Chicago Home and Lifestyles – Talking about good sleep.
Let’s talk about sleep again! Sleep is the most important factor in our health. We spend about 1/3 of our lives sleeping as it helps our brain and body regenerate. Here are a few tricks for getting your best night’s sleep.
Number one, the biggest one: don’t bring your phone to bed! The blue light from the phone really messes up the melatonin in your brain that helps you get a good night’s sleep. Besides, checking on social media or any other places online can keep you awake by raising anxiety. I’ve noticed myself grabbing the phone “just to check on it” sometimes if I get up in the middle of the night. It makes it really hard to get back to sleep!
Number two: It’s good to have a consistent bedtime and sleep routine—even on weekends. Of course, we know we can’t always stick to this. Things happen; parties, gatherings, or late nights at work, but having a set time to start your routine can help. On average it takes us probably an hour to get ready and actually get to sleep. So if you want to go to sleep by 10:00 o’clock every evening, say “I’m done with work!” by 8:00. Be determined to relax and get ready for bed. Take time to perhaps write in your journal, take a warm bath, or listen to some soothing music, anything that helps you wind down.
Number three: No caffeine after noon! For the majority of people, this is the best way to deal with caffeine. I’ve noticed that if I do have a lot of caffeine in the afternoon I always have a terrible time getting to sleep. If you find that you need an afternoon pickup of a cup of coffee it might be good to check with your doctor, you might not be getting the best sleep and maybe have an apnea problem.
Number four: be mindful of when you eat. I always try to have at least 3 hours between eating and going to sleep so that my digestion is done before sleep. It’s also a good idea to keep your drinking down to one or two days a week as too much alcohol can throw off your sleep. You might think it helps you to sleep, but the sleep you are getting is not good sleep.
Number five: don’t worry so much about getting perfect sleep. Many people now are using sleep trackers of some sort, whether it’s your Apple Watch or some other device that shows you your sleep patterns throughout the night. It’s not good to obsess about this. Trying to have “optimal” sleep every night is pretty much impossible, and worrying about it so much can actually give you insomnia. Doctors have a word for it now; it’s called orthosomia, anxiety over getting a perfect sleep score, and it does no one any good! So be careful.
Try some of these tricks and let’s all have a better night’s sleep!
Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago
