Are you noticing that you are a little more tired in the morning, than usual? Do you feel like you are more irritable than you would like to be? Does it seem like it is a struggle to make it past the work day? It may be time to look at your sleep hygiene.
Since we are children, we are told about taking care of our hygiene. Our parents tell us to wash our face, brush our teeth, floss and then go to bed. After years of being reminded of this and being held accountable for our hygiene, it becomes a rou
tine habit, right? But how many times have you been reminded of sleep hygiene?
It is ok if this is an unfamiliar term for you, but it is the basic routine or rituals you fallow when going to bed. This may be something you haven’t had to think about before. In the mental health community this is a huge factor, because the preparation before bed can affect the quality of sleep you get. It isn't always about quantity, but quality.
 If you can think of a time you may have pulled an all-nighter to study, or had a swing shift you had to cover, you may have noticed that you felt a little intoxicated the next day. Maybe everything felt a little off. Sometimes physically, not having the strength you usually have.  Did you know that it only takes 24hrs of no sleep to start having delusional thoughts? Each person threshold of tolerance is different, but in general if you are unable to get to REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, the quality of rest is inhibited, and it can be like you never slept at all.
It would be like plugging your phone in at night, only to wake up the next morning to find that your charger wasn’t plugged in and you have 15% to start your day.
In my stress relief workshops, that I provide for companies, sleep hygiene is one of the areas we focus on. I have consistently found that this is an area that most people are in need of improvement. Awareness around the habits and rituals we do before going to bed gives us a full story of why we may feel exhausted in the morning. By mindfully looking at what habits are serving you and which habits are disruptive, you can start to improve your natural sleep quality.
One example is giving yourself 30 minutes of no technology before sleep. This includes TV, Computers, and Phones. I know this can be hard when you want to get one more email out, check what your schedule looks like in the morning, or just finish the last episode in a season; but when we do this right before bed, we are stimulating our mind and giving it new pathways to explore. Rather than slowing down we are speeding up, which makes it harder to fall asleep.
Just notice what your body feels like after watching a suspense thriller. Your adrenaline is going your pupils are dilated and you are awake! The last thing you want before you are going to bed. So, take that 30 minutes to allow yourself some time to look inward rather than outward. Notice your breathing; scan your body; what feels good? what is aching? Allow your eye lids to close, as they have been working all day long.
After about a week you may start to notice that you are waking up before your alarm clock. Your body may feel a little looser and even your mental clarity may be firing before you have that cup of coffee.
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