Heading into the last part of our #SleepLikeARockstar challenge, we’re ready to go from casually flirting with good sleep to a more serious commitment. Let’s take those tools we learned in the first two parts and make them HABITS. Creating long-term healthy habits surrounding sleep will give you the best chance of success for nourishing, restful sleep.
5 Habits that improve Sleep:
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- No caffeine after 3PM (or earlier if you’re an early-to-bed type). As you’ve learned, on average, it takes 5 hours for the body to eliminate half the caffeine you consumed.
- Journal before bed—Has a stressful day? An eventful one with lots of running around? Maybe it was a relaxing day but you had a long talk with a close friend. Journal about it! Let those thoughts flow out of your active brain so that your subconscious can find peace and you can drift off to sleep.
- Keep naps short and early—As we learned in our Instagram Live with Sarah Girard, the key to waking up rested from a siesta is to keep it short and make sure you wake up before it’s dark out. 20, 40, max 60 minutes, and no later than an hour before sunset. This will help keep your circadian rhythm, or internal clock, functioning as it should.
- Make your bed! Not only will it make your mother proud, it will also help you create a relaxing sleep environment. For other tips on keeping your sleep environment in tip-top shape, check back on our first reset!
- Get moving. Even for just 5 minutes a day. Move your body, get your heart rate up, and if you can, break a sweat. Track your movement (maybe track your sleep, too!), set goals, and work it. Not only will you feel accomplished and tired, your brain will release endorphins, reduce stress hormones, and increase serotonin. Make sure to keep it more than 2 hours before bedtime, though!
Challenge: Choose one to three habits to practice each day for the last 5 days of this challenge. Make time for you, and reap the restful zzz’s as your reward.