A Good Night's Sleep
I have a few zzzs above my bed, to remind me that my bedroom is for sleeping, and not work. As tempting as it can be to work in bed sometimes, it's so important to differentiate between our sleep space and our work space.
Winter can take a toll on us. The harsh weather conditions and lack of sunlight have the power to get us down if we let them There are, however, a few things we can do to maintain our health, wellness, and optimal mood during this chilly, darker time of year, and getting a good night’s sleep is one of them. I’ve recently committed to improving my sleep habits, in order to feel more rested and ready to warrior the winter months. Below are my tips for catching a great set of ZZZs on a regular basis.
Complete darkness – One essential step towards a good night’s sleep is creating an optimal sleep space. This includes a comfy bed, cooler temperature and complete, total darkness. Before humans had artificial lights, the rising and setting sun held considerable power over the times we got out of bed and the times at which we went to sleep. With artificial lights and dozens of electronic devices we can amuse ourselves with no matter the hour, it can now be hard for our minds and bodies to realize it’s time for bed at the end of the day. By making my bedroom pitch black at night, I convince my mind and body that it’s time to hit the hay, and I fall asleep much quicker.
Consistent sleep time – Something I’ve often been told will improve my sleeping patterns is creating a stringent sleep routine, where I head to bed at the same time every night, and wake up at the same time every morning. I’m trying my best to adopt an exact sleep schedule, and so far have found that keeping the same bedtime and wakeup time really help me get a good night’s rest. There are of course nights when I end up staying up slightly later, or need to wake up half an hour earlier, but for the most part, I’m laying down and rising at the same times each day now, which has improved my sleep immensely.
No visible clock – I used to have one of those abrasive alarm clocks with the sharp red lines that realign with every minute’s passing. This clock really stressed me out when I wasn’t able to fall asleep, and as soon as I took it out of my room, I became much less anxious about the possibility of not getting a good night’s rest.
Alarm at a distance – Now, I use the alarm on my phone to wake up in the morning, but I plug it in on the opposite side of my bedroom. I do this for two reasons; the first is to make sure I’m not staying up for hours checking a million and one things on my phone and preventing myself from falling asleep with my phone’s bright light shining in my face. The second reason is that it forces me to get out of bed to turn off my alarm in the morning. When the phone’s on the other side of the room I can’t hit snooze as I roll over; I’m forced to get up at the same time every morning and abide by my new, strict sleep schedule.
Lower lights in the evening – This is something I learned about recently, and find utterly fascinating. Once again, let me take you back to the ages before artificial light kept us up past our bedtimes. In those days, the sun’s slow descent in the West would indicate the diminishing daylight and a looming bedtime. When the sun is at its highest and right above us in the sky, we know it’s time to be up and about, but when the sun is lower in the sky, we know we should be getting ready for bed; that’s how we, as humans, have been conditioned over thousands of years. When we have bright overhead lights on after dark, this can confuse our minds and bodies, because the light coming from right above indicates that it’s mid-day and we should be wide awake. In order to get our minds and bodies ready for sleep, we have to utilize lower lights – bedside lamps, candles, low floor lamps – in order to mimic the setting sun and let ourselves know it will soon be time for rest. I’ve begun only turning on small lamps before bed, or lighting my favourite scented candles, and I’ve found it’s much more mellow and relaxing than having my bright overhead light on, right before bed.
Bedtime ritual – This is something I’ve been working on for a while now, and although long days at work, or evenings spent watching The Bachelor can sometimes throw off my bedtime routine, I try to stick to it as much as possible, so that my mind and body take those pre-bedtime cues and simmer down at the end of the day. My doctor recommended doing something relaxing – the same thing – before bed every night to decompress and gradually help myself enter a no stress, sleepy state of mind. So nearly every night now, I head to bed half an hour earlier to read a book or a magazine, and I stop looking at my Smartphone and computer well before that. It only takes me a few minutes to fall asleep now, compared to before, when it could take hours for my brain to unwind.
Comfy PJs – This is an obvious one, but comfy pajamas that don’t let me overheat are crucial for a great night’s sleep. I love this vintage short-sleeve pair from JCrew, which I have in baby blue (hydrangea) with my initials monogrammed on the front pocket. Hey, who says you can’t be stylish while you’re sleeping?
Lately, I've been reading the winter 2016 issue of Darling magazine, and Love Style Life, by blogger Garance Doré, before bed. I'll light my favourite candle - Jo Malone's Wild Bluebell - and relax with these great reads while snuggled under the covers.