I've been getting back to my morning swim routine again. It can be so hard to drag myself to the pool at 5:30 am, but I always leave the pool feeling like a million dollars. I'm starting to feel revived after my summer of events, finally. Swimming is feeling better, and running is feeling better. Who has suggestions for improving sleep? I've been cutting caffeine, and I'm taking a supplement that seems to help that has a little melatonin (3 mg I think) and some other stuff like valerian root, and it seems to help me get to sleep faster. I still often wake up an hour or two early, though. Partly that's my cat wanting to start the day to play and eat, but it isn't all him. I'm trying to be better about using my phone in bed with some success. Should I be setting an alarm 30-60 minutes before bed and turning off all screens?
Matthew Walkers' (seriously flawed, I have to confess) book hammered home the point to me that almost any form of light at night can have a measurable impact on your ability to fall asleep and on your sleep cycle. I dim the lights at home 1-3 hours before I go to bed, if they're not dimmed already (which most are). I turn off lights up to an hour before I go to bed which triggers my brain to become sleepy. And minimal brightness just before bed of any screen I still interact with. We've also adopted the habit of never allowing our phone in the bedroom. Bed is the place to sleep, not another place to scroll on your phone. Another thing that helps me go to sleep, is to make sure I don't spend all day/evening distracted or focused on things. It helps me sleep faster when I allow my brain to meander and think a bunch of thoughts during the day, instead of putting on stuff to listen to or watch or do all day long.
Pick three songs. Not fight songs, not workout songs, but not lullabies. Just listen to 'em. Stare at a visualizer if you want? But no browsing, no reading. Just listen and wander. Brush your teeth and go to bed. No screens, no books. Just go to bed. Trust the reset process.
Probably. It won't hurt. I find it helpful to have an attractive substitute like a paper book that replaces the usual bedtime phone scrolling. I'd also suggest trying to adjust your lighting at different times of day. Bright, cool light is better for productivity, but you should switch to warmer (2700K) lighting at about 5 PM to help your circadian rhythm. Especially if you're getting up to swim that early!Should I be setting an alarm 30-60 minutes before bed and turning off all screens?
It's clearly the cats fault! I notice a difference when I turn screens and electronics off before bed. Doing a bit of mild exercise or stretching about an hour before bed helps too, even if it's just 5 minutes worth.
It definitely is the cat's fault sometimes. I've been trying to make a point of kind of ignoring him at least for two minutes when I get up in the morning. Every day is like Christmas to him because he gets to play and have breakfast which are his two favorite things! So when he's up he wants me up, like a kid ready to open presents. I'm hoping I can disassociate getting up with immediate play. I'll try the screens thing. I'd heard that, and it would be good for me to read a bit more, too.