Did you wake up this morning and think, is it really time to get up already? Do you feel like you did not get enough sleep? No need to feel alone, most people I know are in this predicament. They want more sleep but for some reason sleep alludes them. So how do we fix this?
There are many recommendations for how to improve your sleep. Sometimes this is referred to as sleep hygiene. How do you improve your sleep hygiene? First off we need to look at what the sleep routine looks like. Do you have a sleep routine? Or, do you just pass out when you are tired? Do you fall asleep in front of the TV while eating a bag of chips or some other snack?
So now that we have looked at what our sleep routine is we can see where the changes need to be made. If you discovered that there is no routine, that is the first step, start by making a routine. Do you go to bed and get up at roughly the same time? That is usually a good thing to start with. If possible, set your bed time so that you will get 8 hours of sleep at night. This might be a slow and gradual process but if you prioritize getting 8 hours of sleep whenever possible you will find yourself less tired.
Now that we have some basic parameters set, what else is in your routine, for example I brush my teeth and take out my contacts right before I go to bed. I also wash my face and put on a nighttime moisturizer. Some people may take showers or baths before they go to bed to help unwind, if you think this might help you give it a try. Do you have pajamas or do you fall asleep in your clothes? Having set clothes just of sleep may help.
What does your room look like? Is your TV on all night long? Are you playing on your phone until you fall asleep? Experts say to not watch TV or play on your phone because the light could be interrupting your sleep. Set a time limit for yourself in which you will not play with your phone, leave your phone face down do the light does not interrupt you. I always put my phone on do not disturb at 8:30pm. This also is my bedtime so I know that unless it is an emergency no calls or texts or alerts will wake me up but I still am able to use my alarm.
So this is a start, and expect that sleep will come up again soon, possibly next week because there is so much to talk about. For now start making your routine and see how it goes. Try outs some new things to help improve your sleep. Let me know what is working for you!
