As humans living in a modern world filled with unnatural light at all hours and over stimulating devices our circadian rythyms are out of whack. For the sake of our health let's give our body's natural function some help.
Bedtime is an event when you are a child or a parent of small children. After dinner there is a bath, cozy clean pajamas, reading a book with Mom or Dad. It's a routine and everyone knows what to expect every night.
But something happens as we get older. At some point, we throw out the comforting ritual. We watch late-night television or prowl Facebook until we nearly pass out from exhaustion and then fall into bed. As a nation, we complain about our inability to sleep or wear our lack of sleep as a badge of honor.
Let's make being tucked in at night a grown-up thing! Let's learn to treat ourselves to a goodnight ritual.
But something happens as we get older. At some point, we throw out the comforting ritual. We watch late-night television or prowl Facebook until we nearly pass out from exhaustion and then fall into bed. As a nation, we complain about our inability to sleep or wear our lack of sleep as a badge of honor.
Let's make being tucked in at night a grown-up thing! Let's learn to treat ourselves to a goodnight ritual.
Your inner child is going to revolt! "But I wanna stay up and finish that series on Hulu!"
To which you will reply "I know. But whenever you don't get to bed on time you feel out of sorts the next day and it's hard to focus at work. So, off to bed."
If it takes treating yourself like a toddler to create better habits that's okay.
I've done the research for you and here are the best tips and tricks for a good night's sleep. These are goals and we won't meet them every night but the list gives us a place to start and something to aim for.
Tucking yourself in:
Step 1. Set a bedtime and stick with it. No matter how much your inner toddler whines to stay up late to see how the story ends you are going to stand strong. It's okay to give yourself a window: my bedtime is usually between nine thirty and ten-thirty if I’m at home. Choose the right time for you. I'm a lark so my time is pretty early. If you are an owl just make sure to give yourself 8 hours before the alarm goes off the next morning.
Step 2. Bath time. Just like a child, start winding down bathing or showering. If you are a morning shower person, cleanse your face and moisturize.
Step 3. Put on your favorite cozy pajamas.
Step 4. Dim the lights around the house.
Step 5. If you are having alcohol in the evening keep it earlier, closer to dinnertime. It can interfere with sleep in the early morning hours. For bedtime drinks stick to water or any of the teas that promote sleep. Magnesium can also be beneficial.
Step 6. Turn off all the screens. This is where your inner tween will start wailing but remember, you are the adult now. You can do it. No screens the last 20 minutes before you actually get in bed. It should really be an hour but let's be realistic.
Step 7. A bedtime story! Yay! It's the best part and you can choose whatever you want. This isn't the time for a thriller or true crime. Classics, scripture, or personal development work nicely. Just like we primed our brain for our day, now we are priming it for sleep. You'll want to end the day on a good note.
Step 8. Prayers. Meditations. Gratitude. Reflections on the day.
A note about sleep aids: I take Melatonin about an hour before I climb into bed but I’m working on stopping that. Be careful with things like certain allergy meds that have been linked to dementia as well as anything that requires a prescription. Like a lot of things in life, the simplest solution is the best one. We don't want to mess around too much with our body's natural ability to do its job.
Variations:
Okay, I know there's more to it because your mom isn't fixing the coffee pot for you and your dad isn't going around locking all the doors. You might need to let the animals out one last time, charge your phone, or pick out clothes for tomorrow.
But what about the weekend?
Bad news. Your body doesn't know it's Friday night. So while you might veer off schedule occasionally for big events or special nights out, sticking as closely as you can to a regular plan is going to improve your sleep over time.
Perfectly adhering to a system isn't our goal. Tending to our physical needs in ways that put us more in balance is. That means giving your body plenty of rest.
Nighty-night y'all.
Nighty-night y'all.
