October 8, 2017
I’m back this week to continue the conversation about sleep. It’s such a crucial part of feeling healthy, and something that a lot of people disregard in our culture of getting SO MUCH DONE. Here’s part one, about why sleep matters, in case you missed it.
If you find that you aren’t getting quite enough sleep to feel your best, below are some suggestions. In fact, I’ve come up with so many suggestions, that I decided to break them up into several parts over the next few weeks so I don’t overwhelm you! Today I’ll focus on light, or rather, not having light.
EMBRACE THE DARK & QUIET
We sleep best in a room that’s dark, cool and quiet.
- Dim the lights the last few hours of the day (signals melatonin and protects circadian rhythms). I love using salt lamps, candles and strings of white lights in the evenings as part of my wind-down. Plus, it’s pretty romantic.
- Blue light-blocking glasses (the blue wavelength of light is what we get from the sun, from light bulbs, and especially strongly from computer and phone screens). Simple amber safety glasses, like those found at the hardware store are great and cost around $10. This may seem kind of silly, but research has shown that they can dramatically improve sleep quality.
- Reduce all light in the bedroom. Put duct tape, or something similar, on the LED lights on your outlets, fire alarms, computers, and any other machines to help ensure total darkness. Seeing even these small amounts of light during the night is disruptive.
- Go electronic device-free. Use an actual alarm clock, instead of your phone, preferably one without a bright LED screen. This also means leaving TVs and computers elsewhere.
- Use black out shades – sometimes necessary in areas with bright street lights.
- Eye masks and eye pillows are other nice tools. I love the gentle weight (and subtle lavender scent) of my eye pillow for when the sun comes in on the mornings I want to sleep in – I keep it within reach on my nightstand.
- White-noise machines or earplugs help if noise is an issue for you.
- Lastly, keep the bedroom cool, but your feel warm. Being too hot or too cold makes for restless sleep.
Many more tips to come. But start implementing a few of these light-related ones now and let me know how it goes for you.
Sleep well,
Colleen
p.s. If you need better sleep now, contact me and we’ll set up a special 30 minute sleep consultation (currently $65) with customized recommendations for your situation.
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