Having a Good Sleep Routine is Key

They don’t call it beauty sleep for no reason

Sleep is essential for detoxification, memory, rejuvenation, skin health, regulating hunger & satiety hormones such as ghrelin/leptin, and much more.

Sleep is also a cleansing process. You wake up with bacteria on your tongue from oral microbiome bacteria buildup overnight and potentially overnight cleaning from your digestive system *if you don’t use a tongue scraper in the morning then I don’t know you*. You wake up with eye crusties which is essentially an overnight eye cleansing process. Make sure to rinse your mouth after meal to prevent bacteria/food buildup.

Miswak helps to create a clean oral microbiome. I like to use the fresh ones and keep them in a case. Make sure to cut off the tip frequently for fresher bristles. (go over your gums too and the back of your teeth! Get in there!) I use a wooden toothbrush + miswak during the day.

Create & Maintain a Good Sleep Routine

A good day starts with the previous nights sleep. If you’re waking up feeling groggy and not refreshed then you had overall poor quality sleep and you’re waking up with an energy deficit for the day that should’ve been restored with well rested sleep. Be extra when it comes to your sleep. I have to get at least 6-8 hours of quality sleep nightly otherwise I absolutely feel it the next day. Have a daily sleep routine that’s negotiable.

If you’re in an energy deficit stating the day from lack of quality sleep…

you’ll search for it in quick energy fixes like high carb or high sugary foods to for quick energy or dopamine. Try and reach for protein and fiber rich savory breakfasts on those days. If you mix a good tasting high quality vanilla protein powder (love the brand Perelel for a high quality protein powder) with yogurt it tastes like vanilla pudding. (bonus points if you add soluble fiber in the form of basil or chia seeds for satiety, stable energy and mood, and to feed the gut microbiome to support gut health)

Make unsweetened yogurt or homemade yogurt your best friend

A benefit of optimizing gut health is supporting your mental health and energy levels. When you repopulate your gut microbiome with live probiotics (beneficial bacteria) you are creating an environment where they can thrive (feed them prebiotic fibers!) and multiply. These probiotics create short chain fatty acids like butyrate, acetate, and propionate that support your mood, energy, focus, reduce inflammation, support your gut lining, skin, and overall health. These gut microbes help produce and regulate your neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, which influence anxiety, focus, and emotional well-being.

I’m a huge fan of homemade yogurt since typically it’s fermented for longer periods of time (more quantity of beneficial bacteria) than conventional yogurt (7-8 hours of fermentation as opposed to 30-40 hours with homemade yogurt)

Nutrition

Aim to have your last meal 2-3 hours before sleep which allows for digestion to occur as well as stable blood sugar (depending on what’s for dinner) throughout the night leading to well-rested and uninterrupted sleep. (huge fan of any meal that contains chicken – easy digestible source of clean protein and it’s not heavy like red meat – any sheet pan dinner with chicken/carrots/sweet potatoes/garlic/onion + rice + salad is chef’s kiss)

Supplements

Get your magnesium glycinate, L-theanine, ashwagandha. Anything that relaxes the nervous system and decreases overall stress is going to help support sleep.

Herbs/Herbal Tea

You can choose to brew an evening herbal tea with anxiolytic herbs that relax the nervous system and allow your body to fall asleep easier such as chamomile, lemon balm, lavender, sage, passionflower, ashwagandha (also in loose leaf tea form) and add in some anti-microbial support to help balance the gut microbiome in the form of fresh ginger, fennel seeds, anise, and cloves.

Aromatherapy

Huge fan of aromatherapy to relax the nervous system. Choose relaxing scents that calm you down before bed like lavender, vanilla, or ylang-ylang. Choose to apply at various pulse points in the body that release heat for maximum scent/relaxation effect like behind the ear, your inner wrists, and neck area.

Warm shower/bath before bed

A warm shower helps to gradually decrease your core body temperature leading to better quality sleep. Wear cotton clothing.

Track your sleep

but not religiously! You don’t want to become obsessed with a sleep score which can lead to higher stress levels when not meeting certain standards. You can choose to wear an apple watch to sleep (too bulky for me! The less stimulation when I sleep the better) I choose to wear an ultrahuman ring (Oura ring partnered with Palantir for data-sharing so no one should be purchasing Oura rings) to track sleep, steps, menstrual cycle, etc. Try and aim for 6-8 hours of un-interrupted sleep for most nights. N

ot every night will be perfect but consistency matters more than perfection. The nights that resulted in lower quality sleep try and figure out what factors could’ve been at play to try and readjust your sleep routine.

If you’re at a place in your life where’s there is too much going on, forget tracking completely as well as optimizing sleep. Take off the ring for a couple weeks and focus on lowering stress levels. That will do much more for the quality of your sleep as well as your mental health.

Tahajjud/Faith

Sleep should start with the intention of waking up for tahajjud. (أَفَلَا أَكُونُ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا) Aim for consistency (2-4x a week) not perfection (nightly). Tracking this on a journal/habit tracker helps to see progress & maintain consistency. Tahajjud does not interrupt your sleep. It places barakah during your sleep + the following day. You’re spiritually recharging to endure the day ahead. It helps to have nice prayer outfits which double as an abaya.

Protect your five senses during the day

The five basic human senses are sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Not sure If I’m slightly autistic (I think I’m a bit more awkward) or if we are just exposed to SO much sensory output that dys-regulates our nervous system during the day. We’re overstimulated – not just with overconsumption of caffeine intake (guilty! but also switching to matcha for less caffeine + L-theanine/chlorphyll benefits, but also our five senses: our hearing/sight/smell/touch/taste: think of air fresheners the worst invention ever created or any perfumes/colognes and food with excess sugars or excess food consumption. Social/media over use, doomscrolling, excess screen time, kids using tech devices too early messing with early brain development, we can’t sit in silence to be alone with our thoughts, constant entertainment,

I’ve been experimenting with loop earbuds while driving as well as noise canceling headphones for focus. (not sure about EMF exposure with the airpods max 2)

Maintain a nightly spiritual routine/Faith

Bedtime adhkar (easiest one: اللَّهُمَّ بِاسْمِكَ أَمُوتُ وَأَحْيَا), Surah Al-Mulk, istighfar, Quran – the goal is for it to become a non-negotiable so that it feels like something is missing when it’s not done. Keep the intention to wake up early for tahajjud. Use the Dhikr & Dua app for morning, evening, and bedtime adhkar. (unless you have them all memorized which is definitely a flex. The more consistent you become with your daily adhkar it naturally becomes easier to memorize.)