Ways to Stop Robbing Yourself of Sleep | Chaitni Modi

How well do you sleep at night? How much sleep do you get? Do you feel well rested when you wake up? The quality and quantity of sleep is essential for you to feel energized, productive, and balanced.

When I was furloughed last summer, I barely slept. The elevated stress bled into all other areas of my life where I turned to, comforting but, unhealthy coping mechanisms. For instance, I would fall asleep watching some crime show with the television on all night. This one step started the vicious cycle of long naps, late to bed, and late to rise. I felt perpetually exhausted and further stressed out.

I slowly made changes to my routine, and, today, I am a much better sleeper. I still have room for improvement, but I am now in a place where I can continue making those improvements. This week, I put forth nine questions to ask yourself to determine ways YOU can enhance your sleep. These are questions I asked myself, and they helped me discover and practice better sleep habits.

Where is your phone/tablet/T.V.? My favorite nighttime routine was scrolling through Instagram looking at dog pictures and videos. That would turn into looking at pictures of others who seemed to have their whole life together. In other words, I would doom scroll and finally fall asleep to the negativity playing on mind as I looked at perfect pictures of others.

With the help of my coach and colleague, I discovered that I had to eliminate this detrimental habit. We zeroed in on a simple habit change: charging my phone away from the nightstand. I reminded myself that if the phone charged on the dresser, I would still hear the alarms. In fact, it would force me to get out of bed to turn off the alarm instead of waiting for the next alarm to fully wake me up. Also, I would still hear the phone ring if my loved ones were trying to reach me in an emergency.

Once I busted by own excuses, I felt more comfortable charging the phone on the dresser. My quality of sleep substantially improved. By not wasting time scrolling or going to bed with unhealthy thoughts, I began sleeping on time and waking up earlier.

What is your bedtime ritual? For me, a bedtime ritual signals winding down mentally and physically. I shower, brush my teeth, brush Coco’s teeth (yes, I’m THAT dog mom), and turn on my diffuser with an essential oil of my choice. Knowing how I want to get ready for bed helps me begin the process sooner. If I am targeting for 10:30 pm, then I know it will take me about 30 minutes to go through my tasks, so I begin winding down by 10 pm. If you can, avoid drinking liquids at least an hour before bedtime for uninterrupted sleep.

Where do you sleep? Have a separate space for your bed, and sleep on it! Instead of binge watching and falling asleep on the couch, use your bed and bedroom to sleep. Separation of space also helps your mind and body slowly shut off for the day.  If your couch is more comfortable than your bed, then it is time to invest in a better mattress, sheets, and pillows.

Remove any clutter from your bed. It is your bed, and not your desk or laundry hamper or library.