Falling asleep shouldn’t be this hard.
What is the last thing you do before you fall asleep? Or as soon as you wake up?
I scroll through my phone. I’ve sometimes fallen asleep still holding it. Even when I’m exhausted, and my body is calling it quits, my brain is yearning for that cat video on Instagram. And I know I’m not the only one.
The joy (dopamine hit) and entertainment that our phone or laptop brings, is very hard to compete with, and sleep often ends up taking a back-seat for most of us. Let’s face it. We are all tech addicts.
“Humans are the ONLY animal known to willingly delay sleep, and it’s a fairly recent phenomena.”- Sleepbetter.org
Here’s a bunch of dos and don’ts from our experts that will give our eyes and brain the rest it needs:
A screen-time cut off can really help.
The blue light that emanates from your smartphones and devices suppresses your melatonin production, telling your body you need to be awake longer than need be. Ideally, an hour before bedtime put the phone away and talk to people IRL. (That’s In Real Life)
Get into bed 30 minutes earlier. The reason we delay getting into bed is that we don’t want to fall asleep right away. Instead of distracting ourselves until the very last minute, the way to cultivate sleep hygiene is to make our bedrooms a resting sanctum, filled with therapeutic, relaxing tools.
Make your bedroom a tech-free zone. Instead, fill your bedside table up with other calming alternatives like a Rubik’s cube, crossword puzzles, a book, essential oils, an old school radio. Read about these successful women and how their bedtime rituals help them be more productive the next day.
Switch to paper. Do some light reading or write down things that happened in the day. Now’s the time for your mood or gratitude journals, or to-do lists. Plan, say thanks, reflect, relax.
Meditate. The Jacobsen’s technique or the Mindfulness body scan are effective ways to get the body and mind to relax and increase your sleep quality. I know I said no phones, but Wysa can help! Say #sleep and let one of our guided meditations lull you to a sound stupor.
If you take longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep, then that is a red flag and you may need to talk to a specialist or a counselor. For more on how to separate tech from your night-time ritual, ask our experts here or book a therapist on our app.
