Sisters-in-Service
Are you a women veteran who feels unseen and unheard? Do you struggle with finding your purpose after service? Sisters-in-Service is a podcast that gives women veterans the platform to talk about those exact issues and more. Hear from other veterans, military spouses and Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) just like you that have overcome their transition from the military. Every Tuesday this podcast encourages women veterans to stand up and be counted because as a group we have a voice. From your host - Cat Corchado - The Voice Connecting Women Veterans
Sisters-in-Service
Revitalize Your Midlife Symposium - Day 7: Expert Strategies for Restful Sleep with Christine Meyer
Unlock the secrets to revitalizing your midlife sleep with insights from our special guest, Christine Meyer, a dedicated health professional committed to empowering women through this transformative life stage. We unpack the cultural myths surrounding sleep deprivation and how they can undermine your physical, emotional, and mental health. Together, we explore the critical importance of sleep and practical strategies that can help you reclaim a restful night's sleep, enhancing your vitality and joy during midlife.
Dive deep into the common sleep disorders that many face during midlife, such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome. Christine shares her expertise on the intricate relationship between stress, chronic pain, and sleep disruptions, offering valuable advice on how to manage these interconnected challenges. We emphasize the role of nutrition and lifestyle modifications in optimizing sleep quality, shedding light on how certain foods and supplements can either support or hinder your restful nights. With Christine's guidance, you'll gain practical tools to create a soothing sleep environment and develop healthy sleep routines.
From the soothing scents of lavender to the rhythmic sounds of binaural beats, discover simple yet effective techniques to enhance your sleep quality without added stress. We discuss everything from the importance of consistent sleep schedules to the benefits of light exercise and the potential impact of electronic devices in the bedroom. This episode is packed with actionable tips and heartfelt appreciation for the complex beauty of sleep, culminating in an exciting announcement for next year's symposium. Join us on this journey to better sleep and overall well-being during your midlife transformation.
Thank you. Thank you, hi, everybody. Welcome to the Revitalize your Midlife Symposium, day 7. Can you believe it? We've almost gone through a whole week and I'm so excited to have our next guest. But before we go there, just for those of you that have maybe not tuned in, I want to tell you my why for doing this.
Speaker 1:And, as we go into midlife, I wanted to put together a symposium that would empower us. Empower us and enlighten us as we journey through the wonders of midlife. On top of the fact that it's June, it's summer, it's hot and it's my birthday month, and I wanted this to be a full celebration. So this symposium is a reflection of my personal why, which is that everyone has the right to feel good in their body, and my quest to be a lifelong learner. Midlife is a time of reflection, growth and opportunity. It's a stage where we can harness our experiences, embrace change and step into the best versions of ourselves with confidence and grace.
Speaker 1:My mission in creating this symposium is to provide you with the tools, insights and inspiration needed to navigate this exciting chapter of all our lives. So if you walk away with one golden nugget of info from this week, then I feel this symposium was a success. If you are unable to join us live, don't worry. Every moment of the symposium will be available for replay. So, whether you're seeking strategies to enhance your health, fitness or overall well-being, this is your gateway to a midlife filled with vitality and joy.
Speaker 1:I also want to say, this symposium is brought to you by Small Space Pilates, where you can benefit from fitness in your own home and to ensure that everyone can find the space to improve their flexibility, their strength and their mental well-being. So, without further ado, I am thrilled to introduce Christine Meyer. Christine is a seasoned health professional with over 15 years of experience in the health and wellness field. As a certified health coach, yoga breath coach and certified health education specialist, she excels in guiding midlife women towards transformation. Christine helps her clients transition from feeling foggy, anxious and unmotivated to becoming focused, calm and energized by optimizing sleep, managing stress and prioritizing self-care. Christine, welcome.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you. It's a pleasure to be here. Katz, how are you?
Speaker 1:I'm good. Thank you so much for saying yes and doing this. Sleep is one of those things that seems to elude a lot of us, and so my question to you, my first question is why are we, as a society, having so many problems sleeping and or staying asleep?
Speaker 2:sleeping and or staying asleep Such a loaded question. You know it's a culture that we've kind of created our ourself. You know you may have heard the term that not getting enough sleep is like this badge of honor, because we can stay up and be so productive and do so many things and only get, you know, four to five hours of sleep. And the research actually shows that's that's not true now, and you know sleeping and resting can be thought of as as lazy.
Speaker 2:Um, in our culture and with the science that we know now, sleep is key. Um, it's key for our overall health and wellness. Uh, both physically health and wellness, both physically, emotionally and mentally. And part of my mission is not only helping women to get better sleep but just helping them understand why it's so important, because a lot of us know that we're not getting enough sleep either, but at the same time we tend to laugh it off maybe we don't prioritize it as much and then we get to that point where it's. You know I can't live like this anymore and definitely want to avoid getting to those levels there, but definitely here to help you know when and if that does happen.
Speaker 1:What do you say to people who and I hear this all the time why only need four or five hours of sleep? Is that for real, or is it just a way for them to say, oh, I don't need more sleep because they're having problems sleeping?
Speaker 2:We tend to normalize how we're feeling. So someone may be functioning on four, five, six hours of sleep and doing okay getting through the day. But how are they doing that? Are they fueling on coffee and carbs all day? A lot of times people don't realize how much sleep is, how important sleep is, until they're actually getting more sleep and they feel that difference. So we've kind of just gotten used to not having as much sleep and relying on staying alert in other ways that aren't necessarily the best for us.
