We have all heard the reports of how important a good night’s sleep is.

Poor sleep leads to a plethora of conditions that haunt us in our waking hours; affecting everything from weight gain, to chronic pain, to mental fog, and the list goes on.

For many of us, it seems like something that we have little to no control over.  

If you were to chat with a feng shui expert, you would get several insights into changes you could make.

A neuroscientist would have some suggestions as well.

As would an herbalist/naturopath.

A meditation expert offers up a different set of suggestions.

As a holistic and intuitive designer, I like to uncover all of a client’s challenges to make sure that the design that we are co-creating serves them on the deepest level.

And in the bedroom, we want to create an environment that is restful and conducive to sleep as possible.

“Sleep loss, especially from disturbed sleep, is known to activate inflammatory signaling pathways and lead to higher levels of undesirable markers of inflammation, like interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein. 

Over time, chronic inflammation can cause the development of many chronic conditions, including obesity, heart disease, certain types of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and type 2 diabetes.”

-From PubMed Central, a division of the National Institute of Health

We have come to believe that there is something wrong with us if we have trouble sleeping.

But there are small habitual changes and some design decisions that we can make that may seem silly but actually make a big difference. 

In this episode, I help you look at 7 changes that you can make to begin to improve both the quality and quantity of your sleep.   Most of these changes are very simple and easy to “stack.”  If you have been around a while, you know that I am a huge fan of James Clear and his book Atomic Habits. 

It’s easy to say, “I don’t sleep well.”  When you say that, you become that person.  But when you begin to shift your mindset toward better sleep and commit to taking steps toward that, you will begin to feel better in every area of your life.  Instead say, “I provide myself (my family) with a restful environment.”

Start by taking one small step, and then allow the habits to stack until you become a person who gets enough quality sleep to THRIVE!

"The best ways to let go of what’s on your mind

is to write it down

and/or release it to

the Universe/God through prayer or meditation

  before sleep."  

                         - Lynne Niehaus