4 WAYS TO SLEEP SMARTER

We all have different individual sleep needs. There are some lucky ones among us who can get

away with 5-6 hours of sleep a night (I am definitely not one of them!), and others who need 10-11 hours to get through the day without feeling fatigued. Most of us though, need somewhere between 7-9 hours a night to function at our peak.

So how do you figure out how much sleep you personally need?

If you can, let yourself sleep naturally for a few days (performing this experiment over a long weekend is great!). Go to bed when you feel tired, and allow yourself to wake up without an alarm. Try to avoid alcohol or caffeine consumption in the afternoon during this trial period, as well (if you can give it up completely, even better!). This will help give you a better idea of your individual sleep needs, and clue you in to how many hours of sleep you should aim to get every night.

For myself, I found that the 7 hours of sleep I was getting each night wasn’t enough for me. My body functions best when I get around 9 hours of sleep. If I get less than that on a consistent basis, I get sleepy during the day, crave more junk food, and (I’ll be honest) turn into a little bit of a grouch.

Knowing I needed more sleep meant that I had to commit to an earlier bedtime. This was tough, considering I used the evening hours after the kids went to sleep to catch up on work and see what my friends were up to on social media. But I was determined to make getting a good night’s sleep a priority. With a little trial and error, I came up with a 4-step calming bedtime routine that I use to prime my body for better sleep.

4 WAYS TO SLEEP SMARTER

1) Power down electronics (yes, all of them!) Technology stimulates your brain, and the light from some electronic devices (think TVs, smart phones, and computer screens) can interfere with your internal body clock and promote wakefulness instead of sleep.

Also, let’s be real, electronics can be addictive. How many times have you told yourself “I’m just going to do a quick Facebook check” and then an hour later you’re watching some video of a flash mob wedding proposal? #truestory

Finally, checking emails (especially work-related emails) right before bedtime can create worry, stress, and anxiety. Not a good mindset to be in when trying to fall asleep!

Consequently, once 5pm hits, I turn off my computer and put my phone on silent until the next day. I use this time to be present with my family, focus on my needs and start to relax.

2) Acknowledge worries + major to-do’s An hour before bed is a great time to engage in some relaxing, pre-bedtime activities to wind down and trigger my body to know that it’s time to sleep soon. Honestly, it doesn’t take much in a day to get me triggered and stressed before bed. To combat this, I write down any worries I have and also important to-dos that need to be accomplished the next day. It’s like I’m doing a brain dump until I’m left with nothing but peace and quiet inside my head… and it only takes a few minutes to get there. You can do this at the kitchen table before you head to bed, which I find to be the most productive.

Another exercise is journaling out your thoughts. You could craft a poem, write out a prayer, create a gratitude journal— there’s no right or wrong way to journal. Do what comes easily to you and tweak as you see fit. The point is to release all those thoughts in your head and put them somewhere else for the night.

3) Enjoy some herbal tea or a light snack Herbal tea is a wonderful, calming treat before bed. I’m currently obsessed with the Yogi Soothing Caramel Bedtime tea. My husband and I drink it every single night in bed together (and have it on an Amazon subscription so we don’t run out). I strongly recommend adding a relaxing herbal tea into your bedtime routine ASAP!

If your body needs some extra nourishment, having a light snack at least an hour before bedtime can also help promote quality sleep. I personally love our Spiced Almond Milk recipe, which combines almond milk and warming digestive spices to balance your blood sugar and stabilize your metabolism. The extra protein boost from the almond butter also helps curb hunger pains throughout the night.

4) Focus on ONE thing The last thing I do every night is say a prayer of thanks in bed. You can try meditation, yoga, prayer, focused breathing or just a little quiet time. The point is that you’re being fully present on one thing to promote a sense of peace and mental clarity. My husband is the boss at his bedtime meditation + breathing combo. He used to struggle with falling asleep, but ever since he’s added this practice into his bedtime routine, he’s usually knocked out before I am.

SMALL STEPS ⇒ BIG CHANGE

I’ve made a commitment to sleep smarter and definitely feel better because of it. But I’m definitely not perfect. I don’t always get 9 hours of sleep every night, and I don’t always follow my evening routine to a T. That’s just part of life. Sometimes it can be really hard to make time for adequate sleep or space to unwind before bed (like when you’re a new parent, studying for finals or working long hours). I totally get it!

That’s why Jadah and I always say to focus on progress, not perfection.

For instance, if you recognize that you’re not getting enough sleep right now, try to go to bed fifteen minutes earlier tonight. If you have a habit of scrolling through Facebook right before bedtime, try to swap it for a relaxing bedtime activity (like spiritual practice or journaling). Over time, small steps can add up to big change

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