Woohoo we’re back from our mini hiatus and we’re here to talk about sleep. There’s nothing more frustrating than laying in bed trying to fall asleep and slowly watching the clock getting closer and closer to morning. Did you know that sleep might be the missing puzzle in your performance? If you have exercise and nutrition going for you and you’re still struggling to perform at your best, maybe sleep is what you need. To improve your sleep cycle, you have to intentionally retrain your brain to slow down throughout your day so it’s much easier to sleep at night. In this episode of the Live Your Personal Best podcast, I speak with Meredith Louden, a former insomniac helping high achievers who are kept up for hours by their racing minds fall asleep in just 5-10 minutes every night. Listen in to learn how techniques such as EFT tapping, meditation, and acupuncture can help lower cortisol levels and improve your sleep. Key Takeaways: ·      How sleep impacts your exercise and nutrition and hence your overall health. ·      How sleep strengthens your muscle memory which improves your athletic performance. ·      How to focus on calming your nervous system before falling asleep to improve your sleep. ·      How to intentionally lower your cortisol and increase the sleep hormone with some emotional techniques. ·      Learn to take intentional pauses throughout your day to set yourself up for better sleep.  Episode Timeline: ·      [2:56] How Meredith’s decades-long sleep struggles led to a career in helping others with sleep. ·      [5:07] The three pillars of health and why sleep is the most impactful for better performance. The Importance Of Sleep For Student Athletes ·      [10:38] How to develop a strategy to help you slow down and sleep better and How To Get A Good Night's Sleep ·      [14:30] The proven techniques to help you reduce cortisol levels and improve your sleep ·      [21:11] How to develop a morning journaling routine to help you take control of your day. How To Use Journaling To Reduce Sleep Anxiety ·     [23:40] How to retrain your brain to slow down and go from an active state to a more relaxed one. Quotes: ·      “A lot of the benefits of exercise are actually realized into your body long-term during your sleep cycle.”- Meredith [9:51] ·      “We have a lot of mental energy not only during the day but also all night long when we’re sleeping.”- Meredith [21:22] Links Mentioned: ·      Website: https://www.meredithlouden.com/ ·      Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meredithlouden/ Take Meredith’s free master class:  Fallasleepeasily.com  Follow along on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liveyourpb/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices