I have tried everything for better sleep. I have tried a ton of supplements including melatonin, magnesium, phosphatidylserine, and Ambien. I’ve spent tons of money on various pillows, comforters, and mattress. I blacked out my room, made sure it was a cold, and got rid of all electronic lighting in my room (you’d be surprised how many things in your bedroom glow in the dark!). Nothing ever gave me significant improvement until I started addressing my habits around sleep.
Specifically, I had not properly addressed the habit of waking up in the middle of the night and staying in bed. It wasn’t until I had multiple discussions with Nick Lambe (@theonlinesleepcoach) that I had been ingraining poor sleep habits for years. He explained to me that lying in bed for anything more than 30 minutes is telling your body, “We don’t sleep in this setting, we lie around and ruminate.” My brain shot out the back of my skull when he hit me with this truth bomb. Every time I woke up at 2 or 3am, I was laying there, trying to get back to sleep, thinking about how frustrating it was. After enough time, that became habitual. I took Nick’s advice, and since talking with him, I give myself 30 minutes to get back to sleep after waking up (and maybe grabbing a glass of water). After 30 minutes, if I haven’t fallen back asleep, I get out of bed and my bedroom, and I sit quietly and meditate. This is what I choose to do, but reading, listening to calming music, or journaling about the ruminating thoughts are also great suggestions too. Once you start to feel drowsy again, get back into bed and just relax. Remember, your body is wired to sleep, you just have to get out of the way. The key to this practice is getting out of your bed/bedroom. As Nick puts it, “There should only be two things done in your bedroom if you want good sleep: sleep and sex. Everything else should be done elsewhere.”
If you need some more great information on sleep and sleep habits, make sure you check out The Online Sleep Coach (https://www.onlinesleepcoach.com/).
There are many other areas that can affect your sleep like exercise, diet, and stress practices. If one or more of these resonates with you, it’s time to book a call with me today and start moving toward the best night’s sleep of your life! Click the link below to sign-up.