7 Ways to Support Your Body After a Bad Sleep

A blueprint for the tough days.

We all experience nights of poor sleep — whether due to a packed schedule, young children, stress, or a snoring partner. These bad nights are inevitable, but if we support our body, we can mitigate some of the effects of a lack of sleep, as well as setting ourselves up for a better sleep the following night. Here are 7 practices you can incorporate into your day the next time you have a bad night’s sleep.

1. Stay hydrated

Hydration is important any time, but it’s especially important after a night of bad sleep if you want to support your body. Make an extra effort to drink more water today, and if possible, include either trace mineral drops or add some pink Himalayan or Celtic sea salt to the water for added minerals to assist with hydration.

2. Watch your caffeine intake

While the first thing you may want to do is reach for a cup of coffee, this isn’t going to support you today. While one or two cups are okay, don’t go overboard on the caffeine. Avoid energy drinks and other high-caffeine foods. Caffeine is likely to make you jittery and can impact the quality of your sleep tonight. You want to do everything possible to maximize your sleep quality in the coming nights.

Also watch out for sugar. If possible, try to exclude sugar from your coffee today to prevent big blood sugar crashes later on.

3. Movement

Movement is a powerful practice after a night of bad sleep. Try to get some movement in within the first 20 minutes of waking up. This will help reset your circadian rhythm and set you up for a good night of sleep tonight.

Movement tells your body that it is time to be awake, as well as getting your blood flowing after a stagnant night. The contracting and releasing of your muscles pumps your lymphatic system — a system that, unlike the circulatory system, doesn’t have its own pump.

Movement will also release cortisol and endorphins and increase your core temperature, all of which are going to make you feel more alert, full of energy, and ready to focus.

4. Sunlight

Natural light in the morning is a great way to reset your circadian rhythm and help you sleep better tonight. Interestingly, the amount of sunlight you get in the morning is proportional to how much melatonin you produce at night.

You will experience a release of serotonin, the feel-good hormone, as well as an increase in vitamin D levels, which will boost your mood and support your immune system, and will make you feel more alert.

4. Eat right

After a night of poor sleep, your hormones will be out of whack. This includes your hunger hormone (ghrelin), which will be in higher levels than usual, and your satiety hormone (leptin), which will be in lower levels than usual. This means you’re likely to feel extra hungry.

Try to avoid processed carbs and fats, even though it is likely these are the very foods that you will crave. They will only make you feel more tired. Opt for more complex carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains, as well as high quality protein. These foods will leave you feeling fuller for longer. Eating protein also leads to the release of orexin, which is a hormone that helps you feel awake and alert.

6. Support your immune system

A lack of sleep can lead to reduced functioning of the immune system. Therefore, it’s very important to support your immune system today. Supplements such as activated charcoal, oregano oil, turmeric, and vitamin c will be well received.

My favourite supplement for supporting my immune system after a night of bad sleep is functional mushrooms. They are an incredible superfood with so many benefits. You can read more about them here:

7. Grounding

Placing your bare feet on the earth, whether it be grass, sand, rocks, or in the water (the ocean is especially efficient), allows the negative ions produced by cellular metabolism in your body to be absorbed by the earth. This is a result of the earth’s magnetic field. Grounding or earthing, as this practice is known, helps improve sleep quality and regulates our circadian rhythm, as well as helping with recovery and jet lag. A build up of these negative ions can lead to inflammation in the body, which has myriad consequences. Therefore, grounding will help mitigate the effects of a lack of sleep by reducing inflammation.

A night of poor sleep can be tough, but there are ways to support your body that will make the day easier and will optimize your sleep the following night. Try to include these practices in your day:

• Hydration
• Limited caffeine
• Movement
• Sunlight
• Smart eating
• Supplements for immunity
• Grounding