Start the New Year with Rest
It’s Tuesday in the second official week of the new year, and I’m still not exactly settled on what standards I’m going to focus on in the near future. I’ve been posting on social media about this practice of taking a breath and not rushing into resolutions. But, there is one place that needs our immediate attention: our sleep routines.
If you’ve ever tried to train a toddler how to put themselves (and keep themselves) to sleep, you know the struggle. As parents, we tend to work very hard to create a consistent routine for our kids because we know they need the rest (and so do we) but also because we know that without quality sleep, children will not thrive.
As adults, we are not unlike our children. We need nearly as much quality sleep but very often, we tend to ignore the very habits we use that help our children sleep well. We don’t consider our night time rituals as closely as we can. We easily slip into remote mode on social media or tv or house chores instead of investing in a routine that creates the best environment for rest. This has to change.
We need deep and REM sleep in order to be our best, to improve our chances of living a long, healthy life with a healthy brain. I hope you don’t think you can skimp on sleep and still be your best (or even very good). Here are the the universally practiced habits that improve sleep quality for almost everyone:
Cool bedroom temperature (and bed if you want to buy a chilipad) below 65*. This may seem extreme until you try it, then you’ll never go back to 68* again!
Stop eating at least 3 hours before sleep (more is better).
Stop drinking at least 2 hours before sleep.
Stop blue light at least an hour before sleep (longer is MUCH better).
Journal, read, pray, meditate, stretch or find the “activity” that helps you unwind from the busyness of the day. This step is unique to all of us, but these are the most common habits that help us unload our brain activity and calm our minds.
Elevate legs above head and heart (this improves circulation of the lymph and cardiovascular systems and can easily be done by lying on the floor with socked feet up against a wall).
Dim lights (candlelight?) the closer you get to sleep time.
Consider supplementing with magnesium glycinate. Magnesium is one of the minerals we lose daily, is less available in our foods and necessary for over 300 reactions in our chemistry. If you haven’t looked into this mineral, start here.
How much sleep you need is unique to you, but of course, most of us do well with at least 7-9 hours/night that also include 1-2 hours each of deep and REM sleep. These unique sleep patterns are where our brains detox, heal and grow new pathways.
If you’re unsure about your sleep quality and want to know more, consider some sort of wearable monitor like a smart watch or Oura ring. I’ve worn a Garmin watch for the last three years and recently bought an Oura ring. The ring data is much deeper and also easier to sleep with (neither of these company’s want to pay me for my promotion either😂).
Are you able to view simple lifestyle habits, like bedtime routines, as important behaviors that make a big impact in your health? Can you look forward to the routines you create around sleep that improve it’s quality (probably even more than medications)? Can you look at your sleep routine in 2024 as an interesting mystery to solve rather than a problem?
These routines (and I’m still tweaking them) have helped me improve my sleep more in the last year than I thought ever thought possible. If your health is one of the things that you want and need to improve, my suggestion is to make sleep your #1 priority. No amount of other healthy behaviors will work as well (including fasting and fitness) if your sleep is off, so start your 2024 goals now. Give it a try this month and see if February isn’t a better launching pad into New Year’s resolutions than any year before.
