Sleep Better: SimplyRaw’s Tips for Falling Asleep and Getting a Good Rest

All of us want to get a good night’s sleep, but sometimes, life catches up with us and we encounter those dreaded sleepless nights. Tossing and turning is no fun when you have a big day ahead of you. In order to lull off to sleep and stay rested throughout the night, follow this helpful advice:

Avoid caffeine. If you’re having trouble falling asleep, eliminating caffeine from your diet is a quick win. If you can’t go without your morning cup of coffee, then a good rule of thumb to keep in mind is “No coffee after noon.” This gives caffeine enough time to wear off before bed time.

Stop smoking. Tobacco use has been linked to a long line of health issues and poor sleep is another one on the list.

Use the bedroom for sleep and sex only. Is your bedroom designed to promote good sleep? The ideal sleeping environment is dark, cool, and quiet. Don’t make your bedroom a multi-purpose room. Eliminate TVs, laptops, electronics, and clutter. When you go to the bedroom, go there to sleep.

Natural Sleep Aids

Exercise. There are too many benefits to exercise to list them all here. When it comes to sleep, exercise will make it easier for your brain and body to power down at night. Furthermore, obesity can wreck havoc on your sleep patterns. The role of exercise only becomes more important with age. However, avoid exercising two to three hours before bedtime as the mental and physical stimulation can leave your nervous system feeling wired and make it difficult to calm down at night.

Temperature. Most people sleep best in a cool room. The ideal range is usually between 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 21 degrees Celsius).

Sound. A quiet space is key for good sleep. If peace and quiet is hard to come by, try controlling the bedroom noise by creating “white noise” with a fan. Or, use ear plugs.

How to Go to Sleep

Stick to a regular schedule. The body loves ritual. The entire circadian rhythm we laid out earlier is one big, daily routine. Go to bed and wake up around the same time each day.

Develop a “power down” ritual before bed. The light from computer screens, televisions, and phones can hinder the production of melatonin, which means your body isn’t preparing the hormones it needs to enter the sleep phase. Developing a “power down” routine where you shut off all electronics an hour or two before sleep can be a big help. Additionally, working late at night can keep your mind racing and your stress levels high, which also prevents the body from calming down for sleep. Turn off the screens and read a book instead. It’s the perfect way to learn something useful and power down before bed. Another option is to download an app called f.lux, which reduces the brightness of your screen closer to bedtime.

Use relaxation techniques. Over half of insomnia cases are emotion or stress related. Find outlets to reduce your stress and you’ll often find that better sleep comes as a result. Proven methods include daily journaling, deep breathing exercises, meditation, exercise, and keeping a gratitude journal (write down something you are thankful for each day).

How to Have More Energy in the Morning

Drink a large glass of water. Your body just went 6 to 8 hours without any liquid. If you are feeling lethargic and groggy in the morning, you may often be slightly dehydrated. The first thing I do when I wake up is drink a large, cold glass of water with fresh squeezed lemon.

Start the day in the sunlight. Sunshine is the new coffee. Getting sunlight in your morning routine is critical for establishing your circadian rhythm and waking your brain and body for the day. You may find you need none or very little coffee in the summer or in times of high sun exposure, but you’re a complete monster if you don’t get your morning cup of coffee in the grey winter months.

Sleep is a basic function, but it shouldn’t be ignored. Try out some of these tips to enjoy more restful nights– happy dreaming!

Breaking Your Digital Addiction

How many of us feel digitally “connected” yet, ironically, more removed from our priorities than ever before? Do you feel constantly distracted? Compelled to snap a photo and document every life occasion, while missing the joy of the moment?

Here are a few easy tips to help you break your digital addition:

1. Start the day proactively

If the first thing you do upon waking is reach for your phone to check your notifications, you have already set yourself up for reactivity for the rest of the day. Instead, get up, do some stretches, talk to your children, hug someone, but whatever you do, don’t start your day glued to your phone.

2. Turn off your notifications
Navigating your own smartphone system, find a way to turn off those pesky notifications. Then follow step 3.

