For years, I never was a morning person. I could never muster the energy out from my comfortable, forgiving bed. I mean, who needs to wake up early when the warmth of my bed awaits?
Until a few months ago. I spent my days devoted to my job, and by night I was wide awake swiping through my FYP of TikTok. If it was past midnight, it was still too early to go to bed. And by the sunrise, I couldn't bear to face the day. Not to mention, I'd have hit the snooze button one-two-three too many times, so mornings were spent rushing out of the house. I'd never have time to take a shower, my makeup was hardly done and my outfits were certainly questionable. Let's also not forget my rapid mood swings and agitated nature. I was irritable at everyone and everything. Even if I felt like I was 'rested', I felt drained and dragged through the gutters. My skin was breaking out all along my jawline and forehead. I didn't have the creative energy to focus on things that I love, like writing or photography. I was a shell of my own self.
I finally reflected on my habits, what exactly was I doing that was wrong, if anything at all? Well, I initially thought it was because of my diet. I ate sugary snacks, and tons of gluten, so the first guess was to eliminate the guilty suspects. I decided to eat cleaner, and healthier foods. I increased my intake of fruits and vegetables, and hydrated myself regularly, I really thought it would make a difference. And it did. Sort of.
My skin looked immensely better. It disappeared across my forehead, and was significantly better along my jawline and chin. My mood swings leveled out, I didn't cry nor get angry nearly as quickly as I had been before. I couldn't bother to do anything but work. I felt like I spent my entire day gathering all that energy into work. By the time I was home, I just wanted to be zoning out on my phone. Again, I felt deprived of any creativity and motivation. Now, I was back to square one.
I did what any Gen Zer would do. Head to the internet to figure out what exactly was wrong. After reading blog post after blog post, and about a hundred of WebMD entries, I figured it out.
The actual culprit was my poor sleeping habits. I was sleeping, but I wasn't getting restful sleep. I didn't take that into consideration until I read this article by the New York Times (link is here). The article basically stated that sleep can affect so much of our lives that we never thought about. Like lack of sleep could lead to depression and impaired immune system. When I posed the question to myself, what were my sleep habits?
For a solid week, I wrote everything I did before and after I went to bed. After that week, I reflected on what I did. Here's a blurb of what I was doing. I wouldn't go to sleep till 3am, after my eyes grew tired of staring at my phone. I'd mindlessly scroll on IG, TikTok and Youtube, even though I couldn't recall what I was looking at. My eating habits weren't great either. It also turns out I also was a late-night snacker. I would eat anything I could find in my kitchen, like a raccoon in a trashcan. Crumbs of crackers and chips filled my bed. I left week old dirty clothes scattered around my room, shoes would be kicked off in the middle of the floor. By the time the sun was up, I barely got four hours of restless sleep. The alarm would go off, and I would turn it off immediately, it was a reflex I didn't even know I had gained. I'd lay in bed, and rattle all the things I needed to do. Only to roll over and fall back asleep, or be in a dream state-of-mind. Causing me to jolt out of bed five minutes before work. Needless to say, it was unhealthy.
After writing all my (bad) habits out, I knew change was neccessary. Here are a few things that I did that improved my sleeping habits, and shifted my life completely.
Number One: Technology Wind Down
This was so influential in my sleep habits. I decided a no-phones after 9pm, allowing me to unwind from the digital world too. I limited my television time to an hour. I implemented a time-out setting on my iPhone that automatically shuts off all apps on your phone once it's past a certain time. It pushed me to read more books in my collection that I had left on my shelves neglected. After 9pm, I would make myself a nice cup of tea, curl up in my cozy chair and get lost into reading. It helped me decompress from the day, I got lost into my own head. My body felt more relaxed and at ease during the night.
Number Two: The Bedroom Sweep
Right before I went to bed, I made one major committment. I'd clean up my room. I'd organize my shoes that were scattered across my bedroom floor. My corner chair carried piles of clothes high to the ceiling would be emptied, with all clothes placed in appropriate bins. I would organize my vanity table, sorting my makeup and jewelry. Cleaning isn't my skill, by any means, but it did make me feel better. I didn't feel overwhelmed of the thought of cleaning. I was more ampt to wake up in the morning to enjoy my bedroom space.
Number Three: ASMR Relaxation.
Falling asleep can feel daunting. At least, for me, it did. I was so used to falling asleep out of sheer exhaustion, I didn't know how to fall asleep any other way. Especially, when it's dead quiet. I needed to listen to something to fall asleep, so I turned to ASMR. The soft sounds of hand tapping, brushing, and personal attention, would easily relax my mind. It's something I have to do every night, it gives my brain tingles, it releases tension in my muscles and relinquishes any worries of the day I might have. Here are a list of content creators that I love.
PS: If ASMR isn't your style, listening to soothing sounds like the ocean or rain falling might be up your alley too! Click here for a suggestion too.
Number 4: Weight it down
I had recently received a gift of a weighted eye mask almost two years ago. I hadn't ever used it, I mean, who wears eye masks any more? I certainly didn't. Especially one that was weighted. But on my quest for better sleep one night, I pilfured through my closet to find it. Still in it's original packaging and everything. After unboxing it, and cleaning up the wreckage, I crawled into bed with my weighted eye mask. It elimiated all light, giving my eyes a rest. It put pressure on to key points of my face. By morning, my face felt less puff, my breathing was stronger, and my eyes were finally relaxed. Below is the product I use!
Number 5: Alarm Away
My final point to productive and restful sleep is wherever your alarm is, make sure it isn't at arms reach. It's too tempting to press that snooze button, and ignore the day. I always kept my alarm close by, which only made me want to shut it off as soon as I heard it. So, to resolve the issue, I put it across my room, on my desk. Now, it forces me to get up out of bed, and turn it off. By then, I'm already up, so I might aswell start my day.
I hope these tips and tricks help you to more peaceful sleep, and improve your everyday life. I know it has mine. I'm more energetic, ampt to do the things that I love, and honestly excited to hit the sack!
links provides are not affiliated. all opinions are my own.