The Final Countdown: The Fall Asleep Faster Every Night Plan 3️⃣ 2️⃣ 1️⃣ 😴
Viva lost weekends, podcasts without borders
3 min read
WELL ON HEELS: ONE FROM THE VAULT
🎧 🇨🇦 From the department of badass ladies doing good things for our health, last week’s ep of the All Too Well podcast is a gem, if I do say so myself. I chatted with the delightful Sophie Grégoire Trudeau – author, mental health advocate and former first lady of Canada, taking a candid look at how we’re doing as a culture and how coming to terms with our own emotional DNA can help us better understand ourselves and therefore, each other. Her book, Closer Together, is not to be missed, and neither is our chat! Don’t snooze on the breathwork exercise she leads me through, starting around minute 44, to help stimulate the vagus nerve. If this leaves you scratching your head, read on.
VAGUS, BABY
First it was your immune system, then it was your gut. Now it’s the vagus nerve. Every organ in our bodies has had its 15 minutes of fame, and while stress management is nothing new, we now have a better vocabulary to understand exactly what’s in play.
The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the human body, originating in the brain, and then splitting into left and right channels that branch off throughout your neck and upper torso, extending into the abdomen and intestines. Impressive, no? It performs critical functions like regulating our fight-flight response, stimulating digestion, managing heart rate and blood pressure, and regulating mood and overall gut-brain communication. Aptly named, it’s a 24/7 operation…a casino of the body, if I may. 🤓 It’s a critical component to keeping the body in homeostasis, so, to entirely exhaust this metaphor – do not gamble with the health of this vital organ. 🎲 Ways to keep vagus in check include the aforementioned breathwork, regular exercise, cold exposure and music/sound/vibration. See under: humming.
HERE’S A TIP, MAKE THE CHANGE
New press, who dis? I was featured in Real Simple discussing the 3-2-1 method for winding down for bed. Hand in hand with regulating the nervous system is consistent and quality sleep, beginning with the bedtime routine. The rule of 👍🏼 for the countdown technique:
3 hours before bedtime: no more heavy meals, no more beverages, especially alcohol – ideally even longer than 3 hours before. Small sips of water from here.
2 hours before: no more work or stress-inducing brain activities. 30 minutes of Hacks is my best Rx here.
Add to the 2 hour list – dim your lights and switch to red bulbs, nightlights and glow-free clocks like my favorite: Loftie
1 hour before: no more screen time. This means phones AND tablets/TVs. I know you like to fall asleep to TV but it’s doing you no favors. Remember books? 📚 (She fights the urge to self-promote new book…she fails.)
Granted, these are ideal circumstances, which are not always available to us. So practice when you can, and control what you can control.
THE MUSIC NEVER STOPS
🙏🏻 💀 While we’re on vagus, in a happy editorial coincidence, I had the chance to spend last weekend in Vegas for back-to-back Dead & Company shows at the Sphere. Two takeaways: First, it was the most life-changing live entertainment experience I’ve ever had and I’m beyond grateful (ha) that I got to do it. Highly recommended. Second, I was happy to draw from my own toolbox of tips to help self-regulate in the land of no bedtimes, no natural light (unless you like breakfast at 110º in the shade), potential for GI distress around every corner, and generally living life at an eleven out of ten. No surprise, the 3-2-1 technique was not available to me in this environment, but my red light glasses came out as soon as the show was over, and I was able to wind down and sleep soundly with a little help from the Apollo Neuro device I’ve had for several years. Worn on the wrist, it works with sound waves and gentle vibrations to soothe the system and improve vagus nerve activity. No notes, Vegas! No notes. 🎶
Cue countdown to the weekend theme song, and have a good one, all!