7 Things That Are Quietly Wrecking Your Sleep (And Slowing Your Results)

 

When your progress has stalled, your cravings feel out of control, and your body never fully recovers, the common instinct is to blame your training or your nutrition. But while those things matter, there is one thing that overrides all of it the moment it goes wrong, and most women never think to look at it. Sleep.

In this episode of Embrace Your Real, I walk you through seven specific things that are quietly disrupting your sleep and exactly what to do about each one tonight. And what you will find is that some of the habits you think are helping you are actually the ones working against you the most.

What's Discussed:

  • Why sleep is the missing piece most women never think to look at

  • Why skipping carbs at dinner raises cortisol overnight and wakes you up at 2 or 3am

  • How finishing intense workouts too late keeps your nervous system activated when it should be settling

  • Why chronically high cortisol leaves you wired but exhausted and what to actually do about it

  • The half life of caffeine and why your 3pm coffee is still in your system at 9pm

  • What social jet lag is and why inconsistent sleep and wake times are costing you recovery

  • Why a warm or bright bedroom is actively working against deep sleep

  • The one thing to start with tonight

If you want a program that takes recovery just as seriously as the training itself, head to movementwithjulie.com to get started inside the Movement With Julie app. Rest days are programmed intentionally into the weekly schedule so your body always gets what it needs to repair and change.

If you loved this episode, you'll also love: Episode 413: The Importance of a Rest Day. It will help you take everything you learned here and apply it in a way that protects your results instead of quietly undermining them.

If you want more from me, be sure to check out… 

Transcript

(0:00) Hey, hey beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you (0:06) but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Reel with me, Julie Ledbetter.

(0:13) I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. (0:19) Stay tuned if you're ready to Embrace Your Reel. Let's get it, let's go! (0:30) Hello, and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Podcast.

(0:34) I am so glad that you're here because today's episode might just be the missing piece that you're looking for. (0:39) You've been showing up, you've been training, you're eating well, you're putting in the effort, (0:43) and yet something still feels off. Your progress has stalled, your cravings feel out of control, you're exhausted, but you can't seem to recover.

(0:49) The answer might have nothing to do with your workouts or your nutrition at all. It might be happening between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. (0:56) Because poor sleep really does throw off your hunger hormones, it raises your cortisol, it suppresses the growth hormone, (1:03) your muscles need to repair and tanks your insulin sensitivity. No amount of clean eating or (1:08) heart training fully compensates for what chronic sleep deprivation does to your body.

(1:13) So in today's episode, I'm going to be walking you through seven things that are quietly wrecking (1:18) your sleep and what exactly to do about each one of them. I'm just going to dive right in. (1:23) So number one, scrolling before bed.

The blue light from your phone, that's going to suppress that (1:28) melatonin and the mental stimulation from scrolling keeps your brain activated at the exact moment (1:33) that it needs to wind down. So put down your phone at least 30 minutes before bed and charge (1:39) it outside of your room if you can. Replace the scroll with reading, stretching, a few minutes (1:44) of deep breathing.

Number two is under eating, especially skipping carbs at night. So when your (1:49) blood sugar drops too low overnight, your body releases a cortisol to bring it back up and (1:55) cortisol is actually activating. So if you're waking up between 2 or 3 a.m. and you just can't (2:00) get back to sleep, you're under eating, you're skipping carbohydrates at dinner, (2:04) that is really a common culprit.

Having a balanced dinner with protein, carbs, and fats, (2:10) that's going to serve you and your sleep far better than a low carb evening meal. Number three, (2:16) finishing intense workouts too late. So intense exercise does raise your core temperature and (2:22) it does spike your adrenaline, which is great for performance but not great for falling asleep an (2:27) hour later.

If evening is your only option for a workout, that's completely fine, but I would just (2:31) encourage you to build it in at least 90 minutes to 2 hours of wind down before bed. So cool (2:38) shower, light stretching, let your nervous system kind of settle down. If you have a red light, (2:42) that's going to be super helpful.

If you can switch out your lights in your bedroom or if you just have (2:47) a red light that you can sit in and sit in front of for maybe 5 to 15 minutes before you go to bed, (2:52) that's going to help so, so, so much. Number four, chronically high cortisol or unmanaged stress. So (2:58) if your brain is still running through your to-do list at 10 p.m., your cortisol is staying (3:03) elevated when it should be tapering down and this is going to leave you wired but exhausted.

(3:07) Like you fall asleep but you never sleep deeply. Intentional movement, a real end of the day (3:14) routine, right? And limiting news, limiting social media in the evenings, all of that is going to (3:19) make a genuine difference here. Number five, did you know that caffeine has a half-life of five (3:25) to six hours? This means that at 3 p.m. coffee is still partially in your system at 8 or 9 p.m. (3:30) So I want you to try cutting off caffeine by 1 or 2 p.m. if sleeping is something that you're (3:35) struggling with.

