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I have written a post about the quest for those elusive 8 hours of sleep before. Getting enough sleep not only has an positive effect on our mindset, but also recovery and metabolism. I felt it was time to be my own guinea pig again and get better results.
Quick recap of my sleeping strategy:
I tried to stick to the routine described in my last article but something needed more improvement.
Thought all I had to do to wind down was to switch off the computer and TV early enough before going to bed. But often I was tempted to write a few more emails, stay longer on Facebook or have re-check the training programs for that week until I would pry myself away, hurriedly get ready for bed, fall asleep only to wake up sometime around 2 or 3 am and feeling like an hyperactive squirrel.
Somehow I needed to relax more and there was no one better to teach me about the art of relaxing than my friend and wellness blogger Susanne Willfinger. She listened to my tale of woe and came to the conclusion that my routine was lacking a sleeping ritual.
Quick recap of my sleeping strategy:
- Sleep in a complete dark room
- Wind down early enough before going to bed
- Supplements
- Avoid hard evening workouts
I tried to stick to the routine described in my last article but something needed more improvement.
Thought all I had to do to wind down was to switch off the computer and TV early enough before going to bed. But often I was tempted to write a few more emails, stay longer on Facebook or have re-check the training programs for that week until I would pry myself away, hurriedly get ready for bed, fall asleep only to wake up sometime around 2 or 3 am and feeling like an hyperactive squirrel.
Somehow I needed to relax more and there was no one better to teach me about the art of relaxing than my friend and wellness blogger Susanne Willfinger. She listened to my tale of woe and came to the conclusion that my routine was lacking a sleeping ritual.
Sleeping Ritual and the Power Of Habit
In his book, The Power Of Habit, Charles Duhigg investigates how new habits are formed. He explains that a habit loop is set off when the relating environmental cue arises, leading to a standard behaviour and results in a reward A sleeping ritual would be a chain of cues for the mind and body to take the time to wind down and get ready for sleep. It's pretty much the warm up for sleep. And we all know that we should not skip on the warm up.
So Susanne and I worked out following sleep ritual for me:
By the end of the last breathing cycle I'm almost out.
In his book, The Power Of Habit, Charles Duhigg investigates how new habits are formed. He explains that a habit loop is set off when the relating environmental cue arises, leading to a standard behaviour and results in a reward A sleeping ritual would be a chain of cues for the mind and body to take the time to wind down and get ready for sleep. It's pretty much the warm up for sleep. And we all know that we should not skip on the warm up.
So Susanne and I worked out following sleep ritual for me:
- Contrast shower your legs. Our body temperature drops while being asleep and getting the body temperature down before sleep can be beneficial for longer shut-eye. Start with the right leg, then the left leg. Start with very warm and then switch to cold. Repeat for 3-5 cycles.
- Giver yourself a reflexology foot massage (click link for video demo). Studies have shown that massage can result in many physiological changes in the body, among them lowering blood pressure and levels of the stress hormone cortisol, improving mood and immune function, and altering how we experience pain.On top of that Susanne who specializes in aromatherapy has mixed a massage oil containing essential oils of St. John's Wort, frankincense and sandalwood. A very balanced fragrant. Susanne emphasizes that essential oil mixes should be done by specialized medical practitioners or aromatherapists since people react to essential oils differently.
- Diaphragmatic breathing. Lie on your back with your legs against the wall, arms outstretched to the side with palms facing upward and do some diaphragmatic breathing exercises. Breathing diaphragmatically helps shift the balance from a state of fight or flight (sympathetic nervous system) to one of rest and digest (parasympathetic NS). Found that the Breath2Relax app helped me stick to a deep breathing pattern.
By the end of the last breathing cycle I'm almost out.
On top of that I also tweaked my supplements and the time to took them. Stopped taking fish oil and vitamin d3 at night and took them in the morning instead. Found that when taking these supplements in the evening I would wake up and stay wired.
List of my sleep supplements
Now Foods, GABA, 500 mg
GABA activates the major calming neurotransmitters, promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety
Source Naturals, Magnesium Citrate, 133 mg
This mineral helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and reduces nocturnal awakenings.
Now Foods, ZMA, Sports Recovery
is a combination of zinc and magnesium asparate. It has also been reported also the to specifically to enhance recovery by improving sleep efficiency and to counter counter catabolic effects.
