Day 360 of 365 - The Count Down is On - Sleep
There are just six posts left in this 365 day blog challenge now. I'm thinking in these final days that I'll consider highlights of my experiences in this past year, particularly in the areas that led me to doing this in the first place.
One of the ongoing areas that I've addressed is the various influences on the quality of my sleep. What I have learned in this last year is that inadequate sleep is a widespread problem, and as is typical for a widespread concern, there are many many experts and solutions on offer for resolving it.
It currently takes me about half an hour to get ready to bed if I'm going to attend to all the steps of the routine I have developed. Does anybody out there just fall into bed after brushing their teeth, and rest soundly through the night any more? For those of us who don't there are a variety of what are called sleep hygiene protocols.
Some of these are related to what you consume in food and drink and how soon that occurs before bed time. Others relate to activity level and screen time. Many are related to the actual bedroom environment, including everything from mattress, bedding, pillows, lighting, window coverings, air circulation and quality, noise protection and dampening and so on. Then there are the ones related to quieting your mind, such as meditation, music or energy medicine practices.
In addition to all those, then there is the array of sleep aids in the form of supplements on offer. Though there are many over the counter sleep aid medications now, the ones I refer to are herbal, mineral or homeopathic. For example, I took a U Dream lite last night, which contains extracts from plants, one type of mushroom and one amino acid. It is suggested that it be used only intermittently, so it is a once per week tool in my sleep arsenal. I've added a few more in over the year, and it's still a work in progress.
I've read so many articles, and listened to so many interviews in the past year related to how to get a better sleep as well as the seemingly endless ill effects of not getting enough. I've become mostly averse to looking at them now, because it just makes me feel like a failure as well as worrying about long term health effects. The ones that have irked me the most are the ones claiming that this 'one simple strategy' will cure my sleep problem. It's not simple, and it's not just one thing! Sigh....
On a positive note, however, overall my quality of sleep has improved, and the occasional nights of solid sleep encourage me that more is possible. It's a true gift to have one of those and I'm very appreciative of that, in the way that parents of a baby feel gifted when they get a good night's sleep.
I hope that some of you reading have learned some helpful tips about sleep from various posts over the year, or at least that you feel less alone if you are in the insomnia club. Hang in there! We've survived this far, so there is still hope and room for improvement.
One of the ongoing areas that I've addressed is the various influences on the quality of my sleep. What I have learned in this last year is that inadequate sleep is a widespread problem, and as is typical for a widespread concern, there are many many experts and solutions on offer for resolving it.
It currently takes me about half an hour to get ready to bed if I'm going to attend to all the steps of the routine I have developed. Does anybody out there just fall into bed after brushing their teeth, and rest soundly through the night any more? For those of us who don't there are a variety of what are called sleep hygiene protocols.
Some of these are related to what you consume in food and drink and how soon that occurs before bed time. Others relate to activity level and screen time. Many are related to the actual bedroom environment, including everything from mattress, bedding, pillows, lighting, window coverings, air circulation and quality, noise protection and dampening and so on. Then there are the ones related to quieting your mind, such as meditation, music or energy medicine practices.
In addition to all those, then there is the array of sleep aids in the form of supplements on offer. Though there are many over the counter sleep aid medications now, the ones I refer to are herbal, mineral or homeopathic. For example, I took a U Dream lite last night, which contains extracts from plants, one type of mushroom and one amino acid. It is suggested that it be used only intermittently, so it is a once per week tool in my sleep arsenal. I've added a few more in over the year, and it's still a work in progress.
I've read so many articles, and listened to so many interviews in the past year related to how to get a better sleep as well as the seemingly endless ill effects of not getting enough. I've become mostly averse to looking at them now, because it just makes me feel like a failure as well as worrying about long term health effects. The ones that have irked me the most are the ones claiming that this 'one simple strategy' will cure my sleep problem. It's not simple, and it's not just one thing! Sigh....
On a positive note, however, overall my quality of sleep has improved, and the occasional nights of solid sleep encourage me that more is possible. It's a true gift to have one of those and I'm very appreciative of that, in the way that parents of a baby feel gifted when they get a good night's sleep.
I hope that some of you reading have learned some helpful tips about sleep from various posts over the year, or at least that you feel less alone if you are in the insomnia club. Hang in there! We've survived this far, so there is still hope and room for improvement.
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