Four days into my first goal of the new year, and already some considerable challenges have identified themselves. First, to review a few parameters of my goal:
- No electronics after 9:30 p.m., no exceptions
- Any exercise must be finished by 7:30 p.m.
- Stick to my already-established pre-bedtime routine, and only light reading before bed.
I've heard, through different websites offering advice on how to sleep better, that electronics close to bedtime can overstimulate your brain and cause trouble falling asleep. My own observations of my fall-asleep-ability after tooling around on the computer or watching TV has confirmed this to be true. Still, I never quite realized how addicted to technology I was until I conciously stopped. Less than six minutes after turning off the TV, I find myself itching to turn it back on. So far, preparing for bed a bit earlier, and reading a book, has helped calm that urge bit by bit.
All in all, my challenge doesn't seem to be getting to bed on time, but getting out of it. In the past few days I've moved my alarm clock and phone charger (as I use both) out of flailing-arms length, and found that only works when you set the alarm to actually go off the next morning. Otherwise, friends have offered advice such as having a glass of wine, or buying a light timer to wake up with light rather than sound. As I've heard that alcohol before sleep can actually disrupt sleep quality, I intend on trying to find a good light timer and attach it to a nearby lamp.
Until next time! - Melissa
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