We are busy human beings. Sleep is a luxury we can no longer afford, because we are like puppets with strings pulling us in different directions. But what is the point of working our asses off, if you end up getting burnt out and feeling groggy throughout the day, creating a vicious cycle of reduced productivity.
We know we need sleep, but we keep shutting out the signs our body subtly sends. Here are some tips on how to maintain the sleep our body desperately craves and being a more positive human being.
Gradually change your schedule
Trying to change your sleeping pattern is just you trying to create a new habit. But what we all are guilty of, in building new habits, is trying to change everything at once. I mean, you can’t just magically wave your hands, thinking there is a wand there that would change everything to perfection! Decide what time you want to sleep and wake up to feel rested, and still complete any work that needs to be done. Know yourself. The night owl cannot be a morning person overnight. Take baby steps in changing your schedule. Your body was already used to a former routine, so you trying to wake up an hour earlier and expect to feel alert, or sleeping an hour earlier and expect to be tired immediately is just fooling yourself.
Be consistent
It is a fact that to create a new habit, you should do that thing consistently for at least three weeks. Consistently. That means everyday of the week. That means weekend. In reality, if you have a regular sleep pattern, you don’t need an alarm to wake you up on weekdays, and you really won’t need to sleep in during the weekend. Doing so, would just disrupt that schedule you worked hard to build. After some weeks, you would realize you can’t just help but sleep and wake at a particular time. It’s just like having your bath every morning. You can’t just help it.
Set a bedtime and wakeup routine
What are the things you do before you sleep? What are the things you do immediately you wake up. These things are very important in cueing your body that it’s time to sleep or wake up. What if you’re someone that finds it hard to fall asleep? Even when you know you are dead tired, your brain still creates scenarios of what could possibly go wrong the next day. You could do something that leaves you relaxed, like reading a book, or listening to music or dimming the lights. What if you’re someone that finds it hard to get up without setting several alarms. You could work out to wake up your body. Do whatever works for you.
Our bodies are quite simple. Just a sleep wake cycle that reoccurs everyday. But as humans with big goals, it does not always work this way. We want to achieve more, and sleep less. But still end up paying back for it. Save yourself some unnecessary drama and sleep. And win.
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