I know more people that have a hard time going to sleep than people having a restful nights sleep. What people don't understand is that everything you do will have an affect on getting a good nights sleep. I generally start off talking to people about their sleep because it really governs how the rest of the day goes. You are going to hear me harp about a routine in every single series.
I want you to focus more on what you can control and not so much on what you can't control. Can you control what time you go to bed and what time you wake up?
Most likely this picture is not you, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. I want you to feel like this , but its going to take some serious effort. Its worth it! TRUST ME
Its important to think about how you are waking up because that's going to trickle down to when you go to sleep. I would say most people are waking up to some crazy alarm. BEEP BEEP BEEP! For the love of god, if I woke up to that I would go insane. Its not good for your system to get jarred out of sleep. You end up starting your day in a panic state and it just rolls on from there. I would suggest either adjusting your device, which I am assuming is your phone, to do a soft alarm and slowly getting louder. If you can get away from your phone all together and you want to spend a little money ,I would get a wake up and light therapy lamp. The one I have does two main things. My alarm is set to go off at 4:30 am and at 4am it will slowly start to get brighter and brighter. Its mimicking a sunrise and when it hits 4:30 I have it set to singing bowls. I usually wake up from the light before the alarm goes off, maybe 5 mins early. Because its gradual there is not a shock to hurry and shut it off. Our bodies work off of the sunrise and sunset .Its not like when I was a kid and my parents wanted to wake me up and just flip a switch. Don't do that! When it comes to night time, I play sounds on it while it fades from daytime to darkness. I have mine set for 1 hour with rain playing. I'm not saying you have to get one cause they are $200 but if you are interested, its an option.
The next on the list is what time are you waking up? how consistent is it? Ayurveda prefers you to wake up before sunrise. I personally do best if I am up before sunrise but that's not realistic for most people. Can you wake up by 7am? Kapha time of morning is 6am-10am. Kapha time is slow time and people have a hard time getting up and moving around. If you are sleeping in then your schedule gets thrown off and then you won't go to bed at a normal time.
You might ask what do you do at 4:30 in the morning or what would you do if you got up early in general. What you do is very important. You are setting the tone for the day. I tend to hear most people get up and start getting ready and just rushing to get everything done that they need to do. I don't believe in rush7i-ng. What about you time? It doesn't matter if I have to leave the house and go to work or if I am not working. I always make an effort to get up earlier before the day starts so I can ease into the day. I don't know why we always feel like we have to be doing something. Do you dhink coffee? So what's your routine around your drink in the morning? You should enjoy it. Everything in the morning should be slow and easy.
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You know why I like getting up at 4:30. The world isn't up yet. Its quiet and the energy is low. There isn't anything to do and there is nothing to do but me time. It becomes a little ritual because it feels sacred. When you can slow down, and you don't have people nagging at you for something you can check in with yourself and see how you are doing. Not just mentally but emotionally and physically. If people would ease into the day before they go off on their list of things to do, then they really set the tone for the rest of the day. When I can focus on myself and doing what I need done before anybody else needs anything I can be for attentive. Not only that but your mind is more at ease and you end up staying that way the entire day.
You time doesn't mean getting on the computer in the morning and checking emails. Start thinking about the NOW and not what's next. When we stop thinking so much and check in with our bodies, it will tell us when something is wrong. Are you sensitive enough and quiet enough to really notice? Our bodies are always plugged into what's going on around us and this is your time to make sure you are unplugged. Maybe you like to watch the news and drink coffee. No multitasking. Sit and do nothing. Let me ask you this, what do you do in the morning when you are on vacation?
Do you find that you ease into the day? You sit maybe on your balcony or outside and just drink for coffee and you unplug? Why are you only doing that on vacation and not in everyday life? How much time can you devote to yourself in the morning? If you can make just small changes like this you are going to feel a million times better. When I would get company visiting me in Hawaii and I would have them sit on the porch with me in the morning and we would just sit and have our drinks. EVERY single person would say, wow this is nice to just sit and relax. I would say, this is every day. Why are you not doing this at home? No matter what job I have and how early I have to leave for work. I always make sure I adjust my schedule and make myself a priory and have this time. How can you be useful to other people if you aren't good to yourself?
