Just a few more minutes online. Another couple minutes tidying things up. One more task, and soon it’s midnight before you’re getting into bed.
Once there, your mind races with memories of your day, ideas for your blog, reminders about your kids’ schedules. The details of the day carom through your head and you don’t fall asleep until after 1:00 am, waking exhausted the next morning.
We know better. We know we should get to bed earlier, but there’s so much to do. Like rebellious children, we stay up past our limit even though we know it will deplete our energy for the next day. And it’s true; the next day we have a hard time focusing, we’re exhausted and we barely make it through the day, let alone create something brilliant.
A few sleep tweaks can make all the difference. I coach every single client about getting enough sleep and I can share what’s worked for them. Take what works for you and develop your own satisfying and nourishing bedtime rituals.
Bedtime Tweaks
Develop a routine for bedtime. One of my clients called this ‘powering down to power up.’ Some features of your routine could include the following:
Turn off the computer at least an hour before you get into bed. Releasing your body and mind from electronic stimuli will signal your thoughts to slow down.
Free your mind of minutiae. Write down tomorrow’s tasks, errands or calls. Get these things out of your mind before bedtime, and prevent waking in a panic because you forgot to send that important email.
Calm your body. A bath, a shower, self-massage of feet, arms and hands will help you relax. You may opt for a couple of gentle yoga stretches or breathing exercises. Child’s pose and legs up the wall are great for slowing down the mind and calming the nervous system.
Relax your face. So much of our energy is concentrated in our forehead, eyes and cheeks. Try this conscious relaxation to help shut your active mind off for the night.
Lying on your back, let your eyes fall to the back of your head. Feel them sinking back. Soften the skin on your forehead and at your temples. Loosen your jaw and gently let your lips fall apart.
You may have to repeatedly relax your eyes and forehead, but I promise you’ll notice the impact on your whole system if you can relax your face.
Carefully choose bedtime reading. Avoid reading that is stimulating. I only read novels in bed. Non-fiction is too stimulating and I find myself thinking about work if I read any kind of non-fiction.
Sip something soothing. Some people advocate a nice cup of tea or warm milk before bed. If this doesn’t make you get up in the night to go to the bathroom, indulge.
Space tweaks
If you have a hard time falling asleep, take a look at your sleep environment and make sure these sleep stealers aren’t robbing you of peaceful rest.
Clutter A lot of stuff in your sleep space can bring thoughts and energy for ongoing projects or unfinished business.
Electronic stimuli Televisions, computers, electronic games, or other all emit electronic waves. If you do have these things in your sleep space, turn off the power strip at night.
Art Is the art in your space relaxing and not stimulating. I prefer a very clear and clean sleep space.
Noise I live in the middle of a city, and there can be a lot of noise. I particularly hate the sound of my neighbor starting his car for work at 5:30 am. I’ve taken to using ear plugs and they make a big difference in getting a full night of uninterrupted sleep.
Your turn
I’m no sleep expert, but I think it’s interesting that all my clients have required help getting to sleep so the rest of their creative life can fall into place.
What are your bedtime rituals? Share your sleep strategies in a comment below.
You know you should get to bed on time. Just another atom in the creative ignorosphere. This is part of my Creative Ignorosphere series, published here on the Original Impulse blog. Spread the word and help your friends out of the ignorosphere! #creativeignorosphere
WONDERFUL post!
In my home we call it “quiet time”. That’s when we dim the lights (WHY is every light on in the house?!), talk softer and turn off all the stimuli. If we are watching TV together, the volume gets turned down while we snuggle on the couch.
Sometimes it’s hard to get everyone else on board, especially now that they’re teens.
But it makes such a difference!! We’re all happier in the morning, and I feel like I’ve wrapped the day up with a bow. Candlelight helps, too!
I find when I work right up until bed time I dream too much and don’t feel rested in the morning. When I take the last hour of the day to calm things down, have pillow talk with the hubby, chat with the kids, or read together – life feels so much sweeter.
I have also felt better about giving the last moments of my day to my family instead of the computer. All is right with my world, and that boosts me in so many ways.
Joy,
Your quiet time sounds so wonderful! I love that it’s a family-wide thing. Your children will appreciate this later, when they’re working hard and making their own decisions about rest.
It’s very cool that you can clearly see the difference when you don’t have quiet time. Makes it very compelling to stay with it, doesn’t it!
Thanks for sharing a peek into your quiet time with us!
I have taken one atom out of the ignoresphere by the reminders in the article.
No longer will I read non-fiction before bed. I will only read novels in bed to go into a ‘bedtime story’ mode. Never did it dawn on me that reading about writing would keep my writing brain going. So obvious. How could I miss that one?
Thanks Cynthia!
Brook, I am so glad to hear it! I am not really a ‘rule’ person, but this one – reading only fiction – really helps me. I find that reading fiction helps slow my mind down and also relinquishes thoughts of my own world.
Plus, I get to read novels, which I love!
So glad this will help you rest better and be a better writer because of it!