15 Rituals for Getting Great Sleep with Adrenal Fatigue

If you're struggling with adrenal fatigue and hormonal imbalance, you may be all to familiar with the unfortunate struggle of getting a good night's sleep.

It's funny (not really), but you feel exhausted all day.. and then when it comes time to finally settling down and resting, you feel wired and when you finally fall asleep, your sleep is restless. When you wake up, you DON'T feel rejuvenated and this sets you up to move through another day, feeling exhausted. 

the struggle is real! SLEEP issues are among the number one complaints of ADRENAL FATIGUE SUFFERERS in our community. 

Our sleep/wake cycle is a hormonal cycle and cortisol is directly involved in this. Depending on the stage of adrenal fatigue you are in,  this sleep/wake cycle can get disturbed in different ways. 

The biggest problem of this disturbance is that your hormonal imbalances can be making you feel exhausted during the day and preventing you from getting rejuvenating sleep a night. 

Honestly, there is nothing better for your adrenals than quality sleep, so this issue becomes a double edge sword-- in that we need to sleep to heal, but we can't seem to get the type of sleep that will finally allow for healing and rejuvenation. 

Good sleep helps balance cortisol to optimal curve, reduces nervous tension, helps control blood sugar and metabolism and so much more - but what if you can’t get it???

Today, we're sharing 15 rituals to help re-establish a balanced sleep/wake cycle and help promote deeper, more restorative sleeps. 

Watch me chat more about this in the video below or keep reading! 

But before we go further, I have to warn you of something.... 

DON't EXPECT RESULTS OVERNIGHT

Many of us want a quick fix to getting 8 hours of quality sleep, but unfortunately there isn’t one.

Okay, there might be a pharmaceutical drug out there that can, but that will most likely come with crazy, negative side effects.

In order to teach your body how to get good sleep, you need to be willing to make some lifestyle changes. Because there's a chance that some bad habits got you here in the first place. 

Like chronic stress, burning the candle at both ends, staying up too late, poor diet all without proper rest, self-care and relaxation. 

So, we can’t expect our sleep to change overnight, but if you’re willing to do the work - if you’re willing to implement several of these sleep rituals starting this week - you will begin to see improvements, and these will begin to set the stage for better hormonal balance and a regulated sleep cycle, once again. 

And the most important thing you must understand is this -  in order to get great sleep, you need to work on cultivating a relaxed mind, every evening.

That brings us to this week’s tweetable...

A relaxed mind is a relaxed body  

So, although we share several supplements below to support sleep, we beg you to not just buy the supplements and nothing else and expect everything to change.

Instead, use these tips to cultivate that relaxed mind and body needed to get the sleep of your dreams and heal your sweet adrenals…

15 RITUALS TO GETTING GREAT SLEEP

1.  AVOID EATING HIGH SUGAR FOOD/SIMPLE CARBS CLOSE TO BEDTIME

Choose healthy snacks that will last throughout the night - like a handful of almonds, brazil nuts or have a green apple with nut butter.

2.   LIMIT ALCOHOL INTAKE

Though it may seem calming, alcohol affect the quality and depth of sleep you have-- and not in a good way. If you drink wine nightly, try limiting wine to weekends only. Find a replacement that will fill this void - especially at first - like sparkling water with lemon (in a wine class) or enjoy a nice hot cup of bedtime tea. 

3.   DIM THE LIGHTS

Dim the lights in your home and room once it becomes dark outside to help your body stay connected to your natural, circadian rhythms.

4.   AVOID CAFFEINE

If avoiding caffeine seems impossible right now, limit your intake and don’t drink caffeine after noon.

5.   DO A DIGITAL DETOX 1 HOUR BEFORE BED

Time escapes you when you’re browsing social media or watching TV. Also, the blue light from electronics interferes with natural melatonin production, a hormone that allows you to fall asleep.

Instead, fill that time with yin or restorative yoga or stretching, read a book that calms you, listen to classical or chill music, take a bath, journal to release troubles of the day, practice deep breathing or listen to guided meditations.

If you’re going to be on technology use Apps like F.lux or different phone setting to tone down the blue light on your devices in the evening time.

6.   MAKE YOUR BEDROOM A SANCTUARY

Remove clutter from your bedside table and your room. Physical clutter in the environment leads to mental clutter in our minds. Make your space supportive of calming and relaxing you. 

7.   SLEEP IN COMPLETE DARKNESS

Get a sleep mask as even the light from your alarm clock can influence the quality of sleep you get. If you wake up in the night and have to go to the bathroom, try to avoid turning on lights. Get a dim nightlight for your bathroom or hallway.

8.   GO TO BED BEFORE 10:30 PM

Ever wonder why you get a second wind around 11? We have a cortisol surge around that time that has the tendency to keep us up for hours after, making it hard to fall asleep. Going to bed earlier will really help support your adrenal health and promote hormonal balance.   

9.  TRY MAGNESIUM

Take an Epsom salt bath to help promote relaxation. Alternatively, you could supplement some Magnesium citrate or glycinate before bed. This will help promote relaxation and a restful, repairing sleep. 

10. KEEP A SLEEP JOURNAL

This will help you recognize the patterns that are keeping you from getting great sleep. Then you will know what areas to focus on first. 

11. RELAX YOUR MIND

Practice meditation or simple breathing exercises in the evening. This can help calm your mind and reduce tension in the body. 

We want to help you make these last 2 rituals EASY - so we're giving you these free tools...

12. USE CALMING ESSENTIAL OILS

Essential oils such as lavender, geranium, bergamot, ylang-ylang, neroli, jasmine or lemon oils will help calm your body and help you prepare for sleep. 

13. TRY TAKING MELATONIN BEFORE BED

Melatonin can help increase your total sleep time. Consider this supplement if you tend to wake up too early or several times throughout the night. 

14. START AN EVENING TEA RITUAL

Try calming herbs in tea, some nice ones are chamomile, lemon balm, oat straw, valerian. passion flower, California poppy, magnolia bark. You can also find these in tincture or capsule form. 

15. OPT FOR NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS FIRST

Before jumping to intense pharmaceuticals, we recommend trying natural sleep aids or calming supplements first (always talk to your doctor first). Finding a formula that either helps calm ruminating thoughts, relax the body or promote longer sleep times can be sought out based on what you need most. Pop into your local health food store or talk to your integrative health provider to help determine what type of formula would be best for you and your hormonal + emotional needs. 

There you have it - 15 rituals for getting great, quality sleep. You can start using these right away and practice them every day.

You can’t expect to get good sleep if you’re not creating healthy sleep rituals, and you can do so by beginning to integrate some of these tips and habits into your routine. 

Remember: a relaxed mind is a relaxed body.

As you create these health sleep rituals, pay attention to what else changes, let us know by posting below!

Sweet dreams,
Danielle + Angela