When you sleep well and enough, don’t you feel great the next day?
I can say that when I don’t have enough sleep, I can’t focus – I have brain fog the next day. And I am not happy! My ambition, optimism, and patience all take a big hit. And when I am tired, I eat more to try to maintain my energy level.
How about you?
So let’s talk about this. It may take a few days to get through all the things I have experienced (no new discoveries for mankind!), but it’s important.
The first requirement is that you cannot sleep enough by getting up later on most days. I mean, you gotta get the kids going, get them to school, get to work…right?
So the only way to get more/enough sleep is to go to bed earlier. To do that, you have to start your wind-down routine earlier.
Here’s another thing – you have to shut off the screens at LEAST one hour before bed. That’s right, people! I know we are all addicted to our favorite app and all the content engineered to give us little addictive dopamine hits, but you have to stop. You know if you get on your phone, you’ll be there for hours. And what do you get out of it long term – nothing.
Screens emit blue light. Blue light is like the daytime sky, and when your eyes see it, your brain emits chemicals that say, “It’s daytime, stay awake.”
Kill the screens early. Instead, get something to read. For me, reading gets me pretty sleepy in about 15 minutes when it’s close to bedtime.
Let’s talk more about HOW to SLEEP LIKE A CHAMPION tomorrow.
You were part of my journaling exercise this morning where I was telling myself how grateful I am to be who I am and to have role models like you to emulate who push themselves to the limit of what’s possible. Thank you for all you do every day to set that bar for the rest of us!
You’re right. If you want to sleep better, develop a habit of reading before bed. This makes a huge difference. I keep the reading light at night so it’s enjoyable and relaxing. Also, buy a book light! The Glocusent Bookmark light is the best.
With shorter days, the earlier wind down becomes easier to achieve.
I fall asleep like a champ. I used to sleep all night like a champ. Now its iffy with an occasional great night of sleep. I love an earlier night with a book. Thanks for the reminder and encouragement!