How’s your sleep? Getting enough Zzzs?
- Do you wake up hourly?
- Sleep so deep you don’t dream?
- Are there nights where you don’t sleep at all? (Yikes!)
- Feel like you’re in a fog all day?
You are not alone.
60% of adults have sleep problems a few nights a week or more! And 42% of Americans get less than 7 hours of sleep. (National Sleep Foundation)
No matter which category (or you may have your own all together…) you belong to, lack of sleep has been known to be a culprit for a myriad of (usually) bad things.
I still vividly remember the spring afternoon in 1991, when a policeman and an army chaplain came to one of the windows at the bank I was working at and asked for my co-worker. Her 29-year old brother had fallen asleep at the wheel and plowed underneath a garbage truck at 70 miles per hour. He was crushed – it took the firefighters nearly 7 hours to free him and to finally identify his remains, so they could inform next of kin. The entire bank hall was quiet as she sobbed and had to be supported by the MPs, one on each side of her.
Including falling asleep at the wheel and job-related accidents, Harvard Sleep Science Studies says lack of sleep deteriorates recall, manifests in concentration issues, coordination and emotional problems, immune system depletion, etc.
- When we don’t get enough sleep, we are unable to put emotional experiences into appropriate contexts and give irrational responses. How’s that for yelling at your partner or kids for no reason?
- The immune system is more susceptible to colds and viruses and recovery times are lengthier.
- If you get less than 7 hours of sleep, you run 3 x the risk of getting the cold or the flu and recovery times are lengthier.
- Those are minor compared to stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and increased risk of weight gain – lack of sleep can mess with your metabolism!
How to get the best sleep ever:
Just a reminder: everyone is different. If you just remember that and adapt each of these steps to YOU, you’re already winning. Not everyone likes Chamomile tea, I know.
- Ease into it.
We’ve heard this so many times! Shut off your light emitting devices, take it easy, relax, etc. But who has time for that?!
YOU should. Maybe this the 30-day long ritual you’ll gift yourself. Maybe you already do some of these things and need to just incorporate a few extra steps to make your sleep ideal and the best sleep ever.
- Same time. Every Night.
Boring! You’re not even close to your grandma’s age yet! And your life, well, there are things that just don’t match up with this. BUT when you actually go to bed at relatively the same time each night, your body will adapt to this and pretty soon you’ll be the “old lady” – the one leaving the party early, when at 10 pm your body says: “Hey- we should be asleep in an hour!” 🙂 This is probably the easiest step to take. Really. At least start to relax and “ease into it” at the same time, if giving yourself an ultimatum and timeline seems too harsh.
- Embrace the Dark Side.
Dim the lights, pretend the sun is setting inside your house, and your body will automatically start producing melatonin, the natural sleep medication our bodies produce. If you’re not getting enough of this, you may want to try a melatonin supplement. They range from 1-10 mg – if you choose to try it, start with the lowest dosage as everyone is different. For me, if I take more than 3 mg, I’ll sleep the next day, too! Melatonin is great in a way that other sleep meds aren’t, that you don’t get that groggy feeling. Make sure you know your limits as this is no medical advice.
- Sprinkle some holiness into the bedroom.
Make yours a sanctuary for SLEEPING! (and ok, maybe a bit of romance – but then – it’s off to sleepy land!) Block out as much light from windows as possible, use a lot of pillows, or as few as you’d like, have extra blankets on hand if you get chilly (being comfortable is the main thing!) and then, make sure that ALL light emitting devices are covered, OR use one of those fancy eye masks to cover your beautiful eyelids and protect your sleep.
Currently, my bedroom, my office, and my living room are all in one, so there are blue, yellow, white, and red lights from all my devices around. I wear an eye mask each night to get to sleep.
See this infograph bigger by downloading this PDF: Best Sleep Ever Tools
- Cool it down.
And I’m not talking about romance.
“Heat can delay sleep” (even if you’re the chilly kind, like me) and leads to fragmented sleep (because we wake up sweating and then kick off the blankets, only to feel a bit chilly later on and then we’re looking to cocoon ourselves once more), according to Ana Krieger, medical director of Weill Cornell Center for Sleep Medicine at NY Presbyterian Hospital.
- Just say no.
To work, to anything work related, like books and articles you have to read, a laptop, anything that physically reminds you of work, should never find its way to your nightstand. Forget “Madam Secretary” and her unending pile of national security briefings she is reading as she is talking to her husband about the next day’s agenda.
The same goes for anything that reminds you of unfinished business, like the bags of returns you need to take to the mall tomorrow, or the screwdriver which reminds you to fix the family room light fixture. These belong in their respective rooms, not in the bedroom. Can you just hear yourself sighing over these as you’re trying to fall asleep, opening your eyelids just a smidgen to scan the room…
- Stop eating already!
A small snack a few hours before bed is good for you. This DOES not include an entire bag of chips, a bowl of ice-cream, or half a loaf of banana bread. (Oh, how do I know? Because I’ve done it!)
A small snack may be a half a cup of yoghurt, a handful of nuts, a small bowl of popcorn, an apple.
- Say Om: Meditate, ponder, or pray
Whichever one of these floats your boat, do it. Take a few minutes as you lay your head down to breathe deeply and with concentration.
A great way to get to sleep (I’ve used it for a few years now) is to breathe into your belly as you count to 4, hold for 2 counts, and then release to the count of 8. Do this 4x, then:
Breathe in 8 counts, hold 2, and breathe out 16, expelling as much of the air out as possible.
Repeat if necessary.
Usually, by the time I get around to the second set, I’ve already yawned several times, sometimes not even making it to the end of the 8/2/16 count.
Some nights, though, it may take a few rounds. Just depends on the amount of “stuff” floating in your mind. 😉
- Have you tried relaxing music?
Just search for it on YouTube – there are TONS of it there. Some have ocean and nature sounds, some only music, some are geared towards inner peace, positivity, happiness, etc. Because I use my laptop or phone for this, I take a piece of paper, a towel or blanket and cover the device so the light isn’t emitted out.
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P.S. What? You have a Fitbit?
Ok, that’s great (and I’m jealous)! However, relying on your device to tell you if you had a good night’s sleep or not, should not be the norm.
BEFORE you look at your Fitbit for all the answers, check out your body and your mind, and ask: “How do I feel?”
- Did I have a good night’s sleep?
- Did I wake up many times?
- Do I feel refreshed?
After you’ve figured out how you actually feel about last night’s snoozes, then, and only then, take a look at your Fitbit.
It may confirm your great feeling – or it may be completely wrong. Relying on a device to tell you whether you had a great night’s sleep is relying on technology, not your intuition and body.
As a caveat, I do know that some have to wear it for other reasons – sleep apnea, sleep disorders, heart beat monitoring, etc. I get that. However, you should trust YOURSELF first to figure out how you feel. That’s all I’m saying. Your intuition has greater power than you give it credit for. Trust it.
P.P.S. The above is my opinion and should not be considered as medical advice of any kind. So don’t stop wearing the Fitbit your doctor has told you to use.
(9 tools adapted to my way of thinking from Time magazine’s special report on Mindfulness)
©2019 Taru Nieminen