#i8this Challenge - Day 4

(Me asleep at breakfast in Spain, Photo taken by @IronmanBobby)

I should have added catching up on sleep as an #i8this goal for myself. Usually sleep is a HUGE priority for me but over the past 2 weeks I've been falling behind. It's unacceptable. So, for the past 3 nights I've turned in and tuned out really early and now I'm feeling back to normal :)

Some people seem to function pretty well with less sleep than they need. I'm not one of them. If I get less than 6 hours I start to feel spacey, nauseous, jumpy, cranky... it's terrible. I'm also more tempted to eat junk. But it actually makes sense that I would feel that way due to a lack of sleep because I'm USED TO the feeling of being well rested. I stretch my energy potential to the max by sleeping enough, avoiding stress and eating healthy. Other people might feel fine when they don't sleep enough on a day-to-day basis because for them, it's the norm. They're USED TO feeling tired and drained. They know how to function that way. I don't.

When looking at WHY getting enough sleep is so important we can look at a couple of things:

1) When you're asleep your body switches gears and focuses on taking care of the business its too busy to do while you're awake. Your inner janitors come and "clear out the clutter" as Ankur would say. When you're asleep your liver is dealing with your crappy toxins. Less sleep = less time for important work to be done. Sleep is an active process!

2) I don't normally get tired during the day because I take care of my adrenal system. Your adrenal system provides you with energy and a sense of vitality. Having a taxed adrenal system can lead to a giant list of health concerns, like:

- heart palpitations
- carb cravings
- low tolerance for stress
- chronic infections
- low libido
- and on and on...

To support your adrenal system you need to do 4 things:

1. Get enough sleep
2. Eliminate processed crap foods from your diet
3. Eat clean (animal or vegetarian protein and organic fruits and veggies)
4. Stay well hydrated and consume minimal amounts of caffeine

There you go. I can do these things, easily. Part of the reason for that is I understand their importance AND I've experienced what its like to have lots of energy and vitality from living this way. If you're feeling stuck on one of these, email me: christine@liveandeatbetter.com. I can help you or I can direct you to the information that will. I know it can seem overwhelming to take MORE time out of your busy day to get enough sleep. Just trust me, if you start by adding 20 minutes a night and you'll feel the difference.