Here is an oldie yet a goodie from an interview Dr. Melissa did with CBS46 Atlanta several years ago yet the information is just as essential today… How to get a good nights sleep.
Like it or not… sleep is crucial for your health. It modulates our hormones, is the window where detoxification, repair, and growth occur. It’s when the body is most metabolically active, burning fat and balancing hormones so when we don’t sleep, we don’t heal, we don’t rejuvenate, repair and restore our system for optimal thriving.
Genetically speaking we all need between 7-9 hours. I am personally a morning chronotype with a shorter sleep propensity, what this means is genetically speaking, my system does best when I wake up earlier ( for me that means 6-6:30 am) and I actually do well with 7-8 hours of sleep.
We are all a bit different, some need longer, some need shorter. Some are morning and some are evening chronotypes ( yes night owls are really a thing). Yet we ALL need 7-9 hours to optimize our health, longevity, performance, potential and vitality for a thriving life.
To fast track you, here are a few key things to keep in mind…
Sleep MUST become a non-negotiable- meaning- when you value you sleep instead of negotiating more “me, we, tv, gaming, email, etc time” your health and quality of how YOU are able to show up for all of the people, places and things in your life all immediate improve. Why? Because when you are rested and restored, you are vital, capable, present and whole in body and mind.
Too little or too much both have increased rates of mortality. Lack of sleep impacts your cognitive function, performance, mood, memory, and much, much more. Studies have demonstrated that just two hours of sleep deprivation (5 – 6 hours of sleep) results in a vigilance level equivalent to the consumption of two alcoholic drinks. Interestingly, while there is a detrimental decline in vigilance our perceived level of vigilance will be normal. Now imagine 1 to 2 hours loss night after night, it’s as if you are walking around in an intoxicated state where your performance, cognition and comprehension is diminished- this is huge!
Lost sleep reduces brain power and productivity, diminishes concentration, and impairs memory. It lowers creativity, reduces the ability to communicate, impairs motor skills, and increases stress and anxiety. Many factors contribute to how long we sleep.
In this interview- it was before I was running genetics with my clients so the information is more foundational yet the right place to begin.
Before you try to advance to tech, sleep aids, peptides, hormones or more- focus on the foundational strategies that are proven to uplevel your system.
- Create a sleep sanctuary- your bedroom should only be for sleeping. No devices, electronics, noise or light. Let it be dark, soothing, cool and quite.
- Reduce screen time 1 hour before bed so your natural melatonin levels can be triggered. The blue light from devices tricks the brain.
- Turn off as many lights at night as possible, let the brain be signaled that it is time for sleep.
- Sleep journal- this is having a space where you can do a fast brain dump to get any thoughts from the day or wandering to-do’s in your mind out of your head on paper so you can relax into deep sleep.
- No alcohol or sugar 2 hours prior.
- Key nutrients such as magnesium glycinate, b6 and melatonin can all be beneficial in supporting the pathways that optimize deep sleep.
- Assessing your genetic sleep variations can reveal many more precise strategies from key supplements needed to regulate neurotransmitters, specific foods, specific bed time windows best for you, stress optimization and so much more.
Think about what can be possible when you make sleep your #1 health and thriving priority. If you want to stop guessing and learn more about unlocking your genetic potential to optimize your health, performance and life start with our comprehensive thriving longevity living lab package, results visit and 3 session follow up with Dr. Melissa. This will allow you to discover what is possible for you in expressing your best so you can lead, love and live life to the fullest!
