Good habits for good
sleep:
1. Exercise most days, even if it’s just to take a walk.
2. No caffeine after 7:00 p.m.
3. An hour before bedtime, avoid doing any kind of work that
takes alert thinking. Addressing envelopes—okay. Analyzing
an article—nope.
4. Adjust your bedroom temperature to be slightly chilly.
5. Keep your bedroom dark. Studies show that even the tiny
light from a digital alarm clock can disrupt a sleep cycle.
We have about six devices in our room that glow bright
green; it’s like sleeping in a mad scientist’s lab. The Big
Man's new pet, a Roomba (yes, he loves his robot vacuum),
gives out so much light that I have to cover it with a
pillow before bed.
6. Keep the bedroom as tidy as possible. It’s not restful to
fight through chaos into bed.
If sleep won’t come:
1. Breathe deeply and slowly until you can’t stand it
anymore.
2. If your mind is racing (you’re planning a trip, a move,
Christmas shopping; you’re worried about a medical
diagnosis), write down what’s on your mind. This technique
really works for me.
3. Slather yourself with body lotion. It feels good and
also, if you’re having trouble sleeping because you’re hot,
it cools you down.
4. If your feet are cold, put on socks.
5. Stretch your whole body.
6. Have a warm drink. Some people claim that warm milk
contains melatonin and trytophan and so helps induce sleep,
but in fact, a glass of milk doesn’t contain enough to have
any effect. But it’s still a soothing drink. My nighttime
favorite: 1/3 mug of milk, add boiling water, one packet of
Equal, and a dash of vanilla. A real nursery treat.
7. Yawn.
8. Stretch your toes up and down several times.
9. Tell yourself, “I have to get up now.” Imagine that you
just hit the snooze alarm and in a minute, you’re going to
be marching through the morning routine. Often this is an
exhausting enough prospect to make me fall asleep.
Re-frame your sleeplessness as a welcome opportunity to snatch some extra time out of your day. I get up and tackle mundane chores, like paying bills, organizing books, or tidying up. Then I start the day with a wonderful feeling of having accomplished something even before 6:45 am.