Hello, friends, and welcome! Today, for Monday Moods, I'd love to chat with you around the topic of sleep. I want to share my personal routine with you, and I hope you'll share your tips and advice on sleeping, as well. I want to show you what I use to get to bed on time, my favorite bedtime rituals, and share my secrets for what I do if I'm truly stuck awake all hours of the night with no sign of rest.
Make a Personal Nighttime Routine
A routine before bed does not have to be structured, time-consuming, and stressful; this is the time to begin to calm the mind and prepare to recuperate after the day's exhausting events. If the thought of making a routine for bed overwhelms you, don't think of it as a schedule or an obligation. Simply count off on one hand five things you usually do or would like to do every time you're preparing to go to sleep. And hey, guess what? It's okay if you don't do all five things every night. On any given day, here is what my nighttime routine typically consists of:
1. Taking a shower or bath~ I'm constantly switching back and forth between daytime and nighttime bathing, so I don't always start with this, but nothing beats a hot bath after an extremely long and tiring day. Let me know down below if you're looking for a more detailed post about shower products I use!
2. Cleaning piercings~ I just recently got the top cartilage of my ear pierced, so I clean it about 3x/day. The product I use is sold here on Amazon for only $12!
3. Brushing my teeth (obviously).
4. Pajamas~ I wear something different to sleep every night, and my #1 goal for my pjs is always comfort. To be real, last night I slept in a Budweiser t-shirt and Under Armour shorts.
5. Food and drink~ I try to keep late-night snacks light so that I don't get any indigestion or have trouble sleeping from what I ate. Some of my favorite things to recommend are fruit, crackers with cheese, cereal, vitamin water, ginger ale, and hot tea.
6. Reading, drawing/sketching/coloring, and watching a tv show or movie are some of the things I'll usually end my night with before sleepy-time.
Share with me in the comments on how our routines are similar and/or different!
Is There Really a "Perfect" Amount of Sleep?
Let's be real; if we're always saying in society that every person is different, don't you think human sleep schedules and patterns are going to be different, too? I've always been confused by this, especially growing up my whole life with sleeping pattern problems and insomnia. It's practically impossible for me to get the stereotypical "perfect" night of sleep, filled with uninterrupted, full unconscious sleeping for eight hours straight.
Last night, I fell asleep around 3 AM and woke up this morning around 8 AM. Is five hours the perfect amount of sleep for me to get through the whole day? Maybe today, yes, where I don't have much planned and only need to run a single errand this afternoon. But, there are other days where I need a lot more sleep and can barely make it through an eight hour day without passing out from exhaustion at the end. My mental health definitely plays an important role into my sleeping patterns, as I get less sleep the more anxious I am. Having a better grip on how to handle and cope with my mental illnesses has definitely improved my sleep health.
How much sleep do you get each night, and how many hours would you say makes up your "perfect" amount of sleep?
If I'm Awake ALL Night, Here's What I Turn to for Help
There are nights where I have a horribly rough time getting to sleep, and every-so-often I'll have a night with no sleep at all. For those nights, I do have a few tips of advice:
1. Melatonin~ can be picked up in any grocery store, is available to consume in many forms, and can help if you're looking for something to help you stay asleep
2. Lavender~ from essential oils, to candles, to pillow mist, to lotion, to body wash, this floral scent is a life saver for me.
3. Rx Sleep Aid~ if you're like me and still suffer from terrible sleepless nights even after using 1 & 2, speak with your doctor about getting a prescription to help you sleep. I take a medication every once in a while if I can't sleep, but I'm glad to say I only need to take it about 2-3 times each month.
Thanks for joining this Monday's mood post! Please feel free to let me know of any questions or topics you want to talk and/or hear about!
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Until next time, hope you're Living23 like me.
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