Fixing a Wrong Sleep Schedule – Your entire life is impacted when you can’t sleep at night. Both getting things done and having fun are more difficult. But it’s simple to fall into sleeping patterns that we already know don’t work. I’ve been there, so I know.
Georgia Dow, a therapist and YouTuber from Montreal, provided me with advice on how to improve a sleep regimen that I wasn’t comfortable with. This is what she said to me.
Enhance your sleeping conditions
Make sure you have a high-quality mattress and pillow that you find comfortable. That was the first piece of advice, something I hadn’t considered.
A better mattress can enhance your sleep, especially if you’ve observed that you sleep better away from home. Therefore if you can, invest in a better mattress. A fresh pillow can also make a significant impact, especially if you frequently wake up with a stiff neck. If buying new sheets is not an option, you might want to think about washing your current set.
We frequently don’t invest enough cash, time, and energy in a place where we’ll be spending a third of our lives, according to Dow.
Nothing stressful should be done in bed.
Dow explains to me that your body connects time and space in the physical world. In other words, if you work, respond to emails, or conduct Zoom meetings in bed during the day, you’ll think about those things at night. Therefore stay away from them and strive to make your bed (and bedroom) a restful space.
According to Dow, you should only use your bed for sleeping and having sex. “Don’t do your taxes in bed, don’t work in bed, don’t dispute in bed.”
According to Dow, anything related to politics and action-packed video games fall into the same category. Therefore resist the urge to play your favourite mobile game and read a short book or listen to some soothing music instead.
Since we’re talking about it: Compared to a few years ago, a lot more people work from home today. If that applies to you and your workstation is in your bedroom, try to shift it somewhere else. If you can physically see your desk from bed, any tense feelings from work are immediately recalled.
Think about using automatic lights and blackout curtains.
Your sleeping patterns are greatly influenced by light, which might be problematic during summer’s early sunrises or if you live somewhere with a lot of street lights. Dow advises using blackout curtains if you’re having difficulties falling asleep for this reason.
According to Dow, blackout blinds can help you sleep for extended periods of time.
Of course, throughout the winter, a lot of us experience the opposite issue, making it difficult to get out of bed in the morning due to the darkness. Dow suggests a morning light that comes on gradually in those circumstances. That may be a time-controlled smart light or a specially designed morning alarm clock. To make it easier for me to wake up in the gloomy Oregon winters, I bought a clock like that. For me, it has completely changed the game.
Put the electronics away (or Change the Settings)
With relation to light: Your body misinterprets blue light from the numerous screens in your life for sunlight. This prevents the hormone melatonin, which induces sleep, from being released. This explains why it’s so simple to continue scrolling while you should be sleeping and why you shouldn’t do it in bed.
Adjusting things might be an alternative if that isn’t an option. Dow suggests using the F.lux programme, which colours your computer’s screen red to cut down on the amount of blue light it emits. A similar function called Night Shift is present in macOS on Apple devices. It isn’t as effective as staying away from screens, but it is better than nothing.
Put the clock away
Don’t worry if you wake up frequently at night; this is common. According to Dow, you typically wake up five to six times during the course of the night, but you rarely recall them unless you’re already worried about falling asleep and happen to see the time, at which point you might wonder how long you’ve been awake.
Such math, Dow asserts, “is going to wake you up,” and the issue is exacerbated if you are already worried about falling asleep. Her response: Turn your phone over or position the alarm clock so you can’t see the time. She warns me that if I don’t look at the clock, I’ll fall back asleep and forget I ever got up.
While we’re on the subject of timepieces, try not to rely on the snooze button. Although sleeping for an extra 10 minutes might seem pleasant, it’s not restful sleep. It would be a good idea to place your alarm clock across the room so you have to get up to switch it off.
Reduce the heat
Although you could believe that a warm bedroom in the winter is your favourite thing, your body may disagree.
According to Dow, “Humans do better when it’s cooler at night. Between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit is the best range for sleeping. Even during the cold, if necessary, open your bedroom window at night.
Provide your brain with a task
It’s simple to focus on your inability to sleep when you’re having trouble falling asleep. Dow advises giving your brain something else to concentrate on as a result.
She advises, “Do anything that is fairly engaging,” citing word games, easy math puzzles, or imagining a story as possibilities. But steer clear of the following cliché: “Counting sheep isn’t good enough. It’s too easy to worry and count sheep at the same time. Instead, she advised counting backwards from 100 by seven.
Of course, you might employ a diversion instead—a podcast or audiobook, for example. Nonetheless, Dow warns against becoming reliant on such an external stimulus.
That helps, but then we’re depending on something outside of ourselves to put us to sleep, she explains. “If you don’t have access, there’s a chance of failure any time your tool isn’t there.”
Therefore look for a mental activity that is Fixing a Wrong Sleep Schedule of technology. You might use breathing exercises, meditations, or affirmations to refocus your mind when it wanders towards stressful ideas, advises Dow.
Get enough rest.
Everything in your life will go Fixing a Wrong Sleep Scheduleif you don’t get enough sleep. I know: A few years ago, I experienced chronic sleeplessness. My lack of sleep exacerbated my sadness, which was already there and partly brought on by a difficult work environment.
Thanks to a combination of counselling, medicine, and an improvement in my employment position, I no longer experience those problems. If your sleep issues are anything like mine, no number of lifehacks will help; instead, take this chance to figure out exactly what is causing your life to be so stressed that you can’t sleep. Perhaps you should leave a hazardous workplace, as I did. Perhaps you’re in a horrible marriage or bad housing situation. Or perhaps you just require assistance with your mental health. Take advantage of the chance to look after yourself.
