Get Some Sleep, Your Body Has Earned the Rest.
Sleep. We all know we need it, yet it can be so hard to prioritize, the first thing we set aside when it comes to our health and wellness, when it should be the thing we prioritize most.
People have so many stories around their sleep needs and patterns — Excuses and reasons why they just can’t get enough or why a certain life circumstance is the culprit, how one day when the “time is right” they’ll work on it. Eventually, they’ll get better sleep, but for now, this is “just the way it is”. This is the opposite of music to my ears, in fact, when I hear people sharing how little sleep they get, it creates an ache in my being. I can feel their bodies fatigue.
You can’t just take from your body all the time and expect optimal things to happen. It doesn’t work like that. Input needs to reflect output.
Reflect on the book “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein and replace your body with the tree — doesn’t seem like such a good idea anymore, right? You don’t want to fall habit, I know I did, of only taking from your body. The result can be detrimental.
With that said, I’m here to be the millionth person to tell you that sleep is important, crucial in fact, to your health and wellbeing on an emotional, physical, and spiritual level. It matters a lot.
Stop putting it off like you’ll get to it another time.
Stop with the excuses.
The time is now.
Your body deserves it. It’s earned it. It’s time to get good quality and quantity sleep — and I say all of the above with the utmost love ❤️ — I know I can sound quite direct at times, but sugar coating things isn’t really my style. 😉
**I do want to note that there are life circumstances that make this very difficult like sick loved ones, caring for elderly/babies/young children, etc., that require our unavoidable attention. I see you. I understand. But I still know that despite these things, there are always things you can do to improve upon your current situation, it typically involves asking for help. Do not write yourself off to care for another. **
I’m a huge fan of personifying my body and all her/his/their parts. Sometimes it’s just the one part, sometimes it’s a side, a limb, an organ, etc., and sometimes it’s the whole package. It helps me connect to my body on a different level offering a much needed shift in perspective.
In this case, I’m referring to the whole package when I say he/she/they need the rest! Nobody is meant to function on little sleep, even if you feel like you can. It is NOT optimal for your health and wellbeing.
Your body is tired. The parts need a pause. A reset. Time to decompress. They do a lot for you. Really take the time to think about that, how much your body is doing for you without a second thought all day every, it’s pretty amazing. Your body truly is a gift, try your best not to take advantage of it. And a huge part in caring for your beautiful body is SLEEP.
It’s time to put your body first
My approach to wellness never requires perfection. I think perfection sets us up for failure and burnout. Rather, focus on simply getting better sleep, one step at a time.
Don’t let one night of suboptimal sleep get you down. Wake up, adjust and tweak your schedule for the day if you can, and if not, carry on. Let it go and move forward with your day, you’ll get another chance for a restful sleep that evening. And the next. And the next. That’s the beauty. There’s always opportunity to try again. Be easy on yourself.
Try different things, eventually you’ll figure out that sweet spot of sleep and know exactly what you need to make it good sleep happen. That’s the work. That’s’ the power that comes with the territory of taking the time to understand what your unique body needs in terms of sleep. Once you know the recipe by heart, it’s easy to make adjustments and tweaks to meet life’s needs.
Diet and exercise also play a huge role in sleep patterns and quality, but for now, you can start with these simple things.
1. Consistency is key
Your body likes to be in a good rhythm, especially when it comes to sleep. Work at a consistent schedule that suits your lifestyle. Avoid big extremes. Think about time frames instead. Allow for some flexibility with your sleep schedule, you aren’t a machine that can be programmed. You are a human that is constantly changing, evolving, and adapting to the requirements of life. I myself like a 1 hour window for both sleep and rise time.
Example: I like to go to sleep between 10pm-11pm and the I wake up naturally between 6:15am-7am. On my days off I may stay up an additional hour and sleep in a little later. But I’ve also discovered that staying up later is easier for me than sleeping in - not a good combo for me. With that said, I’ll survive if occasionally I stay up a little later and get a little less sleep, I can make up for it on the next sleep. You don’t want to be a prisoner to your bedtime — being too rigid can be troublesome too.
2. Consider a nightly routine
This doesn’t need to be anything crazy. It can simply be to wash your face, brush your teeth, and floss. Maybe say a prayer or give gratitude if you aren’t into prayer. Something to alert your mind and body that bedtime is approaching. Again, your body likes routine and cues. Over time, if you keep repeating your nightly routine, your body and mind will begin to recognize the pattern making sleep consistency easier over time. Don’t get too caught up in the routine, obsessing over the perfect nighttime routine isn’t necessary or productive. A nightly routine doesn’t also give you permission to obsess over it. Keep it simple and easy. When things are simple and easy, you can do them anywhere anytime — that is a key factor to the longevity of a practice.
3. Meet your sleep needs
Make your bed and bedroom conducive to good sleep. Get nice sheets, invest in a good mattress, pillows, blankets. Try a sleep mask, noise machine if you’re trying to wean off TV. If you like it quiet, do your best to make your sleep space quiet. Need it pitch black? Try some new curtains. This doesn’t mean you need to break the bank, stay responsibly within your budget and buy things over time — if you need them.
Keep your bedroom tidy. A clutter filled room can have an impact on your sleep quality. Just think about it, there is nothing better than going to sleep in a nicely made bed, fresh sheets, clean room. It just feels good, right?!
4. Try a sleep app
It’s really important to get an accurate picture of your sleep. Without an accurate picture, how can you make the proper adjustments? Information is power. Take advantage of the fact that you can easily track the quality and quantity of your sleep with very little effort on your part. It makes much more sense to enlist the help of a simple device than just making guesses and assumptions, right? Remember what I’ve said about wasting your time in wellness — when you can, take the guesswork out of it.
The above list is from wearable.com. Read full article on wearble.com to get more info, tech isn’t my thing. I will say that I do love my Oura ring. It’s been a huge help for me, I recommend it.
These apps should be supportive, they simply give you information, how you respond to that information and the relationship you build around it is up to you. Like everything, find balance. Most importantly, be OK with missing out on a few nights of tracking, life goes on, you’ll be just fine. Sometimes the battery dies or you forget the charger all together. No need to stress, remember you survived without the device in the past and you can do so in the future.
I wish you all the best on your sleep journey and I hope this post helped even just a little bit. Now, go get some rest!
