• Beauty Sleep Challenge

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  What to do: Sleep 15 mins earlier than usual for 7 days straight

  In this challenge, we're going to attack one of your lifestyle areas that needs to be improved upon for optimal success.

  In today's busy, high-paced world, sleep is something that far too many of us are definitely not getting enough of. We're running around, day after day with little rest in between only to end up overwhelmed and exhausted by the time the weekend hits.

  If you feel like you've been stuck on survive just a little too long and aren't feeling well-rested throughout the day, it's high time that you took a good look at your sleep habits.

  Let's have a look at what this challenge entails.

  1. Why Sleep?

  The first question you might want to ask yourself is why you should sleep in the first place – what will sleeping more bring you? If you feel as though you can 'make it' on six hours, why aim for eight?

  The reason being that eight hours of sleep is going to be optimal from a hormonal point of view, as it'll restore some of the important hormones in the body that are required for fat burning and appetite control.

  If you're low on sleep, chances are you're high on hunger and this is a big reason why. Those who sleep enough during the day are going to have far superior control over their food intake and will find that they don't crave carbohydrate rich foods nearly as often.

  Furthermore, sleep is the primary time when the body is going to recover from your workout sessions, so it's vital that you're paying attention to getting enough. If you aren't, you may find that you enter into each workout feel less well-rested than you should.

  2. Encouraging Better Sleep

  Now that you know the importance of good sleep, what can you do to enhance your quality? First, consider taking a hot bath before bed. Hot baths will help to increase the body temperature and then if you place yourself into a cool environment to bring that temperature down, sleep will be encouraged.

  Second, avoid heavy meals before bed. If you want a snack, have something light that contains some protein so that you don't suffer a blood sugar crash mid-way through the evening.

  If you really struggle to get to sleep, consider a small dose of complex carbs as well. These contain serotonin, which can put you into a feel good state and make you feel more like nodding off.

  3. Get Rid Of Distractions

  Finally, the last tip is to make sure that you get rid of distractions. Anything that energizes your mind or causes you to be mentally alert needs to be avoided. This includes the TV, computer, or any intense intellectual conversations.

  Instead, read a book – this is one of the best tried and true strategies to help you fall asleep. Make sure that you also don't have a TV in the bed room as this is one of the biggest interferences with sleep there is.

  So start taking your sleep seriously. Make it your challenge to rest up and get some of the well-deserved sleep you need.

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