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Note that the title of this post is not Strategies for Getting More Sleep. Oh, no, that’s an entirely different issue (and one I will address in another post.) But in order to get more sleep, you need to get to bed. Period. And that’s been a weakness of mine, given that I’m a major night owl. Lately, though, my usual 6 hours a night is not cutting it – I struggle to get up in the morning and I doze off mid day. Also, the Faster Way to Fat Loss program I’ve been using, regularly reminds us that sleep is essential for muscle growth and body changes. So, I’ve been working really hard to get to bed at 11 every night. Here are the steps I’ve taken…
- Make a priority list of what MUST get done before bed and get that done as early as possible. I juggle a lot of balls, with a few different jobs, two kids, a husband, a gecko, and a cat. Certain things HAVE to happen before I go to bed. I have started trying to do those things right after dinner now, so that the undone things are not crucial for our morning (and no pets are starving.)
- Enlist your kids. I confess that I let my kids slack. Kind of a lot. I’ve started handing responsibility back to them. If they don’t want to fold their socks and underwear? Fine. They can put it in their drawers and deal with finding what they need after their baths. Not my problem anymore.
- Get ready for bed early. Some nights I go up right after dinner and brush my teeth and put on my pajamas. Some nights I do it later, but I now try to be ready for bed at least an hour before I need to go to bed.
- Set an alarm. No, really. I have an alarm that goes off at 10:45. I turn off my computer, scramble to get whatever last minute stuff I can done and hit the sheets as close to 11 as I can. Next week I plan to move that earlier. I have a goal of eventually getting off my computer by 10:30 and reading for 15-20 minutes and being in bed with lights out before 11.
- Just do it. I was whining to Beer Geek about not getting enough sleep and how I should go to bed earlier. His response was to just pick a time and go to bed at that time. I was like “Whaaat? How do you do that???” But honestly, the man has gone to bed at 9:30 probably 90% of the nights since we got married 23 years ago. Obviously he knows what he’s talking about. So yeah, sometimes I leave things undone and just go to bed.
Some other suggestions:
- simplify Facebook – I can’t leave it because of work and the blog and ambassadorships, but I’ve been leaving groups and unliking pages like it’s my job. I only have so much time, I can’t let that take so much.
- turn your phone on DND at least a half hour before you go to bed – people will still be there tomorrow
- create margins in your life – I have very little in the way of margins right now. I’m working to make them bigger and in the meantime I’m practicing saying no.
Got any suggestions for me? I’m currently getting about 7 hours a night and I’m aiming to get closer to 8.
I’m joining Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five 2.0 linkup.
Oh my gosh! I’ve been doing the same thing on FB. I don’t remember ever liking all the pages that appear in my feed, but yep, I’m unliking them like a boss. Of course, FB has been supplementing all that space with things like “your friend commented on this…” and crap like that. I’m so over it. I wish it was like IG where you can just have a business account and be done.
I have no problem going to bed early….
My problem is my husband. He has a similar response that I should just go to bed. Kind of hard to do when he is watching TV in our bedroom 🙂 Hope to see you for coffee date tomorrow!
Deborah @ Confessions of mother runner recently posted…Easy Steps To A Race Day Flat Mama
Last night I was so proud of myself. I was laying in bed by 9 pm and watched tv until 10 then it was lights out and I actually fell asleep. It was lovely! Usually it is not that easy. I must have been really tired.
Lacey@fairytalesandfitness recently posted…The Conclusion of the Saga
7 hours is really very good! I have a pretty good night time routine, but my problem isn’t getting into bed — it’s just staying asleep. After a horrible week last week, I’m happy to report 4 out of the last 5 days I got good sleep.
You’re not letting your kids slack. You’re teaching them responsibility. Seriously! How will they ever learn if they don’t do things for themselves?
Judy @ Chocolaterunsjudy recently posted…Catterday: Spilling over tea/coffee April 2018
These are such great tips!! I do like you, and start packing lunches right after dinner, while my son washes his dishes. It has been a huge improvement and I go to bed earlier.
Ana recently posted…Friday Five- The Races That Were Not Meant To BE
Great suggestions. I try to go to bed around 9 and usually it ends up to be more like 10:30 by the time I have finished up all my obligations.
Patrick@looneyforfood.com recently posted…Week in Review: Shorts to snow – Looneyforfood
My parents were quite strict with my bedtime, and I’ve stuck with it as an adult. I know I need a lot of sleep, and since my sleep cycle has me awake between 5 and 6, I know I need to go to bed early. I hardest part is getting away from my phone, but my phone time at the end of the day is mindless and not adding anything.
I really need to work on putting stuff down and going to sleep earlier – I don’t even have kids to distract me! Just not enough time in the day (PS – thank you for chatting with me last night from rock n blog re: not going to bed any earlier LOL)
Rach @ Girl On The Run recently posted…March Recap + April Goals
Going to bed early is not a problem I have! I freaking love going to bed. What I do need help with is staying asleep. My cats wake me up in the middle of the night and then sometimes I can never fall back asleep. 🙁
Megan @ Meg Go Run recently posted…Friday 5: Turning off.
I so need to get my booty under the covers much earlier as well. My problem is that I’m simply not tired. I like your idea of getting into your jammies as early as possible. I”m gonna try that!
I try to go to bed by 10pm. It is a habit I’ve had since I started teaching. Sometimes I go to sleep a bit earlier. During the winter when I do my run in the evening, once I am home and showered, I change into my pajamas. No reason to put on something else.
I also try not to check FB too much before going to bed. Then I get trapped and am scrolling endlessly.
Zenaida Arroyo recently posted…Random Thoughts Thursday 14