Manage Your Stress – Catch a Few Extra ZZZ’s Pt 2
By Amy Medling, founder of PCOS Diva
An adequate amount of sleep (7-8 hrs per night) is essential to help fight the effects of stress, but the quality of sleep is just as important as the number of hours. Tossing and turning, or having your sleep interrupted can still leave you tired as well.
A few months ago, I was starting my last trimester of my pregnancy and was beginning to have some sleep issues. I found a great remedy at a natural health store. It is called “Sleep Balm” and is made by http://www.badgerbalm.com/. Here is what the folks at Badger say about the balm, “The aroma does the work. Rosemary is the traditional herb for clear thinking, confidence, and memory. Bergamot is mentally uplifting. Ginger is strengthening and confidence-inducing. Balsam Fir is refreshing, like a walk in the woods. Lavender is the traditional sleep herb; fresh and relaxing. But Sleep Balm doesn’t make you sleepy! It helps quiet your thoughts, then you fall asleep naturally.” It has really worked wonders for me. I do believe that there is something to aromatherapy.
Exercise is also critical in order to get a good night sleep but make sure you have an hour to wind down before bedtime. Activity actually delays melatonin production. Take a bath, do some gentle yoga, have a cup of herbal tea. Try to get into a bedtime routine so you go to bed and wake up at about the same time every day. Make sure that your bedroom is only for sleeping – don’t watch TV or read for long periods of time in bed before you try to sleep. If all else fails, seek the help of a professional. It really is that important that you get your ZZZ’s.
Amy Medling is a certified health coach, who specializes in working with women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS, who are frustrated and have lost all hope when the only solution their doctors offer is to lose weight, take a pill and live with their symptoms. In response, Amy founded PCOS Diva and developed a proven protocol of supplements, diet and lifestyle programs that offer women tools to help gain control of their PCOS and regain their fertility, femininity, health and happiness.
