Getting up early is a well-known life hack, but often we believe this comes at the expense of burning the candle at both ends. Working until after midnight to only get up a few hours later, is NOT doing yourself any favors. Wildly successful businesswoman and famed sleep advocate, Arianna Huffington has literally begun a global crusade to improve both the quantity and quality of our sleep. Here’s a few tips to help you get the most out of your slumber by building a night routine.
Eat Dinner Earlier
Not only does a late night burger, linger in the form of heartburn, it’s also still hanging out in your stomach when you lay down. Your body is designed to digest food most efficiently when we are in an upright position. So laying down shortly after your last meal impedes the hard work your body does to digest. Plus, energy upticks felt after cramming down your favorite carbs. Filling our bodies with fuel late in the evening confuses our systems into thinking it’s time to get up and go when our mind wants to wind down.
Set a Bedtime
Set a target time to go to bed every night. You have an alarm that is going to unceremoniously bring you into reality each morning right? Then why not have a similar reminder of when it’s time to ease into your slumber each evening. Your iPhone already has a “Bedtime” option in your clock application that will remind you when it’s time to lay down. In fact, it will also default your phone to do not disturb during those hours and keep notifications at bay for the night. Do not fret; you can update the setting to allow phone calls from your favorites list so you never miss a “true” emergency.
Use an App
If there are apps that will literally tell you the best moment to sneak in a bathroom break while watching the last east box office thriller, then, of course, there has to be one that will help you get ready for bed. The Calm app features over 100 sleep stories (updated weekly) specifically selected to help you doze off. If storytime is not your thing, the app also boasts a collection of soothing music to help ease into your dreams.
Stop Scrolling
Your social media feed is your go-to time killer, but it’s also your top-ranked sleep stealer! Lying in bed scrolling aimlessly is a fantastic way to find yourself three hours into searching for your long lost 8th-grade crush, but it’s simultaneously combating your body’s natural sleep cycle. The blue light phenomenon tricks your brain into believing it’s still day and the hyperactive pace of new content proves scrolling and sleeping don’t mix.
Read Yourself to Sleep
Remember when you couldn’t make it through more than 5 pages of your book once you climbed into bed? Well, there’s a good chance not much has changed. Reading naturally reduces stress making you fall asleep that much faster.
Skip the Nightcap
Contrary to popular belief that glass of wine or whiskey before bed, ISN’T helping much in the sleep department. Although alcohol can make you fall asleep quickly, the value of the sleep is compromised. Outside of having to wake up for those frustrating, middle of the night trips to the bathroom; alcohol is known to decrease the amount of REM sleep because you spend more time in a deep (although less refreshing) sleep.