Snoozerella

Sleep was never a problem for me. Once night time hit, I was out like a light, sometimes even while in a movie theatre or dark car ride home (when I wasn’t the driver, of course J). I’m sure country air and the silent solemnness of living far from any ‘big’ city also played a part. It was so still at night that, while sitting on the porch while our dog was