Speaker 1:I do have to say that I'm one of those people that I need seven to eight hours. I just do or I can't function. I can sort of function, but not really, so I've never been able to just do four or five hours. Christine, what are some common sleep disorders that we, as midlife women or midlife people? What are they? What are those common sleep disorders?
Speaker 2:Insomnia is one that does occur in midlife. We've got hormonal changes, a lot of stress and anxiety, so that's a big one that can pop up. Sleep apnea is another one. You know we tend to think of sleep apnea being overweight, older men. But for women our risk, our chances of getting sleep apnea increase after and during menopause because of the hormonal changes, possible weight gain. So that's a big one. Restless leg is pretty familiar, so that's considered to be a sleep disorder as well. Those would probably be like the top three that I can think of. That you know we most commonly see Well, I know that.
Speaker 1:You know, during midlife there are a lot of things stressors, you know where. Maybe we're changing jobs, maybe there's bigger financial or family responsibilities, or maybe we're taking care of aging parents. How do we balance all that, or can we with getting quality sleep?
Speaker 2:Right, right, and this was one of the reasons why I really dove into this niche, because when I was going through hormonal changes and couldn't sleep, I was miserable, I felt like a monster during the day. But also I had just gotten married for the first time, I was transitioning to becoming an empty nester. I was kind of questioning my career and feeling kind of drab in that. And so, yes, all these other things get thrown at us.
Speaker 2:Like you said, caregiving we may be in that sandwich generation where we're caring for a loved one and we still have children at home. We're experiencing loss, either through death or loss of relationships divorce, you know, friendships, career changes. Like you said, we might be going back to school, so so many different things can be happening at this time. There is a way to find peace amidst it all. We really have to really find it. And it may not be, you know, going on a fancy retreat, but finding these little times throughout the day where we can provide that, that self-care, take those moments to go inward, because it's really important to do that throughout the day so that we're not taking all of that to bed with us bed with us.
Speaker 1:I can vouch for the fact that my mother was here and I was taking care of my mom for like two months and my blood pressure skyrocketed and I was sleeping. But it's that exhausted sleeping, which isn't good either. Where you're so exhausted, you wake up exhausted. Where you're so exhausted, you wake up exhausted. So you know, I I think that it was really an eye-opener for me to realize that I didn't take the time to take care of myself because I didn't think it was good. You know, I'm working outside the home, I have my business, and then I'm taking care of the dog and I'm taking care of my parents and family stuff and all the other things, and it was go, go, go, get in the bed, fall asleep, you know, rinse and repeat the next day and it's, it's exhausting and I think it can really really mess up your sleep. So, christine, how does what is the relationship between chronic pain like arthritis, and does that contribute to, maybe, sleep disturbances for people?
Speaker 2:Right, definitely, you know. Again, this is something that hits us midlife arthritis, fibromyalgia, illness, injuries, those type of things, chronic medical conditions that start to pop up. So yeah, pain is a big one for a lot of women and again, it can cause sleep disruption and we need sleep for healing. So it's kind of a vicious cycle.
Speaker 2:Your body can't heal from these things if you're not sleeping well. So you really want to have that good, proactive approach of working with your health care provider, working with pain management specialists physical therapy, occupational therapy to make sure that you are doing mindful ways of managing your pain and then also making sure that your sleeping environment is conducive to that as well, for your comfort.
Speaker 1:I know a lot of people probably think they know what sleeping well does. Can you kind of give us the short version of what good sleep does for our body?
Speaker 2:Right. So, from a physical aspect, this is when our body is resting and repairing. So we're recovering from our exercise, workouts, we're recovering from illness or injury. Sleep is when our immune system is being boosted, our heart and our lungs are resting, so it's going to help with cardiovascular health and blood pressure. It's going to help with metabolism. Sleep well, we can increase our risk of type 2 diabetes, you know insulin resistance and obesity. And then, from the emotional side, sleep is when we process, just the day, our emotions. Trauma is when sleep is, excuse me, sleep is when trauma is processed. It's when we're weeding out things that happen through the day. As a veteran, I'm not sure if you're aware there's so many studies going on about the sleep and PTSD and how those are related, so it affects our mood and our memory and cognition.
Speaker 2:If you think about anything physical or emotional in your body, it's going to be affected by how you sleep in your body. It's going to be affected by how you sleep Absolutely.
Speaker 1:I have a sleep app on my phone that tells me how many hours I slept. You know light sleep. My question is and I don't know if you can answer this, I'm sure you can what's the difference between deep sleep and REM sleep?
Speaker 2:Right, so deep sleep tends to occur more in the earlier hours of the night. That's when the physical healing is occurring. So all those things that I mentioned earlier, the REM sleep is more for the cognition, the mood, the emotions, and that tends to happen more like after midnight, like after after midnight.
Speaker 1:Oh see, now I used to ask my husband. He's like I don't know and I was like, okay, I'm going to ask Christine Cause, I'm sure she knows.
Speaker 2:Right, right. So if you ever look at a graph of you know this, you know the ideal sleep cycles. First half of the night we're getting more of the deep sleep and a little bit of the REM and then it starts to shift. Later on You'll start to see the REM become more frequent and the deep sleep not as much, because now we're approaching those waking hours, it's pretty fascinating.
Speaker 1:Ah, it's fascinating. So I've been reading about circadian rhythms. Can you explain what a circadian rhythm is, and does it change as we get older?
