Hello all ❤️ It's Zakiya here, I hope you’re well. This post is all about reducing stress and supporting better sleep. Our recent survey highlighted that many of us are experiencing high stress, anxiety and insomnia - all conditions I can relate to. So here are a few tips that have served me well, and hopefully, you’ll find them useful too.
So, what is the definition of stress? It’s not necessarily good or bad- pressure can motivate us to get things done or reach specific goals. However, excess pressure over prolonged periods can impact our mental health to the point that we struggle to cope with day-to-day life. It can lead to burnout, anxiety or depression.
Personal, professional, local, national and global events may all affect your stress levels. And while many of us experience different forms of stress, and we even endure the same events in contrasting ways, it can be easy to disregard what we individually go through. But always remember your feelings and experiences are valid and matter.
For me, my stress levels directly affect my ability to sleep. The more stressed my mind and body are, the harder it is to relax and fall into a deep and restful sleep. When I was training in Yoga Therapy for Insomnia, my teacher explained that everything we do all day prepares us for sleep- and she described sleep as freedom, freedom from our conscious lives. It really gave me a lot to think about- sleep being freedom. So while these tips are to reduce stress, they may also support better sleep.
Stay hydrated - this is the most obvious tip, but one that is so easy it can be overlooked and sometimes sidelined. Our bodies are around 55-60% water, and our hydration affects our mental health, hair, skin, emotions, joints, and digestion. The list goes on.
Some of the cool stuff water does for our bodies includes:
Regulates the bodies temperature
Converts food to components needed for survival - digestion
It helps deliver oxygen all over the body
Lubricates joints
Flushes body waste
Allows the body’s cells to grow, reproduce and survive
Supports the brain in manufacturing hormones and neurotransmitters
And much more!
Tips: Fill your water bottle and keep it close by, take regular water breaks, and put reminders in your phone or calendar to drink water. Think of your water intake as your vital fuel, just like breathing.
My relationship with water has been up and down, sometimes I am brilliant at drinking water, and I really do notice my energy levels increase, but then life can get busy, and suddenly I’m at the end of the day completely wiped out and realised I’ve barely stopped and not had very much to drink. My water bottle has helped those days become less.
No surprise that when we are dehydrated, we might have difficulty falling asleep too. So see your water intake as a sleeping better tool too.
Face steams and facial massage - This is one of my favourite stress reduction practices. Pour boiling water very carefully into a deep bowl, filling it halfway. Use a towel to cover your head while you hover your face over the steam coming from the water. Keep a safe distance from the water and stay for 5 minutes or so.
Afterwards, I like to massage my face gently with some facial oil.
Our faces can hold a lot of stress- our faces are on show a lot of the time, and they can hold tension. This practice can help to release it, especially from the jaw. I especially like to do this in the morning as it feels like it sets me up for the day.
Try a restful practice like Restorative Yoga or Yin Yoga - The most significant change for me regarding stress reduction and proper sleep has come from a regular restorative and yin practice. Restorative is supported rest, and Yin is a deeper, more engaged stretch (traditionally, although you can still use props to support your body).
Find it difficult to be still? Yes- I hear you, our stressed bodies sometimes don’t like being still. Try a gentle 10 min Vinyasa practice, which might help ease your body into stillness.
The nights I do Paula’s Restorative and Karen’s Yin classes are my deepest and most wonderful nights of sleep. So even if I have a few bad nights, I feel topped up. These classes are fixed time slots in my diary, my sleep matters!
The final tip is to be open about your stress levels. If you’re stressed, tell a trusted person or your employer if you feel comfortable doing so. Talking about stress can be the first step to changing your life to support stress reduction.
Ok- to summarise- water is your best friend. Take it everywhere. Devour it! Show your face some love and consider a restful practice like Restorative or Yin to support stress reduction in your body. Do you have any other stress-reducing practices you like? Please drop me an email and share.
New playlists and practices that support stress reduction and better sleep - are available to members
New bedtime Yoga Nidra by Karen - so dreamy - love this one
New stress reduction playlist - a curated set of videos to help you ease into bedtime mode
Plus, a bedtime Yoga playlist - movement, meditations and sound baths
