Living a thriving life is usually relative to our previous experiences. In fact, sometimes the most valuable things we appreciate about feeling well are simple, especially when we have lived without them; good sleep, good energy, good workouts and meals, etc. If given enough time and information, we would likely be able to relieve many of the most common complaints by doing 3 simple (not easy) things. Or, if you’d like to skip all the backstory, go here for a quick graphic with all the good information.

1. GOOD SLEEP

It may be easier to explain why good sleep is so important (besides the obvious fact that we feel SO MUCH BETTER after resting) by explaining what happens when we sleep poorly. Our hormones interpret poor sleep as a stressor, like all other psychological stressors of our current lifestyles, by raising cortisol levels. Normally, cortisol increases in the morning and helps us wake up to face the day. However, with chronic stress, or consistently short sleeps, high cortisol levels remain, even without a need.

Cortisol is the hormone that tells our bodies to make glucose quickly available in the event we need fast energy. Glucose needs insulin as a carrier to get into our cells, so that hormone is activated, too. But what if we’re not exercising, like in the case of poor sleep? Since we aren’t in a fight or flight situation (or exercising) and just sleep deprived, our muscles can’t use or store the glucose being released, so insulin and glucose stay high, circulating in the blood (causing damage to our vessels) or going back into the liver to be converted into fat storage (not good either).

Chronically high levels of glucose and insulin without movement creates insulin resistance over time (creating a need for even more insulin to get the job done). If our cells aren’t insulin sensitive then our brains think that we need more glucose, so here come sugar cravings. When we eat sugar (or starches from other carbohydrate sources that get turned into sugars) more insulin gets released and the cycle continues. When there are high amounts insulin circulating around our bodies, our metabolism (cell energy) is only set to burn sugar. Any other energy source like fat, will be stored. This little nugget of truth needs to sink in deeply.

Insulin resistance is often a pre-diabetic condition that can create a waterfall of hormonal problems that may seem unrelated; mood swings, anxiety and depression, more sleep problems, abdominal weight gain, night sweats, loss of muscle tone, sugar cravings, lack of energy and motivation and poor exercise endurance.

 And you thought you were just tired…

According to Dr. Jason Fung, nephrologist and author of The Obesity Code,

“…cortisol raises insulin levels and is a major pathway of weight gain. Therefore, reducing your cortisol levels is an integral part of your overall weight-loss effort. Reducing stress levels, practicing meditation and getting good sleep are all effective methods for achieving lower cortisol levels.”

It is far past time that we place the highest value on getting good rest (7-9 hours every night) by changing our schedules and routines. These are choices that we are able to make, we just thought they weren’t that important. Turns out, they are, so here’s how:

1. Shut off electronics 60 minutes before sleep or wear blue light protective glasses.

2. Turn down temperature of bedroom at least 5* and sleep in loose fitting clothes.

3. Eliminate light.

4. Relax through meditation, prayer, slow yoga, reading for pleasure or journaling (writing down problems before bed helps us dump them from our subconscious brain and reduce the chance we’ll wake up worrying at 2am).

Not surprisingly, exercise plays a major role in our ability to sleep. After all, the historical reason for increasing cortisol was to help us utilize glucose quickly to move faster. Daily physical activity is not only a stress reliever (because our bodies can use the increased glucose for energy) but it helps our brains relax by releasing the parasympathetic system to calm us down. Stress reduction is not a passive activity…we don’t feel better with Netflix and potato chips. Only by actively pursuing reduced stress, do we achieve it!

One of the simplest ways to create an exercise routine is to walk after dinner, especially if we can get outside. Moving gently helps our body use some of the food energy we just ate, lowers cortisol levels further, lowers blood sugar (and therefore insulin), and has the potential to make our muscles a little more tired…this leads to an easier sleep start. If this seems too good to be true, give it a go this week and take notice of how well you feel and sleep afterwards.

Next up, how to thrive with foods and meal timing. Stay tuned!