Speaker 2:Right. So your circadian rhythm is. We refer to that as your body's internal clock. So it's your body's signal. I'm telling you it's time to wake up, it's time to go to sleep. We even have circadian rhythms for eating and exercise, and so that's why we talk about, you know, staying on a sleep schedule and trying to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time, because we want to keep that circadian rhythm in sync. You know we did this easily back when we didn't have technology and light. You know we went to sleep with the sun going down, and we don't do that now. There are so many different things happening that disrupt that circadian rhythm and it's working against us. So it's our bodies constantly fighting those interruptions and that's what can interrupt the sleep.
Speaker 1:I love that as we age. Does aging make it more difficult to maintain good sleep quality? Or is it just all the things that are happening?
Speaker 2:It can With age. Again, if we've got medical conditions, pain. A lot of medications can disrupt sleep, especially psychoactive. So if we're on antidepressants you would think that would help you to sleep better. It can actually be disruptive. A lot of over the counter medications can be disruptive, you know antihistamines and things like that. And our circadian rhythm does change as we get older. We don't produce as much melatonin as we get older and melatonin is that hormone that signals the body that it's time to sleep. And so there's this misconception that older people don't need as much sleep because they aren't sleeping as much, but they in fact need as much as the rest of us, which is typically seven to nine hours. It's just it's a lot more difficult to because of all the changes in their their body and their mental health.
Speaker 1:Wow, how did you know that was going to be my next question about the melatonin? That was good, let's. There's a question that Denise has. She says what happens if you cut sleep short regularly and then try to catch up on weekends. Is there such a thing as catching up on your sleep?
Speaker 2:What's interesting about that is the science. You know this is science, so science is always changing. We used to say you know, you've got to get seven, eight hours during the week, don't try to make it up on the weekend. But it's all about balance too. So there's some research to show that if you're not getting enough sleep during the week, you can sleep in the weekend. But we shouldn't be sleeping, you know, 10, 13 hours Saturday and Sunday. Again, that disrupts that circadian rhythm, makes it harder to go to sleep during the week. There can be some benefits from sleeping in as far as energy and mood, but there's still some health risks involved with not getting that minimum of at least seven, seven hours. But it's. Sleeping on the weekends can be helpful. I do sleep in an hour, to you know, one day a week, on the, on the weekend, um, but I'm not in bed all day, you know. So there's a big difference between getting up a little bit extra versus really just crashing all weekend and and disrupt and disrupting that schedule there.
Speaker 1:Thank you for that. Yeah, absolutely. Here's a question I have how do you feel about naps?
Speaker 2:Yeah, naps are fine. They really are, again, within reason, excuse me. So with napping, it's recommended no more than maybe 20, 30 minutes, and try not to do it late in the afternoon Because, again, if you have that nap, then you may not be feeling sleepy at bedtime. In regards to you know, if you can get through the day without a nap, you know we want to look at safety. Of course you need to drive somewhere or anything like that. You know, take a nap if you need to, but if you're okay with not napping, try to avoid it if you can, because then when evening comes you're going to be nice and extra sleepy and you should be able to get some better deep sleep that night. So, again, it's all about balance. But, yeah, definitely some people love to nap I. But, yeah, definitely some people love to nap. I can't I have to be dead tired in order to take a nap, but it's definitely okay to do I was going to say that when I nap, I just you know.
Speaker 1:Some people say, oh, I just take, I nap for 15 minutes. When I nap, I nap like an hour hour and a half, which tells me that I wasn't getting enough sleep to begin with. So I don't nap all the time, but when I need a nap I definitely take a nap and it's awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, so different. You know, if you can nap midday and be okay and go to sleep that night and sleep well, then then fine. So you have to look at the individual as well.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Let's talk about some foods that affect sleep. So I've learned that I have a sleep routine and part of my sleep routine is not eating at least two hours before I go to bed. What types of foods and or beverages, aside from caffeine, are known to negatively impact sleep quality? Caffeine are?
Speaker 2:known to negatively impact sleep quality. Right, so the caffeine, like you mentioned. Alcohol is another one. There's again a misconception that alcohol helps us to sleep and it may help you to feel drowsy and fall asleep, but it can disrupt your sleep later, where you're waking up later because now your body is breaking down the alcohol. You might be getting up to use the restroom. Now again, some people can have a drink before bed and be okay. For others, especially during midlife and during menopause and I don't know if you've noticed this we don't tolerate alcohol as well. We metabolize it much slower. So a lot of women find they can't even have that one drink in the evening because it's really disruptive.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I used to be able to have like sweets or like ice cream and stuff at night, and I can't anymore. I, it will keep me up and I, you know, I just realized that I it's not that I can't have it, I just can't have it before I go to bed, because I'll initially go to sleep and then all of a sudden I'm awake, like wide awake, and I'm like what is this crap?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, sugar fluctuations can can do that. You're coming up and then you're crashing down. You know snack before bed is fine. You know we want to. And when we look at the health, our diet, as far as you know what we should be eating for good health with fruits and vegetables and whole grains and nuts and healthy fats, those are all things that contain, you know, the magnesium and some of them do have melatonin and the tryptophan. That can help with overall good sleep. A lot of people ask you know, what should I eat before to eat before bed to help me sleep? But if we just have a good, well-rounded diet altogether not too high in sugar and fat and processed foods, that's going to help our sleep overall and there's studies to show that diets that are high in sugar and fats can affect overall sleep. So again, it comes down to the same diet that we should be eating for pretty much any health goal that we have right.
