![]() The earlier you finish off any last bits of work, the less your sleep will be disrupted by the stimulating effects of looking at your laptop screen. The earlier you eat, the less chance of acid reflux in bed. When mapping out your evening routine, it’s worth taking into account the following factors: You’ve then got a loose timetable to follow each evening (unless you’re out). ![]() Once you’ve decided when you want be asleep, work back from there to schedule in the stuff you want to do beforehand, like eating, relaxing etc. If you want to wake at 7am each day, that means being asleep by 11pm latest. So, now we’re ready to figure out your nightly routineįirst, work out when you want to be asleep by. You want to aim for 8 hours sleep a nightĪccording to Hofstadter's Law: things always take longer than you expect, even when you take Hofstadter's Law into account! So give yourself plenty of time for things you want to do in the evening and for getting ready for bed and remember that LESS IS MORE! If you don’t like the idea of a routine, think of this as your gentle evening guide. I’m going to help you figure yours out, but before we do, please bear in mind three things. To get to sleep at the same time each night, it’s important to establish an evening routine. Remember, this is something to aim for, rather than something you’ll manage 100% of the time. People thought I was crazy when I’d bundle my son up at one week old and cart him around in the morning sun for 20 minutes a day, but I largely credit that practice with setting his days and nights by the age of two weeks and getting him sleeping for six to seven-hour stretches by about two months.In the excellent book Why We Sleep:, Matthew Walker tells us that going to bed and waking up at the same time every day will help us sleep better. And as an added bonus, this routine can help settle your newborn into a regular sleep pattern eventually, too. Getting out in morning light, and going to bed in as close to total darkness as possible helps to set and maintain that rhythm. Our sleep cycles are run by our circadian rhythms, which are set by a tiny receptor in the retina that is highly sensitive to light and darkness. This may sound new age-y, but really it’s just getting back to human sleep basics. Don’t pass up a chance to go to bed when it presents itself! Get outside in morning light, and keep your bedroom dark I cannot tell you how many times I’ve nearly passed out at 7:30pm, roused myself to get through another couple of hours, and then spent the entire night kicking myself for not going to bed in my optimum sleep window. On top of the fact that loads of research backs up that having these items in our bedrooms tends to wreak havoc on sleep, I can personally attest to the fact that banning them can really help with pregnancy insomnia. Leave your phone out of your room, and try not to sit up in bed watching TV, reading your Kindle, or playing games on your iPad. This is tough, but it tends to really help. Stretch for a good 15 minutes, then take a warm to hot shower to up your chances of a good night’s sleep. Namely, child’s pose, pigeon pose, and alternating cat and cow. If you can get to a prenatal yoga class, do it, but if not there are a few poses you can do at home to help loosen up your joints before bed. The pillow helps take the pressure off my hips or lower back and get into a position where sleep might be possible. Some Amazon reviewers have complained about it smelling oddly, but I did not find this to be true, even with my super-sharp pregnancy nose. It’s fairly firm, and stays that way, and is filled with kapok, a soft tree fiber. ![]() ![]() I’ve tried a few and wound up hating the Snoogle, which got too soft and lumpy over time for my taste, and loving the Physical Therapy Body Pillow from the Curvy Pillow Company. I’ve mentioned this before in my quest to alleviate back pain. If you’re desperately in need of a night’s sleep, I hope one of these strategies will help. I tend to think of it as nature’s cruel way of preparing you for sleep deprivation, but that hasn’t kept me from trying to fix it.
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