Let's be honest - one of the hardest parts of being a parent is the lack of sleep or disrupted sleep that you get from middle of the night wakings with the kids. But in a society that wears lack of sleep like a badge of honor ("I pulled an all nighter at work and didn't sleep for 2 days!" -- some poor junior banker on Wall St. bragging to his/her friends), we are all definitely missing out on something critical to our health. Deep, uninterrupted sleep is so important to many functions in our body. In fact, poor sleep habits impact everything from making bad choices when it comes to eating, slowing down metabolism, an increased risk of viral infections, cancer and mood disorders, just to name a few. And, to make matters worse, many of the things we turn to throughout the day due to the lack of sleep actually perpetuate the problem -- caffeine, alcohol, antidepressants, sleeping pills, lingering in bed, having bad associations with our bed such as frustration -- all lead to having more issues sleeping and disrupting sleep.
Dreaming is also extremely important for the brain -- which doesn't happen unless we can allow ourselves to get the deep sleep that we need. Dreaming is associated with consolidating memories as well as emotional healing. Giving our brains the rest it needs is critical in allowing ourselves to be as happy and healthy as possible.
So, what can we do to cultivate better sleep habits? Here are a few steps you can take starting today:
1) Drink a lot of water throughout the earlier part of the day, but limit your liquid intake after dinner and before bed so as to avoid middle of the night bathroom wake-ups.
2) Get your exercise during the day -- your body needs movement during the day to keep things flowing and to keep your circadian rhythms in check.
3) Turn off your electronics 1-2 hours before you go to bed -- DON'T spend all evening glued to your phone or the TV or the computer. The light from your electronics disrupts the circadian rhythm. Also, we are bombarded with information all day long and our brains don't get the chance to cool down before we go to sleep. Just like you power down the computer for the night - your brain needs the chance to power down too.
4) Do something that relaxes you before bed - light stretching, meditation, journaling, read a real book, take a warm bath, whatever it is -- just do something that helps you to wind down and allow your brain to take it down a few notches (this does not include being on your phone scrolling on social media for hours).
5) Go to bed early & get black-out shades for your bedroom or wear an eye mask -- get your body horizontal and in the DARK. This signals to your body and brain that it's time to go to sleep. The darker it is in your room, the better.
Have faith in your ability to fall asleep on your own without the aide of sleeping pills and other things. You have to allow your brain and body the chance it needs to wind down and let go of the day and the millions of things running through your head or on your to-do list. Know that getting the rest you need is critical for your health and well-being, so doing this should actually be on the top of your to-do list- every single night.