Hi Byte Wellness Fam!

How are you feeling?

I’m feeling playful. So, let’s try something a little different today. Work through the discussion question below, and see how it moves you.

Discussion Question

• Think about your younger self. What lessons can you learn from that person about what it takes for you to be well?

What’s your version of changing wellness priorities? What do you think the shift says about the type of balance you need in your life today? Black history month is the perfect reminder to dig into our own personal wellness history.

Lately, my mother and I have had so many conversations about how her wellness practices have evolved over the decades to fit each new stage of life.

Her insights inspired me to think about how my own health and wellness equation has changed. As much as we can learn from our ancestors, there’s so much wellness wisdom to be mined our own personal histories.

Now that I’m in my mid-thirties, I notice that some wellness practices affect me differently than they did in my late twenties. 

The differences aren’t glaring, but after decades of living, you notice when your usual habits don’t hit the same way. 

Another way to put it is that my wellness needs have shifted. 

Thirty six year-old me needs more sleep than twenty six year-old me. I’ve always been really sleep sensitive- I need my 9 hours a night. 

But, there was a time in med school and grad school when I could pull an all-nighter studying and be not-so-delirious in my early morning class the next day. Sure, I’d crash later in the day. But, I could function for a few good hours before then.

These days, if I get fewer than 6 hours of sleep tonight, all bets are off tomorrow. Mood and energy are in the trash. 

No one wants that smoke. 

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In this week’s #PhyteWellWednesday workshop, we dug deep into the lessons our younger self can teach us about our personal wellness needs today. Our community shared lessons ranged from eating less sugar and moving more freely to building more productive coping mechanisms. 

Through it all, we tried to show ourselves the compassion we deserve for learning while living.

If you missed it, check out the recording above.

Send TEXT to 1(224)302-6224 to join the Daily Text thread and get an invite to next week’s workshop (7pm CT every Wednesday).

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As I think about how my wellness needs have changed, I can’t help but wonder why sleep has become so much more essential for me. 

We know that sleep is restorative. But, did you know it drives balance in our bodies, too? 

Getting quality sleep helps us maintain blood sugar (preventing type 2 diabetes), prevent excess weight gain, and control blood pressure. 

Quality sleep also helps to keep inflammation in check, which is a must for wellness (Remember the stress->inflammation-> disease chain?). 

It’s no surprise to learn that tons of scientific studies find that sleep deprivation shows up in our bodies as increased inflammation.

So, it’s possible that increased levels of stress (and more work) have something to do with my shift toward more sleep. In fact, it’s likely that my body and mind need more time to rebound from the demands of everyday life now compared to 10 or 15 years ago- when school and sports were my biggest responsibilities.

Maybe, these days, the fact that my body shuts down without sleep is its way of reminding me to honor the necessary balance of wellness: There is no go, go, go without rest.

How has your wellness balance shifted over time? You can try working through the discussion question above to unpack your answer.

Happy Healthy Living,

Dr. Wuse