Speaker 1:Exactly. It's funny. I was thinking about days one through five and the one thing and you just mentioned it that has been a constant thread throughout this entire symposium is nutrition. Every day, somebody, whether it's perimenopause, menopause, whether it's sleeping, whether it's your gut, it's all been about nutrition and I just I find that rather fascinating.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's always the same foods, right? So the company that I, that I've worked for, you know, we coach on diabetes and heart health and nutrition and stress. It's all the same, it's the all the same type of diet and we're so again ingrained in, you know, fad diets and eating this and eating that, or don't eat this or don't eat that. If we eat a well-rounded, whole food diet, the best we can, that's going to help with everything with our health and wellness.
Speaker 1:I know there are a lot of supplements out there that people take for helping them go to sleep. How do you feel about these supplements, like you know? Magnesium, I think melatonin you had talked about. What is your take on these?
Speaker 2:You know if needed. You know, my goal is to try to have to use as few amount of pills, supplements as possible, and of course they may be needed, and that's something you want to talk to your doctor about. Studies show that magnesium can be very helpful. You know, herbal teas are great and that's not even a supplement. That's again. That's a food. Melatonin is a hormone and our body makes that naturally, and the United States is the only place that sells this hormone over the counter. It's a prescription everywhere else and unfortunately it's not regulated by the FDA. So you're either getting not enough or you're getting way too much, Too much.
Speaker 1:I take melaton, so you're either getting not enough or you're getting way too much, too much.
Speaker 2:Yes, I take melatonin and I wake up feeling groggy and like I've got a hangover. That's probably fine, and if we can work on lifestyle habits that help us to enhance our own production, that's going to be the best way to do it. But there are plenty of supplements out there. Again, if it's needed, your physician feels like you need it, you can If lifestyle changes aren't happening, of course, if you have a deficiency of some kind, because that can cause sleep disruptions, especially midlife. You know we have vitamin mineral deficiencies as well as hormonal changes. So those are things to get monitored for sure and take those supplements.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. My question is when we sleep, are levels of melatonin going up? Are they increasing as we sleep, if we're getting good sleep?
Speaker 2:So they're starting. What happens with melatonin is it is signaled by uh, signaled by um, uh, uh, darkness. So as the sun starts to get uh starts to set, um, it starts to get darker out, melatonin starts to increase in our body and it's not causing us to be sleepy, but it's sending those signals to the rest of our body to start slowing down and shut down because sleep is coming. And then it peaks, I believe, around one or 2 AM, and then it starts to decrease in those early hours as the as the sun starts to come up.
Speaker 1:So it's like a wave it goes up as the sun goes down and then as the sun comes up. Well, I guess it's supposed to cause we'd never wake up, right? That could be a bad thing. I'm just saying.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's all part of that whole circadian dance, you know, of keeping our bodies in balance, and again, we have so many different things coming at us from the external environment and stress I mean even stress can deplete your melatonin. So it's that well-rounded, healthy living that's really going to help. And that's one thing I do in my sleep coaching is, we're not just doing a sleep hygiene checklist, we're talking about things from a holistic view, like you and I are doing right now. There's so many different things that could be affecting your sleep and you may not even be realizing it.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:A little bit of detective work sometimes it's all detective work.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it's all a detective work. You got to kind of ask questions and pull things away until you get like the bones and then you realize, okay, this is what I'm working with, right, so I think it's you. You can't just say, oh, this, you know, this is what it is you have. You have to get the full picture.
Speaker 2:Right, right. And I actually just posted about something today on Instagram that I'm very against the whole hacking. You know, hack your health kind of movement, because doing one thing typically isn't going to help your sleep. It may, and if so, great, but for the most part it's. It's a lot deeper than that For me. A lot of my conversations about sleep are dealing with stress, so we're working on stress management and self-care so that again you're not taking those things to bed with you at night.
Speaker 1:Right, I think when I think of hacking, I think of not just one thing, but maybe two or three things that I'm doing. So what I hear you say is that it's nutrition. It's, you know, having a, a, a get ready to sleep routine, it's all you know. Not eating before bed, it's, it's like several things that you need to do in order to help your sleep, Is that? What you're saying yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2:And again, looking at your, your medical health, we've already talked about, you know, chronic pain and medical conditions and hormone imbalances. So again, we have to look at all of these different areas to see what could be affecting it.
Speaker 1:So, if, can you take us through what it's like to like if I came to you and I said, christine, I need your help. You know, I tell you my story. Take us through what a client would go through when they come to you.
Speaker 2:So with coaching, you know, we don't diagnose, we don't prescribe supplements or medications or anything like that. With coaching, it's a partnership and so we're talking about what are these things that could be affecting your sleep? As a health educator and someone who's, you know, been looking into sleep for a long health educator and someone who's, you know, been looking into sleep for a long time, there's going to be some education. Of course it's increasing that awareness, referring you out to a doctor if needed to have maybe lab work done, and it's about behavior change and it's about, you know, stress management and then again addressing any kind of medical concerns. So, with each session's about you know, stress management and then again addressing any kind of medical concerns.
Speaker 2:So with each session we're, you know, we're setting goals, we're talking about barriers, we're setting up a plan to help you get better sleep, because it's just like with starting, maybe, an exercise program with your clients. You know it's after one session. Not everything's going to be, you know, motivated. It can be overwhelming, you know, to think about oh my gosh, how am I going to get better sleep? And we can't force it.