Source Naturals, Holy Basil, 450 mgIt's a herbal supplement and is used in ayuverda to promote an calm and serene state of mind. I personally do not believe much in ayuverda but Gregg Everett best known from the Paleo Solution podcast and Catalystathletic swears by it so I'm giving it a try.
Morning
1 cap Now Foods, GABA, 500 mg --> found that I work well with a daily dose of 1000 mg. Therefore taking one cap additionally in the morning.
1 cap Source Naturals, Magnesium Citrate, 133 mg
1 cap Now Foods, 8 Billion Acidophilus & Bifidus
3-5 drops Now Foods, Liquid D3,
1 tbs Carlson's Lab, Fish Oil
During very low carb days I also take a multi vitamin tablet just to be on the safe side.
Evening
1 cap Now Foods, GABA, 500 mg
1 cap Now Foods, ZMA, Sports Recovery
1 cap Source Naturals, Holy Basil, 450 mg
1 tablet Anti-allergy cetirizine
After intense evening workouts which sometimes cannot be avoided I often take Seriphos right after the session to lower my cortisol levels.
List of my sleep supplements
Now Foods, GABA, 500 mg
GABA activates the major calming neurotransmitters, promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety
Source Naturals, Magnesium Citrate, 133 mg
This mineral helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and reduces nocturnal awakenings.
Now Foods, ZMA, Sports Recovery
is a combination of zinc and magnesium asparate. It has also been reported also the to specifically to enhance recovery by improving sleep efficiency and to counter counter catabolic effects.
Source Naturals, Holy Basil, 450 mgIt's a herbal supplement and is used in ayuverda to promote an calm and serene state of mind. I personally do not believe much in ayuverda but Gregg Everett best known from the Paleo Solution podcast and Catalystathletic swears by it so I'm giving it a try.
Morning
1 cap Now Foods, GABA, 500 mg --> found that I work well with a daily dose of 1000 mg. Therefore taking one cap additionally in the morning.
1 cap Source Naturals, Magnesium Citrate, 133 mg
1 cap Now Foods, 8 Billion Acidophilus & Bifidus
3-5 drops Now Foods, Liquid D3,
1 tbs Carlson's Lab, Fish Oil
During very low carb days I also take a multi vitamin tablet just to be on the safe side.
Evening
1 cap Now Foods, GABA, 500 mg
1 cap Now Foods, ZMA, Sports Recovery
1 cap Source Naturals, Holy Basil, 450 mg
1 tablet Anti-allergy cetirizine
After intense evening workouts which sometimes cannot be avoided I often take Seriphos right after the session to lower my cortisol levels.
Results
I was suffering from a messed up sleeping pattern and a racing minds for almost 3 years and usually could only clock 4 hours of sleep. But this seems to be working. I am now at day 7 of my new routine and my sleep is now at 6-7 hours per night. Working my way up to 8 hours.
If you have persistent difficulties working out your sleep issues do not wait that long to consult a medical practitioner.
Be also careful with using supplements if you have lots of food allergies, taking medication for your heart or to treat osteoporosis. In those cases you should consult your physician before supplementing
It took me a long time to find the right thing. Note that this is the mix which works for me and I still feel that it might need some tweaking .
As you can see I've left out melatonin out of my supplements list although many people have reported good result. I found though that I everyday the required dosage would change. Sometimes 1mg would be just right, sometimes it would not be enough and sometimes it would be too much and I would be knackered for the rest of the day.
This is my little N=1 experiment within the Paleo frame work. I cannot say that it'll work for you the same way but it could serve as a starting point or just give you an rough idea.
I was suffering from a messed up sleeping pattern and a racing minds for almost 3 years and usually could only clock 4 hours of sleep. But this seems to be working. I am now at day 7 of my new routine and my sleep is now at 6-7 hours per night. Working my way up to 8 hours.
If you have persistent difficulties working out your sleep issues do not wait that long to consult a medical practitioner.
Be also careful with using supplements if you have lots of food allergies, taking medication for your heart or to treat osteoporosis. In those cases you should consult your physician before supplementing
It took me a long time to find the right thing. Note that this is the mix which works for me and I still feel that it might need some tweaking .
As you can see I've left out melatonin out of my supplements list although many people have reported good result. I found though that I everyday the required dosage would change. Sometimes 1mg would be just right, sometimes it would not be enough and sometimes it would be too much and I would be knackered for the rest of the day.
This is my little N=1 experiment within the Paleo frame work. I cannot say that it'll work for you the same way but it could serve as a starting point or just give you an rough idea.
