REALISTIC BEDTIME PRACTICES FOR QUALITY SLEEP
While it’s something we inherently know, we struggle to be faithful to the process. The practices that set the stage for quality sleep are simple and within reach, but most of us need a gentle push to stay consistent. Our energy and the overall integrity of our days truly begins the night before. We shouldn’t get hung up on the numbers, because that pressure can also interfere with our sleep, but a good window of time to aim for is 7-8 hours nightly.
DIGESTION
We’ve already had our protein, fat and fiber-rich dinner (right, SUNDAY|MONDAY members?) and we’re making our way to bedtime with a dreamy wind down routine. In order for our body to fully enter into a state of rest, we need to create space between dinner and bedtime. Ideally, we would be giving ourselves a few hours to breakdown and assimilate the food we just nourished ourselves with before landing in bed for the night. While everyone’s rate of digestion varies, food needs adequate time to travel from the mouth, through the stomach and into the small intestine, where 90% of digestion takes place. I personally eat dinner early thanks to toddlers and my older girls’ evening activity schedule. I do treat myself to dessert a bit later, however, because no day is lived fully without a sweet nightcap and a hot cup of tea (or wine). My current go-to dessert is a thick chocolate protein shake with dairy free whipped cream that I eat with a spoon.
REFLECTION & PLANNING
Being a witness to our day retrospectively helps us to celebrate wins and identify areas for improvement. While looking ahead comes easily, this part of my routine, I admit, is a little difficult for me. I picked up the book The One Thing by Gary Keller just before we went into quarantine in 2020. My family was determined to stay as busy as possible while we rode out the pandemic together at home. From the text, I came to understand that the feeling of inadequacy we’re faced with at the end of our days often comes from constructing unreasonable to-do lists. There is a BIG difference between busyness and productivity, I learned. It took me some time to shift from the mindset of rating myself based on how much I was able to accomplish instead of focusing on a select few or even just one very valuable thing. Now, I spend about 10 min every night planning how I’ll move through the following day. I ask myself “What one thing can I do for my body? For my work? For my home?…” You can come up with your own categories, but don’t go all overachiever on this or it defeats the purpose.
ENVIRONMENT
Cold, dark and device-free is how your bedroom should be. Our bodies prefer to be in a cool environment for sleep as we’re designed to sleep out in nature, where it naturally cools off at night. We all know the feeling of waking up hot and sweaty, kicking off the covers, desperate to cool down only to then find ourselves cold and uncomfortable. I’ve found that a few things help when it comes to thermoregulation during sleep. First, managing my own body temperature as I prepare for bed matters. If I take a hot shower or bath too close to bedtime, I run hot. If I’ve been wearing sweats before bed, I tend to overheat once I hit the sheets, so instead I slip into something lightweight and comfortable before I do my nighttime skincare routine. There’s something about luxurious pajamas that are reserved only for sleep that helps me ease in more effortlessly. Joey and I upgraded our bedding about a year ago to high quality, breathable sheets and covers. We haven’t advanced to a temperature controlled mattress, but we may make that jump someday soon because I keep hearing great things about this from experts I trust in the wellness space. Consider how your pajamas, bedding and room temperature support your sleep and adjust as needed. I prefer short sleeves and short sets, a 71-72 degree room and no screen time. In order for our brains to properly produce melatonin, our sleep hormone, we must reduce exposure to blue light. I know, it’s a challenge for me too :)