Keeping a Sleeping Routine
Today's post is about how to create a sleep schedule. Sleep is super important to how we function on a day-to-day basis, and once you lose sleep, you can't make up that time. In this post, I go over how to keep a sleep routine so you can be just as successful with sleep as you are during your waking hours!
This topic is super important to me because for most of my life I've had difficulty falling asleep. This would lead to me being pretty cranky in the daytime, and I would have to take tons of naps to feel rested. I could never get my mind to quiet down when I tried to sleep, and I just assumed it was my genetics that was the issue. About two years ago I stumbled on a youtube video talking about sleep hygiene, and I realized that my body wasn't the problem, the issue was that I wasn't taking the right steps to get myself to sleep.
Create a Pre-bed routine
Wind down for at least 30 minutes. It's easier to fall asleep if you're at ease and relaxed. My personal routine includes reading, low-impact yoga, and listening to soothing music.
Avoid bright lights before going to sleep. This helps you transition to bedtime and also helps your body produce melatonin, which is a hormone that promotes sleep. So if you have a smaller lamp, try using that instead of an overhead light.
Disconnect from Devices
I know we've all heard this before. I don't wanna put my phone down either. Sometimes I don't put my phone down and watch TikTok until I fall asleep. BUT it actually does help to stop using your phone before bed. The light that comes off your phone suppresses your natural production of melatonin, so try to disconnect from it at least 30 minutes before going to bed. I noticed that once I started implementing this tip, I started falling asleep much faster than I ever have before.
Set a Fixed Wake-up Time
It's almost impossible for your body to get accustomed to a healthy sleep routine if you're always waking up at different times. Pick a wake-up time and stick with it, even if it's a little later in the day for you. Mine is usually around 7:00 am, but since it's summer I've been getting up around 10:00 lately.
Budget time for sleep
The same way you schedule your day, you should be scheduling your sleep. Here's a small template to budget your sleep efficiently.1. Look at your ideal wakeup time
2. Work backward to see when you need to get to sleep to get the right amount of sleep hours for you
3. Make sure to include a wind-down time ( around 30 min before bedtime)
ADJUST YOUR SCHEDULE GRADUALLY
When you do decide it's time to make a change, make small adjustments. Make these adjustments with a maximum difference of 1-2 hours per night. This allows your body to get used to the changes so that following your new schedule is more sustainable!
Sleep is essential to our physical and mental health, but a great number of people find themselves regularly deprived of quality sleep. I hope that the tips I've given you today help you start your day off on the right foot feeling well rested from a good night's rest! These tips have seriously helped me, so I hope they can help you as well!
Hello Sophia,
ReplyDeleteGreat way to end off your last blog. I enjoy that you chose the topic of sleeping and also included helpful ways to manage time. As college students, we are all guilty of not getting enough sleep. This can be due to studying, partying, or working. Either way, our sleep is a lot of times messed around with. You mentioned that sleep is essential to mental and physical health which is absolutely correct. Our physical health without sleep appears to look drowsy usy and gives us dark under eye circles. Our mental health struggles to stay focused and alert without sleep which puts us in a bad mood. So, thank you for this post and the recommendations.
Hey Sophia! Really enjoyed your post. Sleep has been a hard thing for me to come by this summer since I've been working full time, but I'll try my best to incorporate some of your advice into my nighttime routine. I always catch myself watching Tiktoks before bed, but I set a timer on those social media apps as well to regulate my usage. Sleep is extremely important for your overall health, I'm glad you discussed it and how you handle your own routine!
ReplyDeleteHi Sophia! I really enjoyed reading your blog post! I think it is super important for people to understand how important sleep is. Some may view it as being lazy but I find that getting a good night's rest can do a lot of the body. I like that you included ways that we can improve our sleep and they are all great points!
ReplyDeleteHi Sophia, your title really caught my attention because I struggle with sleep a lot. It seems like my body cannot get more than 5 hours of sleep. What really used to help me sleep was reading for 30 min to an hour before going to bed but I have not done that in a while. I'm guilty of watching tiktok until I go to bed but Ill try to incorporate the tips on your blog!
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ReplyDeleteHi Sophia,
ReplyDeleteI've heard about blue light from phones so I wonder if that's the same type of light you mentioned. I have problems sleeping all the time. After reading your blog I see why. Ill be awake until 4 am on my days off then wake up at 5am to sleep at 10pm on my work days. So I definitely don't have a set schedule. When I fit into a regular schedule I'll even sleep through my alarms. This was the first post of yours I've read and it was very educational. I'll be looking to sleep much better now.
Hey Sophia thank you so much for this blog I really do hate messing up my sleep schedule and tiktok really does have an impact on when I go to sleep I am working on self control so these tips is something that I will try to use in the future great blog!
ReplyDeleteHey Sophia,
ReplyDeleteThis post speaks to me on a whole different level. I am one of the worst sleepers in existence. I used to be a bit better before college when I had a set class time of 7:30 in the morning every day, but now waking up that early would almost be impossible. Due partially to COVID and now my work schedule (which consists of late nights), I wake up consistently between the hours of 11-1. I personally hate my schedule, but I haven't been able to break the cycle. With your post I think that I might finally stand a chance. I simply need to put the phone down and allow myself to wind down for 30 minutes. This will be the deciding factor in whether or not I will be capable of changing my schedule or not, but with the help of your post and suggestions I think I might just be able to. Thank you so much for sharing such crucial information!
Sophia,
ReplyDeleteThis blog was perfect for me. WOW. I literally always wake up tired. it doesn't matter if i get 8+ hours of sleep, I still wake up tired. I really do not know what is wrong. I legit always want to sleep. I tend to go to sleep around 2 during summer, but it's because I work late. So, that means I wake up later. However, even if I get enough sleep, I still want to sleep more and I do not know why. Your blog helped me realize what I'm doing wrong. I need to stop watching videos before sleep and not use bright lights. I also want to set 40 mins to wind down, just like you said.
Thank you for the blog it really helped me!