3. Create rules around social media “browsing”
How often do you look down at your phone to see if anyone has liked your posts or sent you a message? Ask yourself if you’ve become a habitual checker and, if so, choose to stop. As Tim Ferris advocates in the Four Hour Work Week, allocate times during the day to check your email or engage in social media — and be religious about it. While checking your emails only three times a day, like Ferris recommends, may not be realistic, find a schedule that works for you.

4. Be reachable by phone
It is not always responsible to be offline if you have responsibilities. Be clear and let people know how to reach you if something is urgent. This will also give you comfort as you don’t have to worry about missing anything important.

5. Create sacred disconnect time
Mondays are when I go rock climbing, read books, run, fast, meditate and play with my dog. Most importantly, Mondays allow me to to be fully present. Whatever day or timing works for you, find it. No excuses!

6. Never bring your devices to bed
They disrupt your sleep and take the place of a good book. Place your devices out of reach with the airplane mode on.

6 easy ways to get back on track after the holidays

Happy Canada Day!

So maybe we got a little off track over the holiday… Our appetites seem to get bumped up a notch in the presence of family, friends and holiday fare ❤

Here are a few easy ways to reboot your system after overindulging:

1. Release the guilt
There is no sense in feeling guilty. It is only more likely going to send you back to the fridge. It’s better to use this energy to think about what great healthy things are happening next!

2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Staying hydrated helps to control hunger and flush toxins out of the system. Consume filtered water, herbal teas, broth, coconut water and fresh vegetable juices. Keep a bottle of water handy at all times.

3. Give leftovers away.
Portion the leftovers out, take them to work, social events, or offer them to your family and friends. The very last option is to throw them out if you know it’s one of your trigger foods. It’s better off in the bin 😉

3. Clean out the fridge and restock with healthy options.
Stock your fridge with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. This is a great time to consume fresh, light meals that are simple to prepare.
Avoid all alcohol, sugar, and processed foods and eat only clean whole foods to reset your system.

4. Spice up your life.
Turmeric, cinnamon and chilli are just a few that can boost your metabolism and help balance the blood sugar and control cravings.

5. Do a post-holiday cleanse.
Get back into the swing of things with a cold pressed greens juice. Drinking juice and juice fasting can be a very quick way to reset your hunger signals to get your body back in balance. A short 3-5 day juice fast can help you recover from the holiday indulgences.

6. Get moving!
At a comfortable pace, get things moving. Exercise helps control cravings, burns calories and helps to balance your mood and blood sugar. Go for a walk around the block, or try doing a few lunges or squats while watching your favourite sports team on TV.

SimplyRaw Detox Tip: BEAUTY SLEEP

You may look at sleep as a luxury, but it’s an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Without proper sleep you can gain weight, you may have a compromised immune system, and of course you lack natural energy. Sleep deprivation is unfortunately all too common as we put this off in the interest of getting other things done.

The problem is that lack of sleep can catch up on you after awhile. The body wears down and this shows through in a compromised immune system that means you get sick more easily.

You also have a lack of willpower and lack of energy to make healthy choices for yourself when you feel exhausted. You are ultimately not taking care of yourself in the proper way—and that’s not good for your health or your ability to naturally cleanse.

When you try to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night you give your body a chance to rest and recuperate. This is not a luxury but an important way that your body rebuilds and prepares for the activities that you have ahead the next day.

It’s imperative to rest and take care of yourself in this manner not only to function properly, but to keep the bad and harmful substances out as well ❤

SimplyRaw Detox Tip: MAKE YOUR OWN BEAUTY PRODUCTS

Did you know that you can make some of your favorite beauty products yourself? You can, and for pennies on what you’d pay for them at the store. Most of the ingredients are probably already in your pantry and/or garden—items like sugar, salt, oils, citrus, and herbs. Besides being budget-friendly, making beauty products at home means you control what goes in, so you know exactly what goes on your skin.

The fact that homemade products don’t include any ingredients you can’t pronounce is especially good news for anyone with sensitive skin, those who want to go completely green, and those worried about animal testing.

Vanilla Lavender Relaxing Facial Scrub

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup almond oil

1/2 tsp Vitamin E oil

1/2 tsp real vanilla extract

15 drops lavender essential oil

Mix all ingredients and store in an air tight jar.
Use 1 tablespoon as needed in the shower.  Scrub skin with the mixture and rinse will. it will leave your skin feeling like silk.