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One of the most important parts of the health equation is sleep. As you are learning to navigate your individual health journey in the 14 Day Reset community, do not underestimate the importance of 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night! If this is a struggle bus topic for you, you are not alone.

Roughly 70 million adults in the USA experience sleep disorders, and 45% of Americans claim that poor sleep makes a negative impact on their daily life at least once a week. If you are an employer or are self employed, consider this…… insomnia costs the workplace an estimated $63.2 BILLION dollars a year .

We all have someone in our immediate circle of “framily” who has been sorely affected by lack of sleep. If you struggle with losing weight efficiently and clearing toxin loads in the body, this might even pertain to you. Other effects of chronic sleep deprivation (anything less than 7 hrs falls into the deprivation category ) include decreased mental aptitude and decision making, a lowering of resting metabolic rate, increased risk of anxiety, depression and irritability, increased inflammation, an increased toxin load in the brain, decreased immune system function, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, decreased insulin sensitivity (a marker for type II diabetes), and increased evening cortisol levels.

Ouch.

Big Pharma has some very popular solutions for sleep which frankly also come with interesting side effects. One of the most common prescription sleep meds contains a possible side effect profile including: insomnia, dependency/addiction, “sleep driving”, worsening of depression, dementia, panic attacks, gout, menstrual disorders and about 150 other potential side effects. While an equally popular over the counter pharma option touts some of these possible side effects: liver damage, vision problems, difficulty urinating, restlessness, dry mucosal membranes.

(Side note: as a pharmacist, I have seen all of these side effects mentioned happen to pharmacy clients over the years. They are more common than you would imagine.)

While it’s not ok to to not get enough quality sleep, it’s also not ok to acquire new “medicate-able” health problems while you’re trying to fix your poor sleep cycle! #ourhealthisacommodity

Thankfully, there are healthy options to remedy this situation, and it starts with good sleep hygiene. (We can choose to either be our own worst enemy or our own best friend!) Here are some ways to set yourself up for a good night’s sleep:

Stop screen time well before bedtime and keep electronics out of the bedroom

Get 10-20 minutes of full sunlight per day

Keep sleeping temperatures cool

Take an epsom salt bath before bed ( add in Lavender, Frankincense, Peace & Calming, Cedarwood, or Sandalwood) to the salts…. Or use them in the diffuser beside your bed!

Consider rigorous exercise earlier in the day, and use pre bed time for prayer, meditation, or gentle stretching exercises.

Stop eating 4-5 hours before bedtime.

Avoid artificial sweeteners (they can cause insomnia!)

Support a healthy night’s sleep with Young Living’s Immupro (chewable and contains melatonin) or Deep Night Essence (capsules loaded with sleepytime plant goodness!)

Use your magnesium! YL’s Super Magnesium is a stellar option (there are several types of magnesium and not all of them are highly bioavailable and there are others that can GI disturbances).

Make sure your mattress and your pillow are not contributing to the problem! We should be spending an average of ⅓ of our life in bed…. Make it comfy!

If quality sleep has been eluding you, what might you see changing when you pair a regular good night’s sleep with a NingXia Red Reset lifestyle?

What?? You haven’t entered into the 14 Day Reset Community lifestyle yet? You are missing out on being part of a close knit community who are committed to supporting one another, educating, and improving health in a sustainable lifestyle way.

Little habit changes add up to big wins over time!

If you’d like to join the Resetter Community, you’ll need enough NingXia Red for a 2 week run. (The Reset NR Kit supplies the number of packets you need for this). https://bit.ly/resetyourhealth14

xoxo~ liz