Quality sleep is crucial for longevity, rejuvenation, and overall well-being. You know this. Under– or over–sleeping can disrupt bodily balance and digestion.
The biggest sleep myth: More effort leads to more sleep.
According to Inc. and The Guardian, trying to manage or control sleep generally backfires.
We become over-obsessed and over-worried, and often, our sleep is worse when we worry about not being able to fall asleep or consistently ruminate on not getting enough sleep.
Sleep experts say that if you can’t go to sleep, or you wake up and struggle to go back to sleep, don’t fight it. Use this time to read, listen to a podcast or work on a puzzle.
Seems pretty easy to say this if you’re not sleep deprived. But at the end of the day, you can’t brute force yourself to sleep.
Following basic sensible advice can help immensely, but it’s not bulletproof. Too many other things may be at play in the body, including hormones, that are bigger than sleeping in a cold environment.
Need a refresher on those sleep basics? Check out my article on your circadian rhythm.
Perhaps the 10-3-2-1 sleep method, which focuses on organizing your life around sleep instead of trying to fit sleep into your life, may help. It capitalizes on key sleep foundations:
- 10: Coffee before noon. Avoid coffee ten hours before bedtime. That means no more coffee after about noon.
- 3: Eat early. Have your last meal three hours, minimum, before sleep. Essentially between 5-7 p.m.
- 2: Two hours of calm. Limit screen time, lower the lights, and engage in calming activities like reading, folding laundry, or organizing the house up to two hours before bed. (Admittedly, the hardest one for me!)
- 1: Pre-sleep hour. Prepare yourself for sleep the final hour before bedtime. No screens. Perhaps take a bath. Massage feet with magnesium oil. Spritz pillow with lavender. State three things you are grateful for from the day.
If you find yourself doing all the things, including trying and not trying to sleep, and still not sleeping, check in with a professional (doctor, coach, whatever speaks to you). In the meantime, stock up on bedside magazines – the more boring the better!
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