Sleep: Control What you Can Control. More thoughts.
As a health coach who specializes in coaching adults to get the necessary seven to nine hours of sleep a night I find that many people who do not get a good night of sleep are trying to focus on things that are actually out of their conscious control, like trying to fall asleep.
Seven to nine hours of sleep is foundational for all aspects of human existence. Our social life, cognitive skills, physical health, and ability to function as a human all rely on the regeneration of a full night of sleep.
To fall asleep and stay asleep we need to control the things that are within our control and that starts with the environment of the room we sleep in. Is the room a good cool temperature conducive to sleep? That is around 67F or 19C. Is that bed and bedding comfortable to us? Try out different types of sheets, blankets, and most mattress companies now offer a trial period. Is the room dark enough? Install the best blinds you can find. Are artificial light sources such as a TV and phone kept out of the room or turned off? Is it quiet or do you use a noise maker to provide a sound that helps you sleep? If you change the environment you set yourself up for the best night sleep possible.
We cannot control our sleep time yet we can control our sleep opportunity which is the amount of time we allow ourselves in bed to sleep. As best you can, maintain a set time to get in bed and get out of bed and this should not regularly vary by more than an hour. Have a bedtime routine that does not vary and tells your body that it is time to prepare to wind down. The bedtime routine can be whatever works for you from a formal meditation practice to turning down the bed, putting on your pj's, and brushing your teeth in the same order every night.
Protect your sleep space. Keep bedroom activities in the bedroom and non bedroom activities out of the bedroom. This trains your brain and your body that the bedroom is the place to trigger sleep.
Blue light from electronics such as a TV or a phone can actually reset our circadian rhythm when used before bedtime. The light from electronics mimics the sun making our body think that it is time to be awake instead of time to go to sleep. This connection between light we see and our circadian rhythm is so hard wired to the human brain that the center of the brain that controls our internal clock [the suprachiasmatic nucleus] is located directly by the part of the brain that registers light [optic chiasm]. Have a deadline each night when screens are put away, at least an hour before bed is best.
Note: If you are a parent of a young child you get a pass on all of the above. You know why.
