Sleep Cycle

I seem to be seeing a lot of interest on pinterest (see what I did there?) lately on sleep.  Posts about when to go to sleep depending on what time you need to wake up, how to have a more productive night's sleep, and how to wake up more productively. 

I wanted to share with you how I get a good night's sleep. 

I used to struggle with sleep; I could never get to sleep well, I slept fitfully throughout the night, and would wake up in the worst moods.

Something that took me a long time to figure is what to do physically if you cannot sleep.  Do not toss and turn and try to force sleep upon yourself.  Get out of bed and distract yourself, but not with anything with a screen.  Read the newspaper, a magazine, pay your bills, clean the kitchen.  Do not watch TV or get on your computer. The flashing lights will stimulate your mind further and it will be harder to fall asleep. 
When I can't sleep now I pray the rosary.  The repetitive nature of the prayers calms my mind and keeping my fingers busy gives me something to focus on. 
Obviously praying the rosary isn't for everyone.  Everyone can find at least one thing that calms their  mind down and allows them to focus.
At the combined advice of professionals and friends I have come up with the a system that works really well for me.

Steps for a Good Night's Sleep:

1. Make sleep a priority.  Everyone is different and everyone needs a different amount of sleep.  Some people can get by on 4 hours a night, some people need 9.  Listen to your body!  If you feel yourself getting sluggish throughout the day or your body isn't working it is supposed to; you may need to adjust the amount of sleep you are getting.  Experiment with more or less sleep to find what your body needs.  Set time aside and realize that sleep is an integral part of brain function, metabolic functions in the body, and heart function.  Is that extra episode of Criminal Minds really worth the hour of sleep you will lose?

2. Create an environment that helps you sleep.  I like to sleep in total darkness, I find I wake up less when I have less light in the room.  Make your bed a cozy and comfy place where you can relax; really what this means is don't do work in bed.  Your bed should a no work, no TV, no computer zone. 
3. Create a bedtime routine.  When you consistently follow the same routine before you go to bed, your body will start to recognize that it is almost bed time, and start to get sleepy at the right time every night.  My night time routine consists of washing my face, brushing my teeth, turning off all overhead lights, then reading or writing in a journal.  Usually by the time I am in bed and pulling out a book my eyelids are already heavy; whether it is 8:30 or 1:30.

4. Sleep Cycle.  This app is the best investment I have made in a long time.  I got it under a recommendation from a friend and it is awesome.  The app is an alarm clock, but it works a little differently than your average clock/radio.  You set the time you want to wake up, then place your phone facedown on your bed.  As you sleep the phone will track your movements; more movement=lighter sleep, less movement=heavier sleep.  Sometime in the 30 minute block before you need to wake up, the phone will start an alarm.  But get this!  The alarm will go off when you are in your lightest state of sleep, this way you wake up when you are already at your most awake.  I tend to wake up in a far better mood when I wake up to this alarm than I do with any other alarm clock I have used.

5. Sound Machine.  This isn't for everyone, I used to hate sound machines and now I couldn't live without it.  I use an app on my phone, which can run at the same time as my Sleep Cycle app.  I don't listen to the ocean, or macaws; I use noises that sound more like white noise.


Try out one or more of these and see if they work for you!


Start with one of these