Speaker 2:It's something that really needs to become. It should be something that comes natural to us. It really should, and so it's again. It's digging in and finding that. I have, you know, longer term coaching, but also I have, you know, a single session. It's my better sleep strategy session, which I'm actually promoting this month at a big discount for my birthday, and we're just. You know, you fill out a health questionnaire, we talk, we meet for an hour and we devise like a 30 day plan to help you get better sleep with specific goal setting and then follow up.
Speaker 2:Do you want more? You know long-term coaching. Do you feel like you need it? Cause some people do, some don't. So there's a couple of different ways we can do it, but again, it's a lot of increasing your awareness, helping you to increase your confidence of being able to make the changes that you need.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, wow, constantly repeating things until they go oh, you mean this, oh, you know, because they're like okay, okay, and they do some of the things and not the other things, but you, it's, it's all encompassing, isn't it? You've got to do all the things that to if you're really serious about getting good sleep.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you do, and there may be, you know, a longer list of things you need to do, but that's part of it is making it so it doesn't seem overwhelming. You know, I want people to understand that they can. They can do this. But we don't want to throw a whole bunch of things, this giant list, and say do this now. It's easing it into your life because everybody's different.
Speaker 1:You know, I have women.
Speaker 2:I coach who? Because everybody's different. You know I have women I coach who um stresses. Our work is a big stressor for, for I would say, a majority of of um women, and sometimes their goal is to take a break during the day, take five minutes to get up from their desk because they're working for 10 hours a day with even getting up and taking a break. Sometimes we have to start with little tiny baby steps like that, till we get a picture of where they want to be.
Speaker 2:I know that sounds cliche, but it really is.
Speaker 1:It really is. Let's take a quick break and then we'll come back and finish our conversation with Christine Meyer. And we're back and I just wanted to say welcome if you're just joining us. I'm Kat Corchado, you're watching the Revitalize your Midlife Symposium and we are speaking with Christine Meyer about sleep and how to get better sleep. Christine, I do know that when I was going through perimenopause, that that was the worst sleep I'd ever had in my life, and there's no bigger motivator, I'm going to tell you, than to fix that problem and do what you need to do so you could get better sleep. So I don't know if anyone can relate, but holy crap, talk about a lifestyle change, man Right.
Speaker 2:And that's what prompted me to get into this area too, because I was having hot flashes just well, they're called night sweats at night, but not sleeping at night, because one minute I am throwing the covers off, feeling like I'm on fire, the next I'm soaking wet and shivering and changing my clothes multiple times throughout the night and during the day. I was just not myself. My memory was horrible, my mood, I was just. I felt like a monster and it's like who is this person? You know, and I just thought you know. Hopefully this is just going to be temporary, but I couldn't imagine doing this for you know, having insomnia for periods of time, and how do how can you possibly function and how do you get used to that?
Speaker 1:It was just, yeah, it was miserable for me as well, I think my husband it was when he said, look, I don't care what you have to do, just do it. And I'm like, okay, we're going to take care of this problem and I'm I'm so glad that I did, because I'm sleeping better. But what, christine? What kind of hacks and I know you hate that word, let me find another word what types of simple things can people do to increase their chances of better sleep? And what I mean by that is I started with essential oils. I love the smell of lavender and I'll take lavender and rub it on the bottoms of my feet and then I'll just lay in the bed and for some reason it works for me. Has has anybody else tried that? You know either listening or have you had clients? Try that.
Speaker 2:Oh, yes, I'm, I'm the queen of lavender. I love lavender in in anything. So, yes, creating a relaxing environment is is really key, whether that be the oils or the linen sprays. Taking a warm shower or bath before bed can be very helpful because it helps to cool off your body's core temperature. We do need to cool down our core temperature at night to sleep that's one of the things that melatonin does. At night to sleep, that's one of the things that that melatonin does. Keeping the room temperature at a good temperature for you. So ideally, anywhere between 60 to 67 degrees is what's recommended to keep your body temperature regulated, and then you're having it. You may have heard the term keep it, you know, cool, dark and quiet.
Speaker 2:So yes temperature, block out any interfering light, even if that's coming from, let's say, an alarm clock or something, not having any kind of light that's going to be interrupting where, blocking out any sounds. So wearing plugs if you need to, or a mask for the, for the, for the light, but really having a nice relaxing environment for the light. But really having a nice relaxing environment, because one thing I hear about a lot is you know snoring partners or you know loud dogs, and so it's really important to have that because we get interrupted anyway. So having a nice quiet environment that's cool, dark and quiet is really key. And then again, having you know those real keeping the lights down in the evening.
Speaker 2:So trying to avoid overhead lights as much as possible as the sun's going down. Use table lamps and lights and candles, use light bulbs that have like an amber or red hue to them, because, again, that melatonin needs to be produced with darkness and if we've got light everywhere, you know we're shopping at target at nine o'clock at night now. So stimulation everywhere from light in addition to our screens and all of that. That again that's disrupting that circadian rhythm. So aiming at dark in the evening. Have a nice calming environment and having that wind down routine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my husband has it rigged so that all our lights kind of dim at a certain point and they're kind of diffused, so it's not this harsh light Right maybe on a scale of one to 10, I think it's very high up for me Is it to have a sleep routine and following that sleep routine every night.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, as much as you can. Obviously, we're not going to be perfect, life happens, but it is recommended to go to bed and wake up at the same time, seven days a week. Yeah, again, that's what keeps that circadian rhythm, you know, in sync there.
