articles on the importance of sleep and strategies to help improve your sleep patterns.
Mercola Provides Tips for Deep Sleep
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Our next blog post will share: Part 9: Ten Commitments for Perfect Health – Gratitude
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