When you’ve tried everything to try and get to sleep and nothing works, frustration can make insomnia feel truly hopeless. A new solution might turn things around–and if you’re a fitness junkie, you’ll likely love it.
Using the principles of a HIIT workout (high-intensity interval training), a sleep “boot camp” called The Unconscious Workout proposes to teach participants to train themselves to approach sleep like they would a serious workout. Doing so can help you to maximize the effectiveness of each stage of your sleep cycle and get a better night sleep, every night.
“In a HIIT workout, there’s a reason why you go through the whole cycle of low and high intensity,” course founder and integrative medicine Dr. Tiffany Lester tells Well+Good; “Just as you’d be a mess if you skipped all the rest intervals, shortchanging sleep cycles sets you up for exhaustion the next day.” Many sleep disorders happen as a result of not getting enough REM sleep. REM sleep is like high intensity exercise–quick, intense bursts, yet highly effective. Sleeping well isn’t about sleeping more–it’s about sleeping better.
The 21-day online program consists of daily emails from Dr. Lester that give you the tools to understand and master your sleep cycles. Prepare to find out where your problem areas are, what you need to cut out (maybe that third cup of coffee in the afternoon) and how to make sure your healthy new adjustments stick. This is the only email-based course that sends you daily “sleep workouts” outlining small daily actions you can do that will add up to massive results over time. All for less than the price of a latte per day (which, maybe you’re better off without anyway).
Lester’s plan relies on the tried-and-true strategies she adopted while in medical school and residency, when she had to be creative about getting enough sleep. It’s all natural for a reason. Sleeping pills aren’t just costly and a quick-fix solution, they can be addictive and hard on your body and brain. Research has shown that some people who take certain sleeping pills may still have enough of the drug in their bodies in the morning to impair activities like driving–which puts them and others at huge risk. Yikes.
This plan is “about going back to the basics. The foundation of what it truly means to live a healthy life. Movement. Fitness. Sleep. Restoration. And how to balance it all.” That’s the kind of long-term solution you can count on if you really want to get to sleep every night and wake up feeling good.
