Diary of a Semi-Health Nut

ramblings + recipes of a semi-healthy nut

SLEEP: It’s Good for the Soul (Part One: Environment)

by

Let me tell you, nothing bugs me more than time wasted!
And I feel it is a big waste of time to lie in bed, staring at the ceiling for long periods of time, simply because I can’t get to sleep.  I feel that there are things we can do to ensure falling asleep in a decent amount of time AND having a sound sleep. 

Source

Also, nothing is worse than being sleep-deprived!  I remember seeing a study done by a news station years back comparing lack of sleep to being drunk.  One group was kept awake for a 24 hour period of time and another group drank enough alcohol to become legally intoxicated.  Both groups drove in controlled obstacle courses and the results?  Driving when you are overly tired is THE SAME in reaction time and decision making as being legally drunk. Scary, yes?

This girl needs coffee (source)

I have gathered a lot of info on the subject of sleep over the years because sleep was something I had issues with after abusing it for so long.  I had the crazy days of high school where I would stay out late and then go home and stay up even later doing homework…living on Mountain Dew and candy.  I went from this to working a full-time job, a part-time night/weekend job, and being a part of a business team on the side…getting zero to less-than zero sleep…living on energy drinks. I’ve also had to deal with living with roommates over the years who sleep at different parts of the day and get up at different times, who watch tv when I’m trying to sleep, etc.  I’ve also had to deal with noisy neighbors and all kinds of sleep disturbances that come with living with or near other people.

Here are some things I have learned over the years on falling asleep quickly and getting quality sleep.  (I am no doctor and have no idea about how to cure things such as sleep apnea or chronic insomnia, these are simply techniques I use myself to get a better sleep.)

I have split this post into two parts because of the length.  I wrote the first part of the formula in a previous post about planning healthy activities (the one that spurred the continuation).

MY FORMULA:
Good Sleep= Planning + Environment + Routine

Environment

  • Use your bed for what it was made for!  In other words…no homework, leisurely television watching, surfing the internet, or work of any kind!  You want your brain to associate being in bed with sleeping.
  • The same goes for your room, or at least bed area (depending on how big your room is).  
    • I use my room basically for sleeping and getting dressed.  
    • In my old apartment I had my desk in my room but had a room divider to make sure to separate my work area from my sleep area.  The brain is funny in the way we associate things, so take advantage of this.
  • Keep the room dark.  There is a chemical in our brain called melatonin that is actually active at night, or when it is dark.  Melatonin lets the body know it is time for sleep. 
    • White “black out” curtains help block light and when layering a normal curtain over it…a dark room is created! 🙂
    • I have black out curtains under my regular curtains that help block about 99 percent of the light (if used properly…mine might block out 80 percent but still useful).  These can range from very inexpensive to very expensive, and of course you get what you pay for.  I love the curtains as they block out the annoying street light right outside my room and the daylight if I’m going to bed early AND the sunrise if I am sleeping in later.
      • Face the wall!
    • Along with keeping it dark…any lights such as the light from your alarm clock…either dim it OR turn it around to face the wall!  I feel this also helps me not to be concerned with how long it is taking me to fall asleep because I literally can’t tell how long it’s taking!
  • Keep a pen and paper next to your bed.  Having trouble getting to sleep because of all of the things you need to get done the next day?  Write it all down on the paper and leave it until the morning!  This enables you to stop worrying you will forget the things you need to do…because you have a handy-dandy list!
  • If you are living with other people that don’t keep the same sleep schedule as you, I would invest in a sound machine.  It helps to block out other noises in the house/apartment and it won’t keep you awake like listening to music or having a DVD on all night.
Set to “gentle rain” ahhhh…
  • If you like watching tv or a DVD before bedtime, this is okay, but make sure to put your television/DVD player on ‘sleep’ to shut off in a certain amount of time.  Studies have shown that the light from the screen can either wake you up or cause you to get a restless sleep.  I also choose a movie or show that I have seen MANY times before so I don’t feel the need to stay awake to watch the ending.
    Love me some Gilmore Girls!
  • Is there anything else in your sleep area that is causing you stress?  Get.  It.  Out.

Stay tuned for the next part!
Does this help?  Are there any other things that you add (or take away) from your environment to get better sleep?   
Also, any questions I can try to address?  I want to help!

A helpful website if sleep is REALLY an issue: http://www.end-your-sleep-deprivation.com/

~Amanda aka Semi-Health Nut~