I know that might sound impossible especially for those who are exhausted throughout (3:40) the day but the afternoon energy slump that you're just masking with caffeine is oftentimes a sign (3:45) that your sleep quality needs work and fixing the sleep will do far more for your energy than any (3:51) other cup of coffee or energy drink ever will. Number six, inconsistent sleep and wake-up times. (3:57) So your body thrives on a consistent circadian rhythm.

When you're staying up late on weekends (4:02) and sleeping in to compensate, you're actually giving yourself social jet lag on a weekly basis. (4:07) You don't need a perfect schedule but even a rough consistency within an hour of the same bedtime (4:13) and wake time most days is going to make a noticeable difference in how well rested you (4:18) feel. And last but not least, number seven, a bedroom that is too warm, too bright, or too (4:22) stimulating.

So your body needs to drop its core temperature slightly to initiate a deep sleep. (4:29) So a warm room is actively working against you. Research points to 65 to 68 degrees as a sweet (4:36) spot.

Even small light sources like a tv standby light or a charging device or a street light (4:42) that's through the curtains, that's going to reduce your depth of sleep. So if you can have (4:47) blackout curtains, if you can remove light sources, if you can add a fan or ensure that (4:52) your room is low in temperature, trust me when I tell you I used to think that I was like, (4:57) no, I like to sleep in hot until my husband was like, hey, can we try 65? And I was like, (5:03) one night I was like, are you kidding me? Like I'm going to freeze. So I got like all my blankets (5:08) and I am telling you from that night, I will forever be a 65er.

Like I will forever be a 65er (5:15) at night because I sleep so good. Even if it's cold, even if my face is cold, if I'm warm (5:21) underneath the blankets, I'm telling you, I get in the deepest sleep when our room is like 65, (5:28) 66, 67. Even if it's like 67, 67, 68, 69, oh, that's like too hot for me.

And my body can tell, (5:37) my sleep quality can tell because I wear the O-ring. I can tell my quality of deep sleep, (5:42) my quality of REM sleep lacks when my room is too hot. So I'm just encouraging you.

If you can, (5:47) I know that that is the biggest debate between men and women is like the heat, right? The heat or (5:54) the AC. So I'm telling you, you will make most of your husband so happy if you say, okay, (6:00) all right, honey, I will submit. We can do a 65 room.

And I'm telling you, you will likely (6:06) sleep so much better. All right, let's bring this home. So sleep is not a lifestyle bonus.

(6:11) It is a part of the work. And here's what we covered in today's episode. Number one, (6:15) put the phone down at least 30 minutes before bed.

Your brain needs a real wind down, not a scroll. (6:20) Number two, don't skip the carbs at night. Under eating drops your blood sugar and it's (6:24) going to spike your cortisol while you sleep.

Number three, give yourself at least 90 minutes (6:29) between an intense workout and bedtime so that your nervous system can settle. Number four, (6:34) manage your stress throughout the day so that cortisol isn't elevated when your head hits the (6:38) pillow. Five, if you can cut caffeine by early afternoon, that 3pm coffee is likely partially (6:45) still in your system by 9pm.

Number six, keep your sleep and wake times consistent. Even on (6:50) weekends, your body really does thrive on a rhythm. And last but not least, cool, dark, (6:56) and calm.

Make your bedroom an environment that your body can actually sleep in. And trust me, (7:00) I'm telling you, your husbands will be so happy when you're a 65er. I'm just telling you, (7:04) I'm telling you.

All right, pick one of those things that applies to you and start there (7:08) tonight. If you want a program that really does take recovery as seriously as the training itself, (7:13) that's exactly what my movement with Julie is built around. Rest days are programmed in (7:17) intentionally into the weekly schedule so that your body always gets what it needs (7:22) to repair and change.

Literally all you need is a few pair of dumbbells and a small space. (7:26) You can learn more by going to sale. If this episode resonated with you, I think you will (7:33) also love episode 358.

Eight ways to improve your mental health ASAP. A lot of what we talked (7:38) about today connects really naturally to that one. So I will link that in the show notes below.

(7:44) And if this helped you at all, make sure you're first following the show on Apple (7:48) podcast or Spotify, whichever podcast platform you listen so that you never miss an episode. (7:53) And then a quick review takes a couple seconds, like 30 seconds to a minute. (7:57) It really does help so many more women find this content and it helps us as a team know (8:02) what is helping you.

So thank you in advance for doing that. All right, beautiful. Remember that (8:06) your body works so hard for you every single day.

Give it the rest that it deserves tonight (8:10) and this week and moving forward. I love you so much. I mean it.

And I'll talk to you in the next (8:15) one. All right, sister, that's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need (8:30) you to do.

First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. (8:35) Julie A. Ledbetter. Yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post-workout real talk, (8:41) healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check.

The second (8:45) thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple podcast to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for (8:52) joining me. It means the absolute world.

And I'm going to leave you with one last thought. (8:56) The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident (9:02) and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than (9:09) the surface.

So go out there and embrace a real because you're worth it.

 
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