You may have noticed my social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook) this month are full of the #calmcoolcollectedconnected hashtag. I've been teaching on the functioning of our central nervous system and how to begin to recognize when our CNS is operating at its optimal, most regulated place ... and also how to recognize when we are over-activated I .e. STRESSED and under-activated I .e. DEPRESSED. There are many many self care practices we can begin to put in place to help our nervous system function at its most optimal, calm, cool, connected space, some of which I have discussed in my social media platforms.
Today I want to talk to you about the best nervous system regulator on the market and that is ... SLEEP!!! During sleep the sympathetic nervous system—the fight-or-flight system— relaxes, and blood pressure falls, muscles relax and skin vessels dilate, warming the body. The parasympathetic nervous system, which is the rest and digest is more active.
For people who live more in that sympathetic state (ready to go, do, produce, achieve, exceed, rise to the occasion .. maybe you ? ) sleep can sometimes seem quite elusive. You can probably relate to occasional sleep difficulties during stressful periods of time, or maybe you're someone who never sleeps well.
Good quality, steady, consistent night sleep is where all the good stuff happens. It's where the brain can adapt to the day's input. If we sleep too little, we become unable to process what we’ve learned during the day and we have more trouble remembering it in the future. Researchers also believe that sleep may promote the removal of waste products from brain cells—something that seems to occur less efficiently when the brain is awake.
Sleep is vital to the rest of the body too. When people don’t get enough sleep, their health risks rise. Symptoms of depression, seizures, high blood pressure and migraines worsen. Immunity is compromised, increasing the likelihood of illness and infection.
For the rest of the month I will be giving some sleep hygiene tips through my social media outlets. Sleep isn't just about what happens at bedtime, but your day routines as well. A well wired healthy nervous system knows when to wake, and knows when to sleep. Sleep training isn't just for infants!
To ease you into rest and digest ... my July online yoga class CONNECT AND RESTORE is available for purchase to stream or download. At only $15, this is an all levels back, spine, and fusion friendly restorative yoga class designed to calm, cool, connect, and collect the nervous system, and is perfect as a before bedtime class.
July's Online Yoga Class Connect and Restore is HERE >>>> https://foreverfused.teachable.com/p/connect-and-restore