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There's one thing that can have a huge impact on your daytime energy as it is influenced by nighttime sleep - turning off screens before bed.
Start with 15 minutes and work up to one hour as the end goal and your new normal.
In this video I share reasons why this one habit is valuable as well as ideas to substitute the screens.
Banner image from munmun-singh on Unsplash
There's one single piece of advice that's universal amongst all sleep experts and researchers. It's to have a consistent bedtime and rising time. This can seem impossible in a culture where we essentially have control over the sun (our indoor lighting). Why does that matter? I'll share a few examples and you'll hopefully have a good laugh at how annoying it is for the human body to change up the schedule too often.
Once you sound the stress alarm bell, your body produces stress hormones to help you cope. One hormone, cortisol, is produced fresh with each stressful episode and it stays in your body until it is metabolized out. Excess cortisol disrupts sleep. Which results in daytime fatigue.
You feel tired when you want and need to be awake and you are awake during times you want to be asleep. Frustrating.
Your brain has a program to run every night. There are consequences of cutting it short. You need enough of the five different kinds of sleep every night. Just like you need food, water, exercise, relationships, etc. every day.
“There isn’t enough time for sleep”. I hear this. It’s a very real modern day barrier to getting enough sleep. It’s the number one barrier for exercise also.
There is so much to do. We are a busy species. Thankfully, research has examined this topic and can let us loose from this misconception. Sleep is worth our time.
High quality, consistent sleep doesn’t just happen. It’s true, you will pass out from exhaustion at some point every night. Ideally it takes about 15-20 minutes to fall asleep, with passing out - a sign of over-tiredness. The need to look at a device to fall asleep is a sleep association that can create a vicious cycle of lost sleep. So can coffee.
This is not to say you are doing anything wrong and it’s not to place any blame. This is to say that we have advanced technologically in our culture, but left sleep in the dark - literally.
It’s time to open our eyes to more energy, patience, emotional stability and health by honoring circadian rhythm and our innate need to sleep.
Sleep isn’t so natural. We have to make healthy sleep happen by protecting it with supportive daily practices. Just like with exercise and optimal eating.
Here are 14 habits to work on to get the sleep you need and deserve. I’ll be talking about these in more detail on a FB live on my sleep fitness facebook page soon. Join the group for free access!
Here are the Habits to Implement:
Expose yourself to natural morning and/or daytime light. Get outside for at least 30 minutes daily.
Use a consistent sleep schedule to set the body’s internal clock. Avoid sleeping in and changing bedtime nightly.
Avoid caffeine after 10 a.m.
Nap early (before 5 p.m.) and under 30 minutes.
Exercise early and at least 3 hours before bedtime.
Eat dinner early. Keep food and beverages light.
Eliminate alcohol, nicotine and other chemicals/herbs before bedtime.
Avoid medications in the evening (unless required by a prescription).
Dim all house lights before bedtime.
Establish a soothing pre-sleep routine with reduced stimulation.
Create a sleep-friendly bedroom environment. Make it dark, cool, quiet, comfortable and gadget-free.
Go to sleep when truly tired—don’t override sleep cues.
Don’t watch the clock or lie in bed awake. Do something relaxing and screen/light-free.
Follow through—make sleep a priority and part of your routine.
Take your time implementing these habits. Choose one or two to start with and add another one in after you’ve gotten comfortable with the one(s) you’ve implemented.
Strive toward the goal of reaching a committed rising time and bedtime. Without this main goal, achieving the needed 7-9 hours nightly can be frustrating.
Download my free sleep journal to help you reach your sleep goals.
I often hear people say they don’t like sleeping too much because they feel groggy afterward.
What follows is often, “I don’t need a lot of sleep” or “See, too much sleep isn’t good for me”.
Too much sleep can be problematic, but only if it’s chronic over-sleep, like every single night for years.
There’s a misunderstanding of what your body is telling you with an acute episode of “too much sleep”.
