Doesn't Anyone Sleep Anymore!? Improve the Quality of your ZzzzZZZzzz...

I don’t know about you, but like some, I’m a serious insomniac!  I follow a routine almost every night in hopes of possibly having my head hit the pillow and falling into complete coma induced bliss, yet I’m just not getting there!  And what’s with sleep anyways?  In the 30 years of my life that I will spend sleeping, I could have spent all that time travelling, building my empire, and eating watermelon.  Then again, that’s just my over-achieving self talking, but realistically, I really do need sleep! Don't you?

Did you know that sleep is actually extremely important, here’s why:

1. It improves our memory (our brain doesn't shut down during sleep but rather goes into overdrive, like a computer sorting through its memory).
2. It has the potential to double our problem-solving skills.
3. It increases our ability to empathize with others.
4. It heightens our sex drive.
5. It’s associated with a higher IQ in kids.

In fact, just one night without sleep is what leaves us without performing at the same level as having a blood alcohol level of 0.08.  That’s pretty sad, especially since I’ve appeared to have had a little too much fun for the last couple of nights… yet I’ve been as sober as a doorknob. Which means that I should be at least trying to find a way to get to bed earlier and possibly knock myself out with something a little stiffer than just a hot shower.  I want to be that sober-eyed, kind-hearted, and sexually active genius I know I am, but I can’t do it without shut eye!

The Situation: I wake up too early, my husband has a tendency to snore and move around a lot, and I certainly don’t wake up refreshed after having bright eyed Wambits crying to me for a bottle at 3am.  I then ask myself this, if I can’t find more time to sleep, then how am I going to improve the quality of my sleep so that I can get the most out of each hour of slumber? 

I could possibly wear earmuffs, a garter belt, lock my bedroom door, seal in my windows with duct tape and black linen, ask my husband to sleep elsewhere… though, these options limit my capability in realistically continuing to have a Healthy Relationship with my bed tenant. 

I’ve noticed as with most avid sleepers I’m heavily influenced by light, which is why I get crabby when I see any flicker of it while trying to get to sleep.  I get so upset if someone turns on a light, it’s almost like the pinching feeling you get when someone tickles you too much.  Then It naws at my brain when my phone vibrates at 2am, and that light seeps across from the vibrating phone to my now dreaming self.  

Some intelligent scientific types say that artificial light exposure between dusk and the time we go to bed at night suppresses release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, enhances alertness and shifts circadian rhythms to a later hour–making it more difficult to fall asleep. This could be a good indication of why we don’t get the rest we need sometimes?

The Solution: Apparently there are a few ways that we can increase the Quality of our sleep!  Yay to us! 

1. Taking a warm bath right before bed.  This helps to soothe and loosen tight muscles, in addition to relaxing the body and slowing the heart rate.

2. Keeping the room dark!  Shutting off all electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime, and using a curtain to give you that extra bedroom “darkness”.

3. Avoiding caffeine at least 4 hours before bedtime!  Yes, that means no more RedBulls at 7:30 for me… but also be careful for certain teas!

4. Exercising regularly!  Isn’t this what we’re preaching anyways?!  Funny enough, it’s actually key to drawing more oxygen into the body, and working off the extra energy, so that at bedtime you're not some jitterbug.

5. Keeping the bedroom just for sleep & sex… which at times is hard to do, but when your bedroom is a place for peace, calm, and a little tantric play.. you’re more likely to feel rested in this Zen inspired environment!

So, a goal to set for yourself this week, and the rest of those 30 years you plan on sleeping through... should be to achieve Quality sleep!  Write down a few ways that you're going to put this plan into action, and try to accomplish at least one goal at a time!  Before you know it those bags will disappear, you won't be drinking out of milk cartons at 3AM, and your partner will notice the sober-eyed difference...