Your Body Is Begging For More Rest—Here's How To Listen

I fell asleep at concerts by Zakir Hussain and Pearl Jam, which made me realize how sleep-deprived I was. Today I'm sharing signs you need more rest and practical ways to improve your sleep quality.

• Not feeling refreshed in the morning despite sleeping eight hours
• Diminished mental sharpness and focus
• Powering through activities but crashing immediately when you stop
• Schedule transition time between activities and treat it as sacred
• Discharge stress physically through exercise, walks, or showers after work
• Disconnect from electronic devices before bedtime
• Only go to bed when truly sleepy and get up if you can't fall asleep in 20 minutes
• Use your bed only for sleep to create strong mental associations
• Be mindful of caffeine's domino effect on sleep quality
• Give yourself permission to rest as a form of essential self-care

Check out the link in the show notes for more sleep tips.

Opening Music by Jeremiah Alves from Pixabay

Closing Music by Aleksandr Karabanov from Pixabay

Transcript

Personal Sleep Deprivation Story

Speaker 1 0:01

So a few years ago I had the lovely opportunity to attend a concert by the renowned master percussionist Astad Zakir Hussain . I was super excited to watch him perform live , but guess what ? I fell asleep halfway through the concert . I later also fell asleep in a Pearl Jam concert . So yeah , that's me . I'm surprised I didn't make front page news . I hadn't realized how sleep deprived I had been in those days . But I finally learned to pick up the signs . I didn't wait again to fall asleep in a concert to know I needed more rest . So today I'd like to share a few signs you need more rest and a few ways that you could improve your sleep . So you can get that rest , stay with me , I'll be right back . Welcome to Wellness Minutes . This is just a friendly reminder to pause and take a deep breath . So a few signs of exhaustion that we tend to miss .

Signs of Exhaustion We Miss

Speaker 1 1:05

One is you don't feel refreshed in the morning , though you've slept the recommended eight hours . Two , you don't feel as sharp and focused as you usually are . Three , you try to power through all your activities in the day but crash the moment you hit the couch or bed . Any of this sounds familiar ? If it does , I hope this episode will help you get the rest you need . So to improve your rest 1 . Schedule transition time between activities , even if it's 10 minutes between meetings or a 30-minute lunch break . Treat your transition time as sacred . Treat your transition time as sacred , just like a car that needs to stop when it's filling gas

Six Strategies for Better Sleep

Speaker 1 1:46

. Give yourself a chance to rest instead of running from activity to activity . Second , do something to help your body discharge stress from the day . Do something that really impacts the body . So take a shower once the workday is over or take a short walk , exercise , stretch .

Speaker 1 2:06

Three sleep is one of the most effective forms of rest . Disconnect from electronic devices before you intend to sleep . Sometimes we fall asleep watching TV or reading our phones . Our senses get overstimulated by our phones , tvs , laptops , so sleep really ends up being like a steep crash and this can affect our sleep quality . Sleep only when you're sleepy . So this is point number four . Don't toss and turn in bed . Help your body gradually wind down by developing a sleep routine . If you don't fall asleep within 20 minutes of being in bed , get out of bed . Do something to help you wind down . Read a book , dim the lights , do a sleep meditation , drink chamomile tea anything to help you wind down . Five our body is actually very sensitive to associations . So when you're dealing with exhaustion , make sure you use your bed only to sleep , not work or TV or playing with your phone . We want the body to associate the bed only with sleep .

Speaker 1 3:15

Sixth is based on something I learned at a training . I attended a training by a naturopath , dr Anne Prociak , who wrote the book Nutritional Treatments to Improve Mental Health Disorders . She shared two

Caffeine's Impact on Sleep Quality

Speaker 1 3:29

important things that I'd like to share with you . One is caffeine creates a domino effect in our body . Even if there's no caffeine in our system , its domino effect can lead to sleep disruptions . For some people this could mean skipping coffee completely , and for others it could mean don't drink coffee after 2 pm . So if you find yourself waking up a lot at night , observe how caffeine affects you .

Speaker 1 3:56

The second thing I learned from Dr Prociak was about asking yourself if you're giving yourself permission to sleep . That old Robert Frost poem Miles to go before I sleep . I personally want to ask him to park his horse and find a warm bed for the night . He can ride his horse tomorrow . Seriously , give yourself permission to rest . I recall people sharing with me how they think they don't deserve to sleep on days . They've not been productive . And I'm here to tell you sleep is a radical form of self-care . You

Permission to Rest and Self-Care

Speaker 1 4:37

deserve sleep as much as you deserve food and water . Sleep is necessary for the body to repair and restore Heaven . Machines need a break . You're still human . More tips on sleep do check out the link in the show notes . Until next time , hope you get the rest you need .