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Some people are "good sleepers", drifting in minutes, then resting deeply until the alarm bell sounds. Unfortunately, this is not the case for me. In those dark moments after the lights go out, I go through my list of things to do and have all kinds of restless thoughts in my brain. Then, once I fainted, I often get up around 4 am and find it difficult to go back to sleep. So yes, the fight is TRUE.
I'm not the only one who has trouble sleeping and staying asleep. Seventy million Americans have chronic sleep problems, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And about 30% of American adults live with insomnia in the short term, or difficulty sleeping for nights or even weeks at a time, notes the American Sleep Association (ASA).
Laymik / Noun project
But recently, I decided that I did not want the "bad sleeper" to be part of my permanent identity. I was fed up with feeling groggy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so I chose three science-based reminder strategies with which I could stand and tested them for three weeks. Here's how they affected my closed eye and how similar changes can affect bedtime your the quality of sleep, too.
Change # 1: I have a new mattress
After sleeping on my mattress for 10 years, I felt familiar with its clods and hollows. you could almost see the difference in weight between my husband and me just by looking at him. In the end, these were sure signs that my mattress had been used beyond its lifespan.
Experts at the National Sleep Foundation say that mattresses should generally be replaced after eight years; The Council of the best sleep sets it at seven. Although the number of years may vary, both groups are in agreement: visible sag is a sign that your mattress is in kaput. So, to launch my sleep makeover, I started with the obvious: a new mattress.
Melissa Kruse
I opted for one of the Lawyer, a natural mattress company run by her husband and wife. The idea of an eco mattress caught my eye because conventional mattresses tend to contain potentially toxic materials. In contrast, Avocado mattresses are made from known products such as GOTS certified wool and cotton, as well as all-natural latex and hydrated silica, which naturally protect against fire.
To my great pleasure, my mattress (and my new mattress cover and pillows) arrived in a box without any strange chemical smell of "new car".
My husband compares my sleep to a brick, then to a log, before falling short of heavy and inert objects.
After a few nights of sleep on my new mattress, I noticed that my back pain in the morning was a thing of the past. My insomnia moments in the middle of sleep seemed to disappear and I woke up while being rested. The mattress sleeps well too. This is a big problem because my husband is a heat emitting furnace and sleep experts recommend cooler temperatures in the room for a better sleep.
It's not just me who sees the difference, either. After about a week, my husband COMPARED my sleep for, first, a brick, then a log, before missing heavy and inert objects.
Change # 2: I eliminated meals late at night
Anyone who has ever been to the midnight pizza – and who has suffered from disturbed sleep and later distressed dreams – knows that eating late at night can ruin you like a whoa. I have been totally there and yet, at the most serene time, my cravings for sweets and snacks (under control throughout the day) intensify.
Nick Green / Noun Project
the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends avoid heavy meals before bedtime and eat a light and healthy snack if you are hungry. (I guess a cup of peanut butter does not matter?) I made a new rule: do not eat after 9pm. For me, bedtime is usually between eleven o'clock and midnight, which allowed me to spend a solid time without eating before the lights went off.
This self-imposed guideline was a bigger challenge than expected. The first hitch arrived just days ago: I went out for an aperitif, and preparing dinner once back home took longer than expected. I was still eating when the "Stop Eating" alarm went off. ???
The water has become my biggest support. Let's say I am deeply hydrated.
The late evening dinners were not the only challenge I encountered. Then my niece's Girl Scout cookies have arrived. My husband did not participate in my food curfew, and I had to be very restrained to look at him thoroughly in Somoas and Thin Mints and not take a handful for myself. The water has become my biggest support.
Now, I sip it whenever I feel like something sweet or salty, or just something to nibble on. Let's say I am deeply hydrated.
Change # 3: I dropped the screens before going to bed
Now you are probably well aware: electronic screens (including TVs and smartphones) before going to bed are a big mistake. according to The National Sleep Foundation, The time spent in front of a screen can reduce your production of melatonin, a hormone regulating sleep. In turn, your brain feels totally wired. (It turns out that the transition between news and emails is not easy.) So, 30 minutes before going to bed, I do not have a screen . No Netflix nonsense, no double typing on Instagram, and absolutely no verification of my emails.
Sandra / Noun Project
It was not easy. It turned out that I had somehow forgotten how to go to bed without my phone and the time spent wandering online. I chose to read an old paperback instead. I tried to read in the living room until I was sleepy, then I went straight to bed; I also tried to read in bed before turning off my bedside lamp.
Basically, it meant that I went to my room and slipped under the covers when I fell asleep (instead of using the clock as a marker). The experts are right: I've derived more easily this way. And I am very I am happy that my work-related dreams also seem to be diminishing.
So, how did my experience go?
I entered this three-week essay with optimism. But I'm always amazed at how effective these changes are – it's rare for me now that I'm obsessed with my to-do list before going to bed. I would not say that I drift in minutes, but I definitely go for it faster. I get up less in the middle of the night too and I feel better rested in the morning.
These changes may have been simple, but I can already say that sticking to that – not nibbling late at night, and not lurching through my phone – will not necessarily be easy. (In contrast, setting on my new mattress is an easy and quick adjustment.) In summary: my phone and my late-night cookies can be tempting, but the appeal of easy entry into a sleep Deep and relaxing is much more attractive.
Madeleine Burry is the former deputy editor of Parents.com. She is currently a freelance writer, editor and content strategist. His work is featured in Women's Health, Health.com and other online publications.
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