I think we can all agree that sleep is essential for overall health. There is nothing like a good night’s sleep to make you feel like you are on top of the world. It is during sleep that our muscles recover from an intense workout, the brain files away information and integrates it into memory, and skin cells regenerate and repair (hence the phrase “beauty sleep”). In recent years I’ve struggled with insomnia. It began with a fitness job that required me to reset my entire sleep cycle in order to be at work at 4:45 am each morning. I was frequently nervous that I would oversleep leaving 4 clients locked out of the studio and standing outside on a cold Chicago morning. This fear continued even after I moved on to a different job with more normal hours. When I was pregnant, worries about becoming a mother and general discomforts made it hard to sleep. Now that Eve is gone my brain seems to be trying to come to terms with reality and since I don’t have much time to figure things out in the light of day I find myself waking up at night trying to make sense of the whys, hows, and what nows. I thought I’d be spending sleepless nights with a baby, now I spend sleepless nights trying to come to terms with my baby’s death. These years of insomnia have made me somewhat of lab rat in my own clinical trials of sleep aids. Though every body is different and I am by no means a medical expert I thought I’d share my personal findings in case they are helpful:

-Forget About Eight Hours- As you might have guessed from my choice of career, I can be a total nut somewhat obsessive about trying to maintain healthful habits. I used to be obsessed with getting 8 hours of sleep, anything less was failing. Consequently, I would try going to bed before I was tired and often insomnia would result. Now I try to listen to my body’s cues. Since sleep is an act of letting go trying to force the act will only make matters worse.

-Natural Is Best- Again, I am not a medical expert and I know some people have issues that do require OTC or prescription sleep meds but right now, for me, natural remedies have proved to be the best. I’ve tried a number of OTC remedies that have left me wide awake and feeling like hell in the morning. I also had a short stint with doctor prescribed Ambien and though effective for getting to sleep my short-term memory was significantly affected (which is not ideal when teaching choreographed fitness classes). Used as directed melatonin and valerian can be helpful. If you are a fan of aromatherapy you may want to try keeping a spray bottle of lavender essential oil and water to spray on your sheets prior to getting into bed. Recently my husband’s cousin sent me a wonderful sleep serum that she makes which has helped quite a bit. You can find this sleep serum as well as a variety of other high quality, homemade products at http://www.homespacafe.com.

-Tap Into the Parasympathetic Nervous System- I know I sound like a broken record but yoga and meditation have proved very helpful in my quest for sleep. We spend so much of our day tapping into the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system that the body can forget how to transition to the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system required for sleep. Yin or restorative yoga when practiced directly before bed can assist in this transition. A long practice isn’t necessary, even 5 minutes in “legs up the wall” can be helpful. If you would prefer to practice under the covers consider downloading a guided yoga nidra for sleep.

When all else fails and a poor night’s sleep leaves you needing an extra boost in the morning try this smoothie for some extra energy: Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie with Raw Cacao I came up with this recipe after a poor sleep followed by an early morning. It is light on the stomach and offers a needed boost along with a host of antioxidants and nutrients. 1 frozen banana 1 1/2 cups almond milk (or milk of choice) 2 tbls raw cacao 2 tbls PB2 powdered peanut butter (or nut butter of choice) 2-4 drops vanilla creme liquid stevia (maybe omitted or replaced with sweetener of choice) 1 scoop protein powder of choice (I like Growing Naturals Raw Yellow Pea Protein Powder) Blend all ingredients and serve.