234: How Sleep Impacts Your Skin (Tips + Strategies) PT 1 w/ Michelle Nilan, MS, CNS

Sleep quality is an undervalued part of overall wellness. But it is SO important. Our sleep quality affects pretty much all aspects of our waking life, so learning how to improve it can be a game-changer.

THIS IS PART 1 OF A 3-PART INTERVIEW. STAY TUNED FOR THE REST OF THE SERIES!

My guest today is my colleague, Michelle Nilan, CNS. Michelle is a clinical nutritionist, yoga teacher, and ACSM-certified personal trainer. She is the associate clinical nutritionist in my private practice and has been working with me since June 2020!

She has a master's in human nutrition from the University of Bridgeport and a bachelor's in philosophy from Humboldt State University.

Through her work with me, Michelle has developed an extensive understanding of the complex relationship between the skin, gut, and overall health, and values being able to turn this into practical, actionable guidance to help others become well. She is additionally well-versed in metabolic conditions, insulin resistance and diabetes, and nutrition for high-risk pregnancies.

Michelle also has a history of her own skin struggles with severe cystic acne, fungal acne, and tinea versicolor, as well as with managing thyroid, hormone, and autoimmunity issues, and knows all too well what it feels like to have significant life-impacting symptoms completely dismissed and be told by doctors that she’d “just have to live with it.”

She is grateful for the opportunity to help others avoid the years of suffering she had to endure while trying to find and address the root causes on her own. Due to her work in philosophy, as well as her personal history of childhood trauma, she has a deep appreciation for the invisible mental and emotional suffering of skin and health issues that aren't obvious from the outside, and allows this to guide her approach of seeing a whole person rather than merely a collection of symptoms or a problem to fix.

When she’s not working with clients, Michelle enjoys staying updated with the latest nutrition research, lifting weights, reading, going to museums, spending time in nature, drinking coffee while people-watching, and playing with her cat Daoshi.

Join us for part 1 of a 3-part interview all about sleep and the skin. In this series, we'll be discussing circadian rhythm, sleep hygiene, why sleep is important, and so much more! Today, we'll focus on sleep quality.

Do you try to practice good sleep hygiene? Let me know in the comments!

In this episode:

• Why is sleep quality so important?
• What are some indications of good sleep quality?
• What can interfere with sleep quality?
• Why is mouth-breathing problematic?
• How does circadian rhythm impact liver detox abilities?

Quotes

“Sleep quality is where the restoration takes place. And that's why a lot of times, if someone uses a sleep medication to go to sleep or uses alcohol as a nightcap, you'll still wake up tired in the morning.” [2:02]

“If you're waking up multiple times a night, that's a big indicator that you're not getting good sleep quality.” [5:53]

Links

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