Speaker 1:What can you do? I use a sleep mask because I know that once I open my eyes, my brain goes, oh, we're awake, and it starts to go when I have my sleep mask on. If I open my, my brain goes, oh, let's go back to sleep. Is it important to wear a sleep mask? Do you think it really? I think it helps. I think it's huge for me.
Speaker 2:If you need to. You know, definitely. I was recently traveling to the Pacific Northwest, stayed there for a few weeks. The sun starts to rise before a little bit before five and it doesn't set until nine. So I was just, I was wearing a sleep mask because I couldn't. I couldn't fall asleep or I was getting woken up so early that it was just it was. It was really really hard.
Speaker 2:So if you, you know, if you're okay with the, the blinds and the curtains being shut and you're good to go, that's fine. One thing I will say is, if you need to wake up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, again, if we're flicking on those overhead lights not always, only is it annoying I don't know about you, but I feel like a vampire when that happens but the motion sensor nightlights, you know, in the bedroom, the hallway, in the bathroom, so you can still see and be safe to get up and go to the restroom, but again, you may use those overhead lights. Come on. Your brain is saying oh, it's time to be awake and for some people they can maybe go back to bed after that. Some cannot, it's difficult. So try to keep it lightly dimmed, even in the evening time if you're going to have to have to get up.
Speaker 1:I've also listened to. I have a sleep mask that's got the little ear, the flat ear I don't know what you call them and I listen to. What are they called? There's something beats where it's. It works with our brain waves and it and it puts and it. I mean it works. It sounds weird at first and all of a sudden you just fall asleep.
Speaker 2:Yep, I think you're referring to the binaural beats.
Speaker 1:Yes, thank you, exactly yes.
Speaker 2:Right, Again, whatever works for you. It can be that for some people it's listening to sleep stories. Sometimes I I love listening to some sounds I like and some sounds I don't. So I really love things like rain in a rainforest or a thunderstorm. I don't like listening to music before I go to bed, For some reason. It doesn't help, but I like the sound. So again, everybody's different. If it works for you, you know, go for it.
Speaker 1:Go for it. Let's take a question from Donna. So Donna says, christine, have you heard of I know this will sound funny, but sleeping with mouth tape and the point is to breathe through the nose, which makes sleep deeper and it also helps with snoring.
Speaker 2:Yes, so mouth tape can be helpful because it is important to breathe through your, through your nose. Now, again, if you feel like you might have sleep apnea or some kind of blockage in the sinuses, we want to be very wary of that, be very careful. We don't want people choking or gagging. So that's something that would be recommended to talk to your doctor about if they feel that it would be beneficial. It very well can be, but again, we want to be careful if there's any kind of sleep apnea involved there. But some people do use it. If they just tend to be mouth breathers and they're trying to retrain themselves to breathe through their nose, they don't have any sleep issues at all. It can be helpful.
Speaker 1:So if someone is sleeping and they don't have a mask on and they, they open their eyes. What's the first thing they should do? I would think close their eyes again.
Speaker 2:Close your eyes.
Speaker 1:Go back to sleep. I don't know. Is there some trick or something, or is it just close your eyes and just go back to sleep?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Close your eyes and go back to sleep. You're welcome, Donna. One thing we don't want to do is look at the clock, because that can cause especially for people that do have insomnia or some kind of sleep disturbance. You know, you look at that clock and then you're wondering how much time do I have left?
Speaker 2:or yes right now and that can cause some anxiety. So if you do have a clock in the room, we actually recommend you flip it, maybe face it towards the wall, but again you close your eyes, you go back to sleep. We actually wake several times throughout the night because as we are transitioning out of those sleep cycles we're going into light sleep. So we are waking up and a lot of times we don't even realize it, we're just going back to sleep again. But sometimes we will and it's okay if it takes five, 10 minutes to get back to sleep.
Speaker 2:Yeah again, just you close your eyes and you get back on with it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my husband, when my alarm goes off and he'll go, aren't you supposed to get up? And I'll say I have three and a half minutes, Don't rush me. I have three and a half minutes, Don't rush me. I have three and a half minutes, Christine. How important is it? I've been doing what's called alternate nostril breathing. So if I feel myself being anxious when I lay in the bed and I'll start doing this alternate nostril breathing and it just seems to just like it puts this cloak of relaxation, Can you speak on how that really, you know, just just slowing down your breath in general can actually help prepare you to go to sleep?
Speaker 2:Right, right. So breathing exercises are are great, because we tend to be in a heightened state a lot of times we may not even be aware of that and when that's happening our heart rate's a little bit higher, our breathing rate's a little bit higher and again, we may not even be noticing that and that's hard for your body to calm down and sleep when it's kind of in that fight or flight mode, kind of in that fight or flight mode. So breathing exercises, particularly very deep relaxation breathing, can be helpful where your exhale is longer than your inhale. So let's say, in breathing in for a count of three, out for a count of six, or a four eight pattern, that type of a thing can be really beneficial.
