Alliance for Catholic Education
As this post illustrates, I have trouble managing my time and my competing priorities which often leads to not enough sleep. I am so envious when I meet people who don't ever seem to be tired. What's their secret, I wondered? It turns out the answer is my familiar nemesis: discipline. They have a routine, which their body is accustomed to. Sleep specialists share some common traits to facing the day bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Well rested people:
1. DON'T SLEEP IN. EVEN ON WEEKENDS :(
One of the most important things in establishing a healthy sleep pattern is sticking to a regular wake time (and seeking bright light first thing in the morning). A steady wake up call sets your circadian rhythms, or internal clock, helping you to feel tired at the right time in the evening. Sleep specialist Ojile says, "Even some nights if you can't get to bed on time, you should get up at your approximately same wake time." There is no such thing as "catch-up sleep so following your normal routine on weekends is the best way to establish and keep your health. The good news? Getting the right amount of sleep all week means you won't need to play catch up on the weekends.
2. CHECK ELECTRONICS AT THE BEDROOM DOOR
That's right - don't bring your ipad/ipod/pc to bed with you.
Almost everyone -- 95 percent of Americans, according to the National Sleep Foundation's 2011 Sleep in America Poll -- uses some sort of electronic device in the hour before bed, and, according to a recent HuffPost/YouGov poll, 63 percent of smartphone owners between the ages of 18 to 29 cop to falling asleep with their cell phone, smartphone or tablet in bed. But all that nighttime screen-time might be messing with our shuteye: Not only do 3 a.m. texts disrupt sleep, but our many gadgets -- TVs, laptops, tablets or smartphones -- emit light that can signal to the brain that it's daytime, or time to be awake.
"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," says Charles Czeisler, Ph.D., M.D., of Harvard Medical School.
So... that's enough for now - GO TO SLEEP! I will give you two more Healthy Sleep Habits each day for the next 3 days. I sure hope you read this somewhere other than in your bed.
*excerpts taken from www.huffingotnpost.com/2013/10/23/sleephabits