Sleep is so important. It’s the time when the body regenerates. In fact, in traditional chinese medicine, certain times of the day and night resonate with different organs. Pretty amazing! For example, it is said that your liver regenerates between 1am and 3am, so if you find yourself waking up at this time, it could be a sign that your liver is a tad out of wack or needs a little support.

Most people don’t get enough sleep and this is often due to stress. With a lack of sleep, we underfunction, find it more difficult to concentrate and are more likely to go for the quick, sugary sweets in order to get us through the day. This can lead to weight loss. So another golden rule: get your beauty sleep! Aim for 8 hours. Between 6 and 8 is doable!

•    Stress less! When we’re stressed out or worrying, it’s way harder to sleep. Try to find ways to deal with your stress: go for a walk, do yoga or even go boxing. The latter can be particularly helpful if you have any frustrations you need to let go of! Make sure you have time out to relax and unwind, otherwise you’ll exhaust yourself and run your body down emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically.

•    Teas are a great way to help you sleep. Camomile is one of my favourites. Other calming teas are valerian, passion-flower, lemon balm and skullcap.

•    Believe it or not, exercise helps you sleep better. It burns up your energy and prevents you feeling restless at night time.

•    Bananas! They’re a rich source of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and tryptophan. Together they stimulate our serotonin pathway in the brain. Serotonin is the neurochemical which makes you feel happy. This converts to melatonin, which is in charge of regulating our body clock!

•    Avoid anything too stimulating before bed. It can be as easy as switching off the computer early and reading a book! I find that I sleep better if I’ve made a list of everything I want to get done the next day.

•   Get to bed early: Every hour of sleep you have before midnight is equal to 2 hours after

•    Aim for 8 hours

BIOPHILIA

Biophilia (bi-o-phil-i-a): This refers to the healing power of nature. It’s so easy to get caught up in the stress of our hectic and busy lives. Nature can be the perfect solution: if you’re feeling a bit tense, stressed, tried, anxious, unhappy or all of the above, then get out in nature, see vegetation, smell the countryside, feel the sun! It could be as simple as a walk on the beach, sitting in the park or as extreme as climbing the mountains of Peru! Get out there, let Mother Nature work her magic on you and feel the difference!