There is a high chance, that during this quarantine, you’re spending more time in your bed than usual. Maybe sleeping in, answering e-mails, watching Netflix in bed with snacks, or video chatting with your friends. Chances are that you’re in bed reading this right now. Did you know that all this extra time horizontal could be hindering your sleep for when it’s actually time to go to bed? Here’s why.
1. Exposing yourself to morning sunlight resets your circadian rhythm (your body’s internal clock) which is critical for healthy sleep patterns. When you stay in bed all morning, cortisol stays low. With the emphasis on staying home, we are stepping outside less and lacking sunlight. Time to open the blinds or even go for that morning walk to increase your cortisol!
2. Your bed should be for sleeping only. When you bring work or food into bed, it is harder for your body to associate the bed with a place of rest.
3. The blue light emitting from your screen during your late night Netflix binge or Instagram scrolling delays the release of sleep inducing melatonin and increases alertness. Blue light blocking glasses or apps that turn your screen to warm colours are options if you just can’t go the night without a screen.
Too many nights of compromised sleep results in low energy, mood instability, lowered immunity and cravings (which I think we are already dealing with enough during this time). In addition to the tips above, here a few extra things you can do to improve your sleep hygiene:
- Avoid stimulants (caffeine, nicotine, wine) close to bedtime.
- Sleep in a dark room (that sleep mask is not just for traveling!).
- Lower the temperature in the room.
- Put your devices on airplane mode.
- Get exercise during the day.
- Diffuse lavender essential oil.
- Try a magnesium supplement.
Time to catch some ZZZs
