Bad Sleep, High Stress & Low Energy: Why They’re Connected and Key Considerations

If you have crappy sleeps, or are going through a stressful time, or are just feeling drained all day… OR all three… today’s episode is for you.

We’re doing a brief overview of some *key* considerations for each, and how they’re all connected.

We’re covering 

• the cyclical relationship of sleep, stress & energy 
• 2 Important S’s for sleep
• my thoughts on melatonin 
• pillow hack for a better nights sleep
• free tool to manage stress and support vagal tone 
• favourite adaptogens (but what to watched for!)
• key nutrient deficiency that can drain energy 

Transcript

Feelgoodery is recorded in front of a live studio dog

Welcome to the show, I am so glad you’re here. On today’s feelgoodery short, we are doing a brief overview of three things that have a huge impact to our quality of life. 

And if you’re listening, maybe there’s one, two, or all three that you’d love to improve. And if it is all three, please know you’re not alone - and in fact, if it is all three, there’s probably a reason for that because… 

Sleep, stress and energy levels are really all connected. They have these cyclical relationships, where each one influences and is influenced by the others.  

Getting enough sleep is critical for managing stress and energy levels.

BUT. High stress can disrupt sleep, which can lead to fatigue.

And when energy levels are low, for whatever reason - the body’s ability to cope with stress goes down, which can also negatively impact our sleep. 

SO - when you support one, you do help to support them all. So we’re going to go over some ways in which we can support each one. Each category really could be a 3 hour podcast in itself, but the purposes of today are just to offer some insights and some things for you to consider. 

Let’s start with Sleep 

I want to start with sleep because  about a third  of Canadians are not getting enough sleep. So if this is you, I want you to consider 2 Important S’s. Supper and Setting. Let’s start with supper, or the last thing you eat before bed. This can make a big impact. Are you indulging in more greasy foods or alcohol more often than not, is there enough fibre in the meal to support your blood sugar levels which impact your sleep. And are you getting enough magnesium in the diet, which makes a difference when it comes to sleep. And the second S is Setting. Take an honest look at your sleep environment. Are you getting complete darkness, is the room cool enough, is it a screen-free room before bed. (We know that the blue light from our screens can impair our body’s ability to produce melatonin. )We might have heard these things before, but they’re worth repeating because in practice, Supper and Settings are the two things a lot of us let slide more often than not, which has a big impact on our sleep 

Let’s Talk Melatonin 

I get asked about Melatonin quite a bit so I thought I’d address it. I think melatonin can be a very useful tool for the right person, and is worth considering if there has been some sleep issues, and it’s especially useful if you deal with shift work or are dealing with jet lag. 

Just a brief overview of melatonin: 

Melatonin is hormone produced by our pineal gland, and it helps to govern our sleep wake cycle, along with cortisol. Melatonin works in opposition with Cortisol which is our stress hormone. So in the morning when we wake up, melatonin is low and cortisol is high, and as we go through our days, cortisol diminishes and as it gets into the evening and gets darker, melatonin levels go up, which make us sleepy. 

BUT - What can happen these days is that we can have higher levels of cortisol into the evening, especially if we’re on our phones all night,  which can cause melatonin release to be delayed, which can affects our sleep. So one way to offset this is with a melatonin supplement. Now melatonin can cause wild dreams, and if it can make you over tired the next day if you take more than you need. If it’s something you want to consider, you can start low and gradually work your way up until you find the dose that works for you. In some studies a dose as low as .3mg can be effective, typically the range that works for most people I have worked with is 1-5mg. Taken about an hour before bed time. 

If you don’t want to go the melatonin route, and want to avoid taking a supplement. You could consider lavender essential oil, which has a natural sedative effect when inhaled. It smells good and makes you sleep. So what you can do, if you don’t have an essential oil diffuser, is to place four lavender drops on the corner of your pillow and have a nice bed of lavender to sleep on. It does feel kinda luxurious so I highly recommend it if you’ve never tried it before. 

Lets talk stress support, if THAT is the area we want to focus on. 

Okay I’ve got two tips when it comes to stress support, which also supports sleep. The first might be surprising - but that  is humming.( HUMMING SOUND EFFECT) Humming throughout the day, humming your favorite song.. When you hum, you help stimulate your vagus nerve, which connects your gut to your brain and plays a key role in your parasympathetic nervous system and ability to relax.   It sounds simple, humming can be an easy way to support your stress response. 

The second tip is to consider adaptogens, which are herbs that help increase our resistance to stress, and can help bring balance to the body. I’ve touched on them before on the show, but wanted to review some of my favorites. 

• Holy Basil: also called Tulsi: this an herb that’s wonderful at supporting calm, improving mood as well as cognition. Format: I normally recommend trying out the tea, it’s wildley available and tastiest delicious. \Great for social anxiety.
• Aswaghanda: comes in powders or capsules, this is especially great if your sleep  has been compromised because of high stress. In ayurvedic medicine aswaghanda is traditionally used as a sleep aid. And it’s an especially good tool for women. The ONE note that I’ve seen come up occasionally with aswaghanda, especially for men, is that it can lower libido. Some notice an increase but I do want to note this. When they stop taking it things go back to normal. 
• Lemon balm: this is a plant from the mint family that used as a nervous system tonic. And Is a great tea to have before bed.
• Maca: this is a root that typically comes in powder form, that you can add to your coffee or smoothies. Great for energetic boost. 
• Rhodiola: another useful adoptegn if you are experiencing low energy. 

Lastly, I want to discuss an energy consideration. 

We’ve talked about sleep and stress support, which both can help with energy. But sometimes low energy might be due to another factor, and that’s not getting enough Vitamin B12 in the diet. This can be especially true for plant-based diets,  because B12 is found highest in animal foods like meats, organ meats and egg yolks. But B12 is sort of a stand out Vitamin - it literally helps make us energy by converting carbs, proteins and fats into useable fuel. So when it comes to energy, B12 supplementation can be a big help for some people. When looking for a borm of B12 to buy, I recommend looking a form called called Methylcobalamin, that is fast absorbed, faster acting and naturally energizing. So when you read the label, look for that form. 

Alright! That was a brief little overview in today’s short. Sleep, stress and energy all go hand in hand and sometimes its worth hightlighng that fact. Especially if you’re dealing with ONE of those issues, and are also wondering why you feel like crap in other areas. Like so many things, everything is connected. But the good news is that by focusing on supporting one aspect of your health, it really does have a ripple effect on other systems. Heres to a good sleep, a calm day and an energetic outlook. I will see you very soon on feelgoodery.

And now for the legal stuff. The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please always consult with your health care providder.