Speaker 2:Or even just practicing diaphragmatic breathing, because when we are again tense or stressed, we're not breathing like we should be, Our body's not going to get the oxygen it needs because we're not breathing efficiently and that causes more of that anxious kind of a feeling. So that's something that I would recommend too is, during the day, if you're feeling kind of stress, is really focusing on how your body is responding. What's your what's your breathing response to your stress. Because if we're just like this all day long, it makes it a lot harder to calm down. But breathing is great Alternate nostrils great for clearing the sinuses. It helps to balance the brain out as well. Again, the only thing I wouldn't recommend are the hyperventilation type of breathing exercises, the Wim Hof, all of that Stick with more of like relaxation yoga type of breathing, but that's a great way of just calming your body and your brain down at night.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it works. I'm just going to say I use it often, so I'm going to be a little controversial here. I know that a lot of people say not to have a TV in your bedroom If it's too quiet. In my room it's like I can hear the voices in my head. It's like I can hear my thoughts. I'm like who's talking to me. I almost feel it's too quiet. What is that about?
Speaker 2:Um, I'm not sure. You might have to see what it's like with your own thoughts. Um, yeah, so ideally we say the bedroom is for sex and sleep. You know, no TVs, no computers. At the same time, I do talk to a lot of people who they need the TV on. Sometimes they'll, they'll just, they'll cover it, even because they like the sound. You know again, if you need something in the background, that's fine. If you're okay with it in there, then that's fine. Some people, if they're watching, depending on what they're watching before they go to bed, if it's violent or stressful, that can affect your ability to sleep. There's more research showing that it's maybe not so much the screen itself that's affecting the sleep when you're watching TV, but more the content.
Speaker 1:Same, thing with your phone.
Speaker 2:If we're on social media, I'm looking at politics and all the horrible things going on in the world. With your phone, you know, if we're on social media, I'm looking at politics and all the horrible things going on in the world or looking at violent things that are sleep. So I actually do watch a little bit of TV before bed, but I've learned not to watch things that are disturbing.
Speaker 1:Right, right.
Speaker 2:Again, it's, it's individualized. You know, and you, if you like the sound, you could try sound on your, your phone as well. If you're trying not to use the television, but if it's not disrupting you and you feel like you're getting good, good quality sleep, then you should be okay. There's rules and and and and suggestions, but we also don't want to be too rigid anyway, because it's a little bit different.
Speaker 1:Exactly yeah. So, christine, if someone is having they know they're having an issue sleeping, they're not really sure what it is Is it best for them to go to their doctor to rule out sleep apnea? Or maybe, if it is sleep apnea, to get diagnosed with that and then, with that in place, start some of these other things that might that might be able to help them a little bit better start some of these other things that might.
Speaker 2:That might be able to help them a little bit better. Well, it'd be a combination of the two. You know, the lifestyle changes, the sleep hygiene. That's something that you can start at any time.
Speaker 2:If you do feel like you may have sleep apnea. Let's say, your partner's telling you that you're snoring or gasping or choking in your sleep. That's how I first realized I had it, as I was waking up feeling like I was being choked to death, I could not breathe yeah, very bizarre. And my husband telling me that I was snoring like a bear. So I sit to get things looked at and I did have mild sleep apnea, like how is this happening? I didn't gain weight and you know it was related most likely, I think, to the, to the menopause.
Speaker 2:But yeah, if you feel like, or some people say, I'm getting eight hours of sleep but I am still feeling crummy during the day, so it could be that that sleep apnea is kicking in, it's disrupting your sleep and you're not even realizing it and you're not getting the sleep you need. So look for those signs, talk to your doctor if you need to, and it should all be done at the. You know all together. You know, start the lifestyle changes always because those are things you can do without a doctor, but if you do feel there's anything going on medically, you do want to get that checked out for sure.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and I can't stress enough having a great mattress? Okay, I cannot. I mean, you can do all of these things and still not get good sleep If your mattress I'm going to say it if it sucks. What do I mean by suck? We had a mattress that went like this in the middle and a divot, and I said I'm done, we need a new mattress. And, man, the difference has been phenomenal. So you know, if you're doing all the things and it's still not working, look at your mattress. I will tell you that it used to be in the day they would say oh, a mattress will last 20 years.
Speaker 1:No, it does not, just a little FYI it does not last 20 years anymore.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and you know you want to invest. It's they're expensive, but you do want to invest in a good quality one If you can, having a good, comfortable pillow as well. Again, if you've got issues with pain using, you know, body pillows or wedges or whatever you can to get comfortable as well, if you're waking up sore in the morning, then that's maybe a sign that the mattress might need to be changed out if you don't have any other issues going on.
Speaker 1:So Absolutely so, christine, if someone isn't having chronic pain and and you know, they've got a good mattress and they want to start to put some things together to help them sleep better, is there? Is there one thing they should start with? Or is, or do they have to do their homework to find out what, what would be best for them, or do they just call you? I'll say go see Christine.
Speaker 2:Definitely call me if needed and I've got a great, you know, free download in my Instagram profile of you can. You know? You know lifestyle habits for better sleep, but start off with that. Start off with sleep hygiene, where we talk about you know that sleep schedules, a nighttime routine, trying not to do those stimulating things in the during the day, and then again looking at those stress levels. I think that's really big for a lot of people because that's what's tending to keep a lot of people up. Is there um and um? Again, if you feel like just something's off in your body, you're not feeling well, um, if you feel it's hormonal, get those checked out Because, again, if we can do all the things like you said, but if there's something medically going on, yeah we have a big impact, but start with living that healthier lifestyle and really most people know what's affecting their sleep for the most part.
