Getting consistent, high-quality sleep is nothing short of life-changing. Sleep improves every aspect of your well-being. During sleep, your brain clears toxins, your emotional wounds are healed, and your metabolism, gut, and immune system are repaired. Whether or not you get adequate sleep even determines your willpower and hunger and satiety hormones the next day. Of course, many aspects of your lifestyle matter impact health but it is easy to argue that sleep is the most important area to optimize.
Committing to forming new habits that set the stage for great sleep is no small feat. The wellness zeitgeist right now is all about the power of daily habits. Daily habits are vital. But I also love the idea that there are high leverage one-time steps we can take that set us up for better sleep just by changing our environment. Habits cues exist in our daily environment, so when we alter our environment, we can effortlessly change our patterns.
If you’re feeling a wave of motivation to improve your sleep, use this energy to take the following steps. Your future well-slept self will thank you.
Top 5 One Time Steps To Get Amazing Sleep:
Buy a non-phone alarm clock. I wrote a whole post on this one. If you look at your phone right before bed, in the middle of the night, or first thing in the morning, this is the single best way to break the habit. Pick a spot to charge your phone at night somewhere out of reach (ideally in a different room) and rely on an old school alarm clock that isn’t backlit ( I like this one ). This one time step will help you create a morning and evening buffer between you and your phone, soothe your nervous system, and improve your bedroom lighting environment. Also, there is an actual study if you can wait a few minutes between waking up and looking at your phone, you will get deeper sleep at night. The phone first thing in the morning creates “anticipatory” anxiety” at night that can diminish sleep quality.
Get a good quality sleep mask. You can go all out and revamp your whole room by getting blackout curtain and removing or covering all ambient light sources but this can take time and money. Take the most important step to reduce light at night and buy a sleep mask ( after trying many types, I like this one the best). This will increase the amount of melatonin you produce at night which will improve sleep quality and give your body a boost of this important anti-inflammatory hormone.
Put your wifi on a timer. I’ve argued that the most important sleep habit is committing to a “digital curfew” aka a time when you stop looking at screens, ideally 30-60 min before bed. But we are adults and setting random curfews can set you up for rebellion. Putting your wif-fi on a timer will cause it to shut off at your designated time each night. This is one way to pre-commit to your “digital curfew” and make it more likely you’ll follow through. Wifi timers are cheap and easy to install. You can get them at any hardware store or Amazon.
Install lower wattage, warmer tone lights - Your body relies on lighting cues from the environment to determine the time of day and set its circadian rhythm. This impacts everything from sleep cycles, immune function, mood, and metabolism. The tone and intensity of light both matter. After sunset, stick to dimmer and warmer tone lights. You can do this by using dimmers, or installing low wattage, warmer tone bulbs.
Put a notebook next to your bed. Many people have difficulty sleeping because they “can’t shut off their brains”. As soon as their head hits the pillow, their wheels start spinning and the anxious rumination begins. This flight or flight activation deters sleep initiation. One of the most potent tools for reducing this pattern is to start keeping a Worry Journal next to your bed. Before bed or when you wake up and can’t fall asleep, get in the habit of writing your thoughts and to-dos in a journal. This gets them out of your head and helps quiet the mind. Keep your notebook and pen within reach in order to get the habit going.