When I was a kid, I loved sleep. I used to have this school holiday practice of sleeping early (forcing myself to do so even when I didn't want to) and then making myself wake up early and planned a bunch of activities for myself. Growing up in the 20th century without the ubiquitous electronics and 24/7 streaming services made this fairly easy (especially when the TV went dead by a certain time). Sure, I was also the kid that enjoyed staying up and watching old movies. But the most important thing of all, I slept well regardless. When I failed an exam, I slept well. When I resented someone, I slept well. As a kid, we probably had the natural habit of not allowing any of the emotions of the day to carry into bedtime and the next day. This practice is lost on us as adults.
As part of my own enforced well-being practice on weekends (I am getting better at it by reminding myself that I will be more productive this way, although I still fall through the cracks), I read Sleep Smarter: 21 Proven Tips to Sleep Your Way to a Better Body, Better Health, Bigger Success by Shawn Stevenson. Beginning this year, I told myself I would carve out time to read books that had nothing to do with my immediate work or projects, as part of my well-being practice. By priming myself to do something that is good for my well-being, I also begin to spend less time on micro-habits that do not improve my life, but rather, generate increased anxieties or feelings of dejection.
Here are some tips I'd got from finishing the book over the weekend (I took a lot of breaks to do other things) that would be helpful to all during particularly trying times. I am not much of a self-help book reader because many tend to amplify myths, make unproven assertions, assume an equal playing field, and sometimes bait you with fake optimism. But what I like about this one is the common-sensical advice that is also about making yourself the source of your own well-being, rather than asking you to buy all kinds of gadgets and supplements (the author did attempt some soft-selling plugs), and being more mindful of all the things you thought you were doing for your health.
1. Get away from electronic screens 90 minutes before bedtime. Hard for me to follow on most weekdays, and some weekends, when I work up to bedtime, but I am trying to develop the habit gradually. This works for those of you who like to doom-scroll through social media before bed because this habit can heighten your anxiety and threaten your mental health since social media is a hub/nest of negative gossip for the most part.
2. Stretch or take a warm shower/bath (This I have done and it does work). Or if a shower is not feasible, just put a warm and wet towel over yourself - remember to remove that towel before it gets cold!
3. Read some fiction - I am trying to do that but I think if you read anything that relaxes you or puts you in a more positive mood (other than news and social media posts), this works too. Just don't read anything that excites you if you do not want a night of insomnia.
4.Use the bathroom (Goes without saying).
5.Journaling (I like to do this earlier in the day but it is good to do it later in the day where you do a gratitude log). For some of you, it may be prayer or meditation. I had a childhood ritual of praying before bed which helped put me to sleep on most nights except when i get over-excited (see no. 3) but that got lost due to changes in my belief system. But regardless of whether you are religious or not, or whether your believe in a particular faith, prayer is akin to doing a gratitude log. Or a gratitude chant.
6. Lay in bed and do something that acts as a form of closure for the night (it could be breathing, meditating, or just locking your mind into one positive thing that happened that day, however small).
P/S There are other things to consider which I am not posting about: room temperature, body temperature, sleeping posture, sleeping appurtenances, exercising, eating properly, not drinking alcohol immediately before bedtime, getting more time out in the sun, don't use chemical melatonin as a substitute (except as a short-term fix to combat travel-related jetlag), connect with nature, etc. You can read the book to get more of the details, or check out the ample research on wholestome sleep on the internet.
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