Speaker 2:Yes hidden sabotagers in there, but a lot of us know why, and so it's looking at prioritizing our health and again taking those small steps. Get a coach to live that healthier lifestyle so that can become more natural for you.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and also the importance of just keeping a consistent sleep schedule. So I used to go to bed at 9.30 or 10 and realizing that wasn't working for me, so I cut it back and now I go to bed at nine and it seems to be working for me. Now I'm not asleep at nine, but I've had my sleep routine. I'm in the bed by nine and it's been working really well. So I don't know if anybody out there is listening, but you know, try going to bed a little bit earlier. But here's a question for you. I know someone in particular who has a hard time just even getting up to go to bed. What do you say to those people when they're so, especially for entrepreneurs, where they're just right here at the computer and they've been up since 6 am. It is now 11 pm and they're still stuck at their computer? What kind of advice do you have for those people?
Speaker 2:Again, we're talking small baby steps getting off that computer, even 15, five, 10 minutes early. Set an alarm and do something to start preparing for bed and get your body slowly used to going to bed a little bit earlier because you don't want to do it quickly. You know, if you're going to bed at 11 and now you say you're going to go to bed at 10 or nine, it's probably not going to happen because your body is adjusted to being up that late. So you need to do it gradually and, you know, looking at how this is going to benefit you. Again, we may think you know I'm staying up later and I'm doing more work and being more productive, but if you're not getting enough sleep the next day you're probably not going to be as productive and focused. So really looking at the importance of it and how it's going to benefit you and just taking small little steps to kind of wind yourself back and once you start seeing how it helps and how good you feel, that hopefully is going to be the driver to keep you going.
Speaker 2:Changes like right now I'm not kind of going through a slump where things aren't working well and I think I need to adjust my sleep schedule. Again that can happen to. You might need to adjust the time that you're going to. So if you find something's not working, you got to look at everything that's going on the sleep schedule, your stress levels, lifestyle changes I have that affecting it, you know. So you kind of have to take a step back and see. You know where things start, kind of to fall off the wagon there.
Speaker 1:And also realizing that it's not a one and done. You don't do it for one night and go. Oh, it didn't work. You've got to give your body time to adjust, and I can't remember how long. When I started going to bed earlier. I want to say it was about two weeks for me where I started to notice that. Oh, and when you notice the positives of that, then you start to become a little more regular with the time, don't you think?
Speaker 2:Right, Exactly, Exactly. You know we we've got to put in the work still, you know, and I think that's why people are looking for quick fixes and supplements to help. And you can take all the supplements you want, but not sure that's really going to help if you're not getting to the root of the issue there. So it is work and you have to be patient. You got to be kind to yourself about it. Again, you don't want to try to force sleep, but it's working on it gradually.
Speaker 1:I know you touched on this briefly, but you and I are both being in the fitness industry. We already know the effects of physical activity in helping us sleep. Are there exercises that are more helpful? You know I don't recommend doing a hard workout at nine o'clock at night, that's. That's not what I'm saying, but you know, maybe there's something like gentle stretching or maybe just yoga. You know some gentle yoga are. Are there more specific types of exercise that are more beneficial than you know? Hardcore lifting weights right.
Speaker 2:Any exercise is going to be great. You know, as you know, we want people moving and I agree in the science shows that for some people doing those really heavy workouts in the evening time, you know it's increasing your body temperature, it's increasing those cortisol levels so you're more alert, you may not be able to fall asleep. So, yeah, be careful with that. Light to moderate should be okay. Yoga, stretching, those are great things that can be part of your wind down routine at night to help you sleep, because it's going to relax your body, which is going to relax your brain as well.
Speaker 1:I have one of my friends, yvonne Marchese, and she gets up in the morning and stretches, and she also stretches before she goes to bed. And stretching, just along with all of this other stuff we're just throwing things at you guys that I know for a fact work because I've done it. But you have to find what works for you, and so stretching is one. It just calms your whole system. So, christine, can you give us, before we end tonight, anywhere between one and three quick tips that someone listening or even on the replay, that they could just take with them and put into practice today?
Speaker 2:Right? Well, we talked about that sleep schedule. I think that's really key because that sets your whole body up for the next day and moving forward. So try to keep that sleep schedule of going to bed around the same time, waking up the same time, seven days a week. If you can Address any medical concerns, medical pain, hormonal issues those aren't quick fixes, of course, but think about those things that could be interrupting your sleep and taking some time to have self-care during the day, so that we're not taking those things to bed with us at night. So, looking at times throughout the day where you can just kind of go within, be still, be quiet, relax, do a hobby, do something that's fun, so that life is more enjoyable for you, sleep comes more natural for you.
Speaker 1:Christine, this is just a fascinating conversation. Sleep is always one of those things. It's either there or it's not, and when it's not, you know it's not, and I just want to thank you for coming on and talking about sleep, because I think we could just talk about this forever. I agree, and I want to tell everybody that if you miss part of the speakers, if you want to know more about them, you can go to smallspacepilatescom backslash revitalize, and you can click on their pictures and it'll go right to their website.
Speaker 1:Christine, thank you so much for being here and I want to say to everyone, whether you asked a question, you watched on the replay, you watch live. Thank you so much for being here, thank you so much for your questions, because this symposium exceeded my expectations. It really did, and it just made me feel so warm and the fact that I could learn. You know, at I'm going to be 67 y'all Monday and way actually 80. No, I'm, I'm lying, I'm 67. That's amazing and I always want to feel like I can learn something. I have learned something from every one of these speakers that have come on this week. So I'm saying that to say this there will be a second annual Revitalize your Midlife Symposium coming up probably in June again, so be looking for it. But thank you so much for being here, christine, you are amazing. Thank you. Outro Music Bye. Thank you.