Four Pillars of Wellness – Rest and Sleep

 

As a health coach, my approach to wellness focuses on four key pillars essential to physical and emotional wellness. This blog focuses on the rest and sleep pillar.

 

Sleep is vital for good health. During sleep, we can restore and recharge ourselves and our minds. We’re more alert, energised and able to function better when we sleep well and can help to ward off illnesses more quickly. When we don’t receive a good night’s sleep, many of us are able to feel the effects and notice an impact on our well-being.

 

Sleep is the product of our lifestyle. So when we struggle to sleep well, it’s often because our lifestyle isn’t supporting or encouraging a good night’s sleep.

 

Sleep hygiene tips such as keeping your bedroom dark and cool and running a warm bath before bed can help slow down our brains and bodies and prepare us for sleep. Other key pillars of wellness also play a role in encouraging a night of good sleep, such as what we eat and the physical aspects of our daily lives.But this won’t always be enough by itself, as finding it hard to switch off after a busy or intense day can be related to emotions and our thought processes.

 

As a health coach, I strive to bring awareness of this as it is crucial for allowing the mind and body to let go and restore itself fully. Rest moments throughout the day help manage the impact of emotions and the thoughts accompanying them. Mindful breathing, meditation, or even taking the chance to step back before a situation escalates can give us the space to prevent thoughts and emotions from affecting our sleep.

 

When awake, the brain is in either survival or learning mode. The latter is preferred for optimal physical and emotional well-being, but a stressed mind can quickly enter survival mode. When we find ourselves in survival mode, the body tells us that we need to rest more to start moving out of this mode. Mental and emotional overwhelm can contribute to this state, which is why soothing the nervous system with rest moments can be so powerful.

 

This pillar is all about rest (not just sleep) as it involves small restful and restorative actions throughout the day that add to a good night’s sleep. Meditation, breath work and other techniques that prioritise mindfulness balance us out from action mode, just as Yin and Yang balance each other out.