Wine Country CrossFit

Getting enough sleep is incredibly important for health, well-being, and happiness. Our modern society so frequently encourages us to be “on” as much as possible, working longer than anyone else, answering emails late into the night, always connected with the office and coworkers. Being exhausted all the time means that you’re working at peak efficiency, right?

Hmm, that doesn’t sound right!

Unfortunately, the always-on mentality often results in outcomes that look like productivity, but don’t actually produce highly productive results. A healthy sleep and recharge routine brings so many benefits, but they’re not always apparent from the outset.  

All of this work and compulsive screen time late into the night can make it very difficult to get to sleep. So many of us turn to medications to help us find rest: Ambien, Xanax, alcohol, and more. But while these medications may force us to sleep, they often are a signal that more fundamental changes need to be made deeper down in the system.

When you get to the point where you need these drugs to get sleep, it’s pretty clear that it’s time to make some changes in your habits and routines. Your health, fitness, mental agility, and mood will all be significantly improved with better sleep.

By changing up your evening wind-down and cutting off your screen time before bed, you’ll find it easier to get to sleep. You’ll also likely find that your sleep is deeper and more rejuvenating. Often the time when you’re setting into bed is the perfect chance to sit back, meditate, and reflect on the day.

You can meditate to help bring yourself to a state of restorative sleep. Meditation can quiet the mind and calm the thoughts that are racing around.

Sure, there are many apps and online guided meditations available to help you get to sleep. But these apps require you to fiddle around with your phone, and pretty soon you’re on Instagram until 3am again.

Instead, a simple sleep meditation routine you follow on your own is the best path to restfulness. 

For a detailed, yet simple guide on mindful sleep meditation see this article.

Here’s to restful sleep and high performance!

-Alex Grand
-Photo by Hải Bùi on Unsplash