When is the best time of day to rest?
Well, it doesn’t HAVE to be at night!
(Although lying on the couch binge-watching “Bridgerton” for the third time is amazing to do that now and then!)
Today I’ll be breaking down morning rest tips and afternoon rest tips.
How to Rest Better in the Morning.
Ironically, the morning is an ideal time to get your rest in. It’s great for:
Mental rest.
Gut rest.
Body rest.
So let’s start with mental rest.
Tell me if this sounds familiar…
You wake up, grab your phone in bed, and start scrolling.
Yikes, but almost all of us do it.
When this is your morning habit, you’re instantly throwing your brain into work mode from sleep mode.
And if one of your habits is to read the news first thing in the morning, you’re stressing yourself out before you even put on pants.
(Even if your version of “pants” these days is yoga pants. LOL)
Studies have shown that the morning is the best time for handling stressful situations.
Cortisol levels are highest in the morning. This hormone is involved in helping manage our fight-or-flight response.
Basically, it helps you manage stressful events better.
Morning Rest Tip: Meditate
To keep your cortisol levels balanced, try meditating in the morning.
It’s like laying the foundation for your day.
Many people want to meditate when they’re stressed, but did you know that by meditating in the morning, you’re likely going to experience less stress later in the day?
This helps you create a morning of mental rest,which means you’ll be more prepared for whatever the heck comes at you later.
Morning Rest Tip: Tackle your most challenging task early.
Another aspect of mental rest involves WHEN you dig into your biggest challenge of the day.
I personally prefer to knock out my hardest – or most brain-taxing – work in the morning.
Not only is that cortisol level high, but doing tough work in the morning actually gives me an early sense of accomplishment.
Because when I get the hardest shiz done early, the rest of the day feels like a piece of cake!
Do you procrastinate a lot?
If so, then you probably know the weight of those incomplete tasks in your mind.
This is an energy-zapper, my friend!
So do your hardest or most annoying task early. Get it over with.
Then you won’t have it sitting in the back of your mind all day, eaking mental energy throughout the day.
Morning Rest Tip: Intermittent fasting.
This is a gut health tip, right here.
I consider this a morning rest tip because my intermittent fasting hours are around 12-8pm. But you can choose which 8-hour period works for you and your lifestyle.
Intermittent fasting is where you have a set period of time each day to eat or consume calories.
It’s really great for gut health because it creates a consistent period of rest.
Similar to how your body performs best when it has a consistent schedule, your gut has a circadian rhythm too.
Gut rest is important for healing.
It’s thought that this rest period curated through intermittent fasting helps restore microbe diversity in the gut, which is important for your body’s health.
It’s also been shown to strengthen your tolerance to “bad” gut microbes, so when you DO have something funky going on in there, your body is more equipped to handle it.
I usually go with 50-100 calories as what I consider to be “breaking the fast,” so you can have black coffee, tea, and water during your fasting periods. Or something like a juice. Or cacao latte. Or flavored almond milk.
Morning Rest Tip: Drink warm water with lemon.
Here’s another morning gut rest tip for ya.
(And yep, you can have it during your fasting hours!)
Start your morning off with warm or hot water with lemon.
This combo is thought to get your digestive system moving in the right direction for the day.
Just take a cup of water (8 ounces at a minimum) and either drop a slice of fresh lemon into it or squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.
Or, put a few drops of Lemon essential oil there instead. It’s super good for gut health – and crazy easy.
How to Rest Better in the Afternoon.
I’m a big fan of the mid-afternoon rest.
A recent article I read says that people are most sleepy between 1 and 2 PM.
And while many people think it has to do with eating lunch around this time, there’s actually more scientific evidence showing it has to do with your circadian rhythm.
Usually there’s a dip in energy about 7-9 hours after waking, which explains this early afternoon desire for a nap.
So if you’re feeling run down in the afternoon, give yourself a little rest.
Afternoon Rest Tip: Go for a short walk outside.
Studies have shown that stepping away from your work and activities in the middle of the day actually helps your brain reset and work on problems more effectively.
So, get up from your desk or wherever you work, and get your 30 minutes of daily exercise with a short walk outside!
Afternoon Rest Tip: Take a 30-minute power nap.
Afternoon naps are the best!
If you feel sleep calling to you, take a quick power nap. Set your alarm for 30 minutes (or however long you can do), settle yourself under a cozy blanket, darken the room, and get your snooze on.
Personally, I find reading a book helps me drift off quickly, so give yourself permission to do whatever soothes you before sleep to make the most of your short nap break.
Afternoon Rest Tip: Self-massage.
Working at your desk all day or driving in your car a lot?
Give yourself a neck and shoulder massage while listening to some calming music.
Massage naturally releases endorphins – those feel good hormones that create a sense of relaxation – and it actually helps boost your energy afterward!
Get some lotion and add your fav essential oil to it to set the mood: relaxation, stress-relief, focus… whatever you’re looking to get in the second half of your day!
More Pro Tips For Rest.
Now, while this article is about rest hacks that aren’t for nighttime, it wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t address SLEEP.
Sleep is a big-time player in feeling rested and ready to carpe diem each and every day.
So, let’s dig in here a bit.
Everyone knows what they are SUPPOSED to do to sleep better:
Yep, we ALL know it, but somehow we just don’t do it the way we should!
So today I thought I’d share a few other ways to hack your sleep that you can easily incorporate… without feeling like you’re being lectured to. LOL
Sleep Tip: Bring soothing, calming colors into your bedroom.
Surround your sleeping area with soothing colors:
Whites.
Blues.
Greens.
Grays.
Pinks.
There are tons of ways to bring relaxing colors into the bedroom without breaking the bank.
Make your bedroom a soothing, relaxing place you WANT to sleep in.
Which means keeping clutter at a minimum, too.
If you have to choose ONE room in the house to be tidy, pick your bedroom. Especially if you struggle to get restful sleep.
Sleep Tip: Aromatherapy with essential oils.
I love to use essential oils to set the mood…
For sleep. LOL
And in fact, I’m sharing my top 3 sleep-inducing blends with you for free.
If you have a sleep partner and they’re sensitive to scents, you can always use your diffuser with these blends in another room before getting into bed.
You don’t HAVE to be lying in bed for this to be a useful hack.
You can do some pre-bedtime stretches or meditation while diffusing the sleep-inducing oils, and then crawl into bed.
Ready for the Duke in Bridgerton to come sweep you away in your dreams. LOL
Just kidding, Wes! ;)
I hope you find these hacks for rest helpful and I’ll see ya online!
XO,
Hayley