Live by Skin - 6/3/2020
Attainable Beauty Sleep
Tips from @expecttosleepagain_emily
Sleep is one of the most vital daily actions we take for our allover health. In my profession specifically, I believe it has a massive impact on our skin-health and the healing of skin conditions. I always tell my clients: your skin is a reflection of your overall health. Because sleep has such a large effect on our health, it will show in your skin - good OR bad!
I am so excited to introduce you to Emily McDonald, a certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant! Emily works with Expect to Sleep Again, LLC and will be sharing some of her top tips for adult sleep. Please read through and enjoy her tips. If you are a mother (or father), Emily is an excellent resource for your children and has exceptional consultation services & packages. All of her contact information is at the bottom of this page!
Adult Sleep Tips from a Pediatric Sleep Consultant
"I am Emily McDonald, a certified pediatric sleep consultant with Expect to Sleep Again Sleep Consulting, LLC. I am part of an amazing team of fellow moms that are dedicated to helping other families when their children struggle with sleep.
As new parents, my husband and I read all the books and tried to learn everything we could about parenting. We knew that we were going to be sleep deprived at the beginning, but eventually kids start to sleep through the night. Right? Well, our daughter had other plans for us. We become overtired and irritable, and not only was the problem with our home lives but also a major concern for our work lives. My husband works as a firefighter and I work as a paramedic, both of us working 24 hours shifts. Sleep was so important and we weren’t getting it. So we hired a sleep consultant. And it was the best thing we could have ever done for our daughter, for our marriage and for jobs.
In less than two weeks we were sleeping again. After that, I became extremely passionate about sleep and wellness. I took a course to become a sleep consultant and joined the Expect to Sleep Again team in October 2019. Since then I have been working with families to get the sleep that they need and deserve!
→ One of the most common questions I am asked is … Do you work with adults?
Well. No.I suppose I could but adults can actually be super complex. There are alot of things that can be going on with an adult between years of [bad] habits, terrible work schedules, and a plethora of medical conditions, it can take a lot to break down what is causing sleep issues with an adult and can take a lot more than what I am qualified for to fix (or assist) those problems.
But… The good news is that there are a lot of “tips and tricks” to getting great sleep that work for kids AND adults!"
→ Sleep Environment:
This is HUGE. And the first thing you really need to get a good night's sleep, whatever your age, is a comfortable sleep environment that is conducive to sleep. You want a space that is cave-like. Very dark, very quiet and very cool.
You want a space that lacks any light. Getting black out shades for your windows is great, or [for adults] an eye mask can be helpful. This is especially important if there are lights outside your window or during the summertime when it stays lighter out later and gets brighter earlier.
- You want your space to be nice and quiet. If that isn’t possible try white noise. I recommend something with a continuous steady sound versus nature sounds or music as the changes in pitch can actually keep part of your brain awake while you are sleeping.
- A cool room helps induce sleep (at any age). It is best to keep the sleep space between 65 degrees and 72 degrees.
→ Routine:
Routines are a great way to keep your body on a schedule, always going to bed at the same time and waking at the same time helps set your internal clock. But more than that they can help you get ready for your day and help you wind down at night.
- Morning
Get up around the same time every morning, a nice stretch or yoga routine (this is great for kids too!) helps energize you for the day, eat a healthy breakfast - it’s fine if you aren’t a big eater in the morning but getting something in your stomach helps get your body moving
- Night
Cup of (caffeine-free) tea, a relaxing bath (if possible), bedtime yoga or stretching can help release the tension from the day, head to bed around the same time each night
→ Eat Well
A tip you hear over and over. Eating balanced and healthy meals to ensure your body is getting the energy and nutrients that it needs. Healthy diets are shown to increase ease of falling asleep, staying asleep, and quality of sleep. You want to feel satisfied when you go to bed, you don’t want to wake up because you're hungry. Avoid a big meal or anything fatty or spicy right before bed but a light snack that is high in protein can keep you feeling full and help you stay asleep longer.
→ Drink WATER
You hear it all the time that you should avoid caffeine in the afternoon/evening and alcohol should be consumed minimally since both can cause sleep disturbances. Drinking water helps the body in so many ways and drinking enough throughout the day can help maintain energy levels during the day and assist in a more restorative sleep at night. Just remember not to guzzle a bunch of water right before bed, unless you’d like to be waking up to use the bathroom.
→ Sunlight
Getting outside during the daylight hours is important for a healthy sleep/wake cycle. Being out in the daylight helps your body wake up during the day, halting melatonin production. However the exposure to the natural light (vs artificial light) helps boost melatonin production once it becomes dark out.
Avoid Blue light in the evening
Blue light can delay melatonin production, increase alertness, and cause a shift in your circadian rhythm. This delay in the release of melatonin can cause difficulty falling asleep and also can affect the amount of REM sleep one gets. Even if one is getting their required amount of sleep - they are still waking up sleepy.
→ Digital Curfew
Limiting overall screen time during the day can help but you definitely want to be powering down those devices a couple hours before bedtime.
- Change the lights
To limit the amount of blue light in your bedroom, try using a blue blocking or amber colored light in your bedroom. I even have “sleep mode” night lights leading the way into the bathroom for middle of the night trips. Never having to turn on a light in the middle of the night helps me to fall back asleep.
- Block the blue
Try using blue blocking glasses or the “blue light filter” setting on your devices (when you are unable to power down before bed).
If you have a child that is struggling with their sleep, Emily is here to help. She offers one-on-one sleep consultations with customized sleep plans with daily support. She have a 2 week consultation package, a newborn consultation package, as well as packages for returning clients and various specials on mini consults throughout the year.
Please follow Emily on instagram @expecttosleepagain_emily or on Facebook @expecttosleepainemily for sleep tips and news.
You can reach out to her anytime on either platform or via email at emily@expecttosleep.com.
