Day 2: Make your bed a dedicated one

As you have set up a good environment for sleep, you are ready to create your evening routine.

We develop habits related to specific things in our environment. When you go into the bathroom in the morning, you probably grab the toothbrush habitually. When you get in your car, you probably have a quick routine that you go through of checking the mirrors, interior, etc. We fall into little habits based on things in our lives, and our beds are not exempt.

The problem with doing a bunch of different things in your bed (such as reading, working, playing games, watching television, talking on the phone, etc.) is that when you get in it to go to sleep your body has no idea what it should be doing.

Compare this to doing nothing but sleeping in your bed. The minute you get in, your brain goes “sleep time, let’s pass out” and you can fall asleep quickly. If you get in and your brain goes “time to turn on the TV!” you’re not going to sleep particularly well.

Commit to only using your bed for sleep (okay, and sex). By doing this you avoid the confusion from having a number of different bed habits and you tell your brain that it should start shutting down as soon as you get between the sheets.

Possible barriers and how to overcome it

When you think you can’t fall asleep, you might be tempted to use your phone to check emails or any social media on bed. As you know how bad will the blue light disrupt your sleep, here is a simple solution to resist the temptation.

Put yours cell phone away from bed (at least not at a reachable arm-length), or ideally not in your bed room. Buy a “proper” alarm clock to replace your cell phone. Then, you will have no more excuse to use your phone on the bed.

Today’s checklist

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Source: Lifestyle