Dream Big Dreams

The Importance of Sleep and Your Dreams

Author

Devin Limerick
December 22nd, 2024

Sleep

A third of your life is spent in your bed sleeping. Sleep is essential for your overall wellbeing. Adequate sleep has the following benefits to your health

  •  Muscle Repair and Growth

  • Boosted Immune System

  • Heart Health

  • Weight Management

  • Stress Reduction

  • Improved Focus and Productivity

  • Improved Endurance and Strength

  • Reduced Injury Risk

  • Healthy Skin

And there are many more benefits that come from getting the adequate amount of sleep. Here are some key ways you can improve the quality of your sleep.

Circadian Rhythm

Your Circadian Rhythm is the body’s internal clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Your body receives signals from your eyes when you’re exposed to light whether thats natural sunlight or exposures to screens. This adjusts your body to be up and working throughout the day. In response to darkness, your body produces melatonin, which is a hormone that promotes sleep. This is why a wind down routine is important to help optimize your sleep and work along side with your circadian rhythm.

Wind Down

A wind down routine is a sequence of calming activities to tell your body and mind to transition from the awake, alert, and active state to a more relaxed state conducive for sleep. This typically consist of an hour or two before bed. But even 15 minutes of a wind down routine is better than none. It can be as simple as only having one source of light in your home before bed to reduce the amount of light exposure prior to bed. Some common elements of a wind down can be turning off technology 30-60 minutes before bed, journaling to reflect on your day or make a to-do list (I like to write a to-do list for the next day before bed because I always lay awake in bed thinking of all the things i need to do for the next day), reading a book, or taking a long shower or bath. This wind down can help teach your body to release melatonin and get ready for bed. The perfect wind down routine is one that you can do consistently and one that you actually enjoy.

Bed Time

I remember when I was younger I had a bed time of 9pm. I HATED it. But as I’ve gotten older, and now have so much more responsibilities and work to do, I realized the importance of having a bed time again to cut off the work and prioritize my health. One, a bed time helps you get the adequate amount of sleep by not staying up all night doing work or scrolling on your phone. Two, having a consistent bed time helps teach your body what time of the day it is time to go to bed making it easier for you to fall asleep.

 Whoop

There are a lot of sleep and recovery trackers that can aide in your sleep quality. I personally use Whoop and I love it. It is extremely detailed in your sleep, your recovery from activities, and tracks strain from exercise and gives you the recommended amount of sleep needed. I will not lie, there are often times when Whoop will tell me I need 12 hours of sleep and recommend I sleep from 7pm to 7am. Yeah thats just not happening. But it does influence me to try to get to bed a little earlier over the next couple days to build up my recovery. Here are the interfaces of Whoop for sleep.

SWS (deep) is when your cells regenerate and your muscles repair themselves. This is where growth occurs which is very important for athletes. REM sleep is key to processing new memories, learnings, and motor skills.

This data was taken before finals. During more stressful periods of my life, it does not look this good. As far as the actual amount of sleep you need. It is typically recommended to get somewhere between 7-9 hours of sleep. I personally process best off of 7 hours of sleep no more and no less than that. But i have friends that process best off of 5 hours and best off of 10 hours. Getting a tracker like whoop can help you figure out your optimal amount of sleep. You can buy one with this link!

Sleep Position

Is there a perfect sleep position? Eh, not really. But there are best sleep positions for your specific needs, health conditions, and comfort preferences. Take a look at this breakdown.

Back Sleeping

This position on your back with a pillow under your knees aligns with the spine and reduces pressure on your joints. This can help prevent neck and low back pain which is a common complaint. However, this position can worsen snoring for some people. I personally have had more sleep paralysis in this position as well.

Side Sleeping

Side sleeping with a pillow in between your knees also promotes a healthy spinal alignment. This can also reduce snoring and helps improve airflow. If you have acid reflux, this might be the best position for you because it may help improve digestion. If you can, make sure you have a high enough pillow so your neck and head is align with your spine.

Stomach sleeping

Stomach sleeping often causes low back pain because this position can put a lot of stress on your back. Although it is found to reduce snoring, it is often not recommended. If you can’t fall asleep in any other position besides this one, try putting a pillow under your waist to reduce some stress on your back.

You can’t be your worst enemy and your biggest fan. We talk to ourselves more than anyone else talk to us. So you gotta give yourself that grace and speak life into you. More than anybody else speaking life into you. Its great to challenge yourself and to push new limits to reach new heights and be tough on yourself. But you also have to give yourself some grace. -Jameis Winston

Keep On Moving:💪🏽30x30💪🏽

A community revolved around motivating yourselves and others to improve in fitness, build better habits, and move your bodies every day.

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In January my friend is hosting a 30×30!!! This is a community of people that do at least 30 minutes of physical activity everyday of the month! If you have trouble staying active, this could be for you! Start the year off right, join the community for free and stay motivated to stay active throughout the month! Just Keep. On. Moving.

Imagination

Napoleon Hill once said, “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe. It can achieve.” Now you may believe something like this is corny or just a saying, but there is some truth that lies behind this mindset. That’s because imagination is the birthplace of success. It allows you to visualize your desired outcomes and develop a strategic plan to achieve them. Imagination also helps you develop key qualities like self-confidence, initiative, and leadership. If you want to grow mentally, this is a great place to start. Imagination is a fundamental element of success. You can create new ideas, overcome obstacles in your life and achieve your goals with it. And if your interested to dive deeper into your imagination and how to use this, check out this weeks podcast below!