Better Sleep Part 2

Well folks, the results are in!

Monday through Friday last week I turned off all screens at least 30 minutes before going to bed.(including plugging my phone in upside down so I wouldn't have to look at it again).
I slept like I had taken a NyQuil. I woke up less during the night. Usually I wake up two or three times but both Wednesday and Thursday night I slept through the entire night. I also do not remember laying in bed for very long before I was asleep.

That is pretty significant for me.

I would have done it Saturday and Sunday as well but we watched Hook on Saturday night (my first time!) and oh boy was I into it.

I fully endorse the National Sleep Foundation's suggestion to eliminate screens in order to maximize sleep. I did a little more reading on the subject and found that the reason screens affect us is that our circadian rhythm seems to be especially sensitive to light with short wavelengths, such as that from most computers and phones. This light delays the release of the hormone melatonin which regulates the sleep/wake cycle. It can take time for the body to settle down from a full day of screen-saturated alerting effects. So we really do need to plan in some winding down time before we expect to fall asleep.

Read more on sleepfoundation.org 

So my advice to everyone is to treat yourself like your own kid: make bedtime an event. Prepare for it, start early, make it something to look forward to. Put a good book within arm's reach so you can give your eyes a break from the blueish light of screens and let your sleepiness catch up with you.

If it doesn't work right off the bat give yourself a couple of weeks. Do it consistently so that your body gets into the new cycle.

I can't promise it will work for you, but it has definitely helped me significantly!