Lets talk about exercise and now that correlates with sleeping
We all know if we do some sort of exercise we feel better and we do sleep better. What time of day are you exercising? If you can exercise and be done eating at least 3 hours before sleep then you should be good. It would be even better if you just worked out in the morning.
What time should be bedtime?
Make sure you are sleeping by 10 pm . Not going to bed at 10 but sleeping. There is a reason behind the 10 curfew. Remember earlier when I said to make sure you were up before 10 am because it hits Kapha time of day. You want to be sleeping during Kapha time which is 6pm- 10pm. After 10pm hits then its Pitta time of day and then Vata. That's why you end up getting that second wind and then your mind over thinks and you stay awake. Its important you are getting enough sleep. You decide what number is best for you. I am somewhere around 6 1/2 to 7 hours and Im good. A lot of people have fitness trackers that also track your sleep. I have an old Fitbit I wear and it tells me how many times I am waking up and the kind of sleep I am getting. I find it helpful because when I wake up in the morning I can gage if I feel rested. I then can look when I'm falling asleep and just manage myself a little better. You don't need one but if you have one I would use it. Its going to take some time if you are trying to adjust your schedule. You might want to start making small increments so you can adjust to waking up earlier.
Bedtime Routine
This is typically what people do and this is why they can't sleep
Its not just texting while in bed but watching tv or anything that is stimulating. You would think that you are just sitting on the couch watching tv that it will get you tired. What it actually does is keeps you stimulated. Set a time where you are done watching TV and being on your phone. I want you to think of separating your time into three parts of the day. There are more but lets keep it simple. 1st part of the day is for you , slowly waking up and getting ready for the day , 2nd its when you are active doing everything you need to do , and 3rd preparing for sleeping. Preparing for sleep is a thing and you should start doing no later than 8pm. I say 8 because that assuming you are asleep by 10 pm. 2 hours before your actual sleep time is the time to unplug. That can be a real hard habit to break. What will do you with all that time?!
Especially in the beginning, you are going to be wide awake. Take a little walk in the moonlight or as the sun is setting. Its your way of telling your body , look we are doing something and its time to get tired. Going for a walk will help ground yourself which is what is needed to be able to sleep. The next thing you could do to further get ready is take a shower and get your jammies on. Thats right I said jammies. This would be a good time to drink golden milk. You could also drink an herbal tea depending on what it is but if you are having issues sleeping, golden milk.
Golden Milk
1 cup warm milk - ON STOVE ( lets talk milk alternatives incase you don't do full fat cows milk)
Pitta- Coconut Milk Vata- Almond Kapha- Almond
1 tsp Tumeric
1 tsp Ghee
If you need sweetness Pitta- Maple syrup Vata and Kapha- Honey DO NOT COOK HONEY
Golden Milk is a great nighttime drink because its warm and heavy in nature so it will help you sleep. You have eaten hours earlier so this won't be an issue with mixing with your food.
This is a great time to check in on how you feel. You have already unplugged so you shouldn't be on your phone or be occupied with anything else. Check in with yourself every morning and evening. How tired are you at this point?
How do you feel about reading? Since you have more time at night , grab a book. This is also a good time to start practicing meditation or pranayama.
How about music? I am really sensitive to music and I like listen to it while I sleep. Depending on the person, that could disrupt your sleep or help you sleep.
Music needs to be soothing such as meditative music. Meditative Mind on YouTube is great for this. Find the tools that is going to help you fall asleep that has nothing to do with using any electronics. If you ever wanted to learn meditation or pranayama this is the time.
Lets do a recap because that was a lot of information!
Wake up before sunrise if at all possible but no later than 7am
Take time for yourself - Still unplugged in the morning- check in with yourself
workout/ meditate/ go for a walk? Enjoy the stillness of the morning
have everything done for the day including eating at least 3 hours prior to your sleep time
8pm unplug for the night- no phone no tv.
go for a walk/ read/ shower/ meditate ect....
Getting between 6-8 hours a sleep a night- how many hours for you does that take?
Be sleeping no later than 10pm
Be consistent on the time every night and every morning. - Its a routine remember