I haven’t always been the greatest sleeper… I tend to go to bed too late and often end up sleeping in on the weekends to make up for weekday sleep deficit. I’m getting better with this, and I find the older I get, the harder it is to go without at least 7 ½ to 8 ½ hours of sleep every night!
I can definitely say that I feel sooooo much better when I get a good night’s sleep, and I’m pretty sure that no one would disagree with me on this one.
Interestingly, I’ve come across some pretty compelling research that states that sleep also plays a role in cancer… In fact, studies show that poor sleep quality may be linked to cancer. Did you know that the odds of developing cancer is double in people working night shift!
Sleep is actually essential to the body’s cellular health. During sleep the body repairs damaged cells and DNA, promoting the growth of healthy new cells and boosting the immune system.
How well you sleep may determine how well your body fights cancer, and sleep problems can also make cancer symptoms or side effects of cancer treatment seem worse…
So, what can those with cancer, and everyone else for that matter do to improve sleep? Here are five strategies that I came across:
👍 Keep your bedroom as dark as possible or cover your eyes with an eye mask
👍 Keep your bedroom slightly cool – Since your body temperature naturally drops during sleep, keeping the bedroom cool helps this process along
👍 Try relaxation techniques to help you sleep such as meditating, listening to soothing music or deep breathing. You can find smart phone apps to help you sleep using meditations, tapping strategies and self-hypnosis methods
👍 Physical activity such as a daily walk, jog, yoga or strength training, can help promote healthy sleep
👍 Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Try not to sleep late on weekends. This will help you maintain a sleep routine and trigger your body to automatically know when its time to sleep
Which of these sleep strategies have you tried, or would like to try?
Click here to request a free 30 minute consultation with me, and receive answers to support your best efforts while fighting cancer with good sleep habits.
My online program, Cancer Recovery Roadmap, goes into sleep and other lifestyle factors in much more detail, and provides lots of guidance on implementing healthy sleep habits. Check it out!
I’ve taken all my research on diet, environment, lifestyle and mind-body and put it into a very comprehensive program which will help you create your own cancer recovery plan. If you want to take your recovery from cancer to the next level, click on the image below.
Also, if you want to join a free community of people with cancer looking for holistic and integrative strategies to encourage cancer recovery CLICK THIS LINK to join the Holistic Strategies for Cancer Recovery Facebook group to help support your journey and connect you with likeminded people.
