3 simple tips to improve your sleep and support your gut health

Hi Everyone,

𝐈'𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝟑 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡

A lot of my clients have told me that they have experienced sleep problems lately ( I guess we all know why). As a consequence, when they wake up, they feel tired, they can't focus at work or at home ( same thing these days), they are more irritable and therefore more prone to digestive issues.

Indeed, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒈𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔. That might explain why you feel nauseated before giving a presentation etc...

When we are stressed for a long period of time, our body thinks we are in danger and need to run away. Therefore, all bodily processes that aren’t needed to help us run away are temporarily shut down – mainly our digestive system and immune system.

Also, prolonged periods of stress have been associated with decreased sleep duration, poor quality sleep, impaired memory, poor mood regulation, and more stress.

Now, I know we all experience stress differently but I'd like to share what my clients and I are currently doing to address it.

• 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 in the evening (with raw cacao, hot water or plant-based milk, and a few drops of lavender essential oil). Raw cacao contains magnesium and tryptophan. Magnesium is a natural relaxant that can help deactivate adrenaline. Tryptophan is an amino acid that gets turned into the neurotransmitter serotonin ( when ingested) and then gets converted into the hormone melatonin. Lastly, lavender has been shown to elevate mood in challenging situations. Raw cacao contains magnesium and tryptophan. Magnesium is a natural relaxant that can help deactivate adrenaline. Tryptophan is an amino acid that gets turned into the neurotransmitter serotonin ( when ingested) and then gets converted into the hormone melatonin. Lastly, lavender has been shown to elevate mood in challenging situations.
• 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜. Studies have shown that music helps lower cortisol levels ( the stress hormone). It also helps produce natural endorphins. Some of my clients have said that their young children have been loving listening to classical music, which means that they have been able to have a bit of quiet time :)
• 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚 in the evening ( or a few times per day). Chamomile has known anti-anxiety effects, but that's not it. It also acts as a pain reliever (menstrual pain, joint inflammation, etc..) and can improve blood sugar levels in the short term.

I hope this helps :)

If you'd like to talk about how stress is affecting your digestion, get in touch by clicking here: https://calendly.com/amani-kaite/30min?month=2020-04

Have a lovely day.