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My Sleep Resolution for 2022

A guide for a better sleep (and life) in the new year

By Lana V LynxPublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 7 min read
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My Sleep Resolution for 2022
Photo by Andisheh A on Unsplash

Next year will be my 52nd revolution around the Sun. Good place to pay more attention to sleep. When I was about 33, my sleep pattern changed completely, turning me from a sound 8-hour sleeper into a restless wreck who slept less than 6 hours a night and constantly felt exhausted during the day. It was partly because I was a new mother and my son was a hyperactive infant who slept in short intervals and woke up several times during the night. I envied new parents whose kids started to sleep through most of the night in infancy. My son slept through 7 uninterrupted hours for the first time when he was 25 months, and I couldn't believe my luck, waking up every couple of hours to check if he was still sleeping. Another reason for my restless sleep was my demanding job: as a department chair at a university, I had too many responsibilities, several people to manage and endless deadlines to meet.

Over time, I realized that I couldn't sleep long even if I wanted to and could afford to sleep in. I'd wake up after 5-6 hours of sleep, my brain wheels would start spinning and I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. I once had a friend who claimed she could "see" my thoughts by feeling their energy. She kept telling me they were too fast and furious, like busy bees in a big hive. I liked that metaphor and I know that as soon as I wake up, my bee thoughts get very busy.

At first I was upset and stressed out about my shortened sleep patterns, especially with media, health experts and all my relatives and friends telling me that it was not normal that I slept so little. But then I learned how to live with this by using the power of re-framing, thinking of myself as not sleep-deprived but rather as sleep-regulated. I know that my body and mind can function well on 5-6 sleep hours a night and now I don't stress about what other people think of me not having enough sleep. I don't even use the alarm anymore: no matter how early or late I go to bed I know that I will wake up 5-6 hours later. No chance of oversleeping, unless I go to bed at 5 am.

When I wake up, my brain immediately goes into the overdrive mode, thought bees start swarming around, plotting what I need to do and coming up with plans and strategies for the day, week, or a month. Once those bees start buzzing, it's impossible to go back to sleep, and I simply start doing something. When I can afford it, I stay in bed and read or do other work such as research and writing. When I need to show up in places, I get up and start getting ready. It gives me time to do everything substantially, without forgetting anything important.

At this point in my life, sleep is not about quantity but quality. So I learned some little tricks and strategies to turn my 5-6 hours a night into high quality peaceful and recharging sleep. Most of the times, I do several of them in one evening, so my resolution for the next year is to do as many of these things at the same time as I can, turn them into a permanent routine. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. No matter how tired you are, don't skip your evening routine of taking care of your face, neck, feet, and hands: wash, tone, and moisturize. I do this because I take showers in the morning, not the evening. Although it would be interesting to see if an evening shower will help better quality sleep.

2. Reflect on the day's achievements and don't stress out about something you didn't manage to finish: Tomorrow will be another day.

3. Try to set up a regular sleep schedule by going to bed at the same time every night. Meditate and do breathing exercises before going to bed.

4. Put a couple of leafy live plants into your bedroom on both sides of your bed for better production and circulation of oxygen. Don't forget to water them and give them light during the day!

5. Stop using your smart phone or any other brain-stimulating screen devices (including your laptop) at least 30-45 minutes before going to bed.

6. If you have trouble falling asleep, read a book so boring, impenetrable or hard to read that it will put you to sleep after only a couple of paragraphs. Hegel, Kant, or Lenin would always do the trick for me. Soft, ambient light for reading helps as well.

7. Another tactic for falling asleep: Use the Calm app, it has Matthew McConaughey reading bed-time stories for adults in a soothing whisper.

8. If you want some quality music background, turn on calming music for better sleep on your laptop. YouTube has lots of videos without ads that last 9-12 hours, so it can play while you sleep. Just make sure to set it in another room so that the blue screen does not interrupt your sleep.

9. Make sure the temperature in your bedroom is 1-2 degrees lower than the normal optimal temperature for your body. You will be under a warm blanket for coziness anyway. My perfect "sleep" temp is 65F. I like it when my feet are warm and the tip of my nose is cold.

10. If you cannot ensure complete darkness in your bedroom even with specially designed dark curtains (there's a powerful street light right outside my bedroom window), use an eye mask. It will most probably come off as you turn in your sleep, but at least you will be able to fall asleep easier. Your cashmere mask with gel inserts that can be heated in the microwave or cooled in the fridge will give an additional benefit of toning and relaxing your eyes.

11. Use special calming and relaxing smells to spray your pillows. A lavender and vanilla mix works miracles for me. Candles with powerful smells will do the same trick, just make sure to put them out before you go to bed lest you burn down your dwelling.

12. When you are lying in bed and falling asleep, listen to your body parts to make sure they are all in a comfortable position. Sometimes shifting your leg, shoulder, or arm just by half an inch can make a big difference.

13. If you wake up in the middle of the night and your brain bees get to busy work, don't just toss and turn desperately trying to force yourself back to sleep. Reach out for that boring book. If it doesn't help, get out of bed and do something useful. At least you won't feel that you are wasting your time.

14. If you have a vivid, lucid dream or a nightmare, jot down its key events and images right after you wake up and write them out in detail later. It may results in a good story, like the Mirror I published here earlier.

15. Eat your dinner at least four hours before going to bed. If you feel hungry, have a healthy snack such as a piece of fruit (apples are good for your teeth, too). Going to bed with a stuffed tummy will give you discomfort and most of those calories will end up on your belly and hips.

16. Keep a glass of water on your nightstand. Hydration is important, but don't drink too much of water. Take a few small sips so that you don't have to get up to the bathroom several times a night.

17. If you have an opportunity, experiment with the mattress firmness to figure out what makes your body (and spine) most comfortable. Sleep Number Bed is ideal for that.

18. Use bed sheets and blankets that give you comfort and joy. Egyptian cotton and down comforters are "it" for me, but other people like silk, bamboo, flannel, or polyester and weighted blankets. Whatever works!

19. Put on comfortable sleepwear that makes you content. I like pajamas because sleep shirts and long nightdresses tend to crawl up all the way to my neck and suffocate me.

20. Place a dream catcher above your headboard if you believe in its powers. Even if you don't, it's a nice piece of art to decorate your wall.

Overall, remember that you sleep to live, not live to sleep. Sleep is important for high quality life and it needs to be of high quality in itself. It's not about how long you sleep but about how well you sleep. You can always catch up on quantity later (or in another life).

wellness
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About the Creator

Lana V Lynx

Avid reader and occasional writer of satire and short fiction. For my own sanity and security, I write under a pen name. My books: Moscow Calling - 2017 and President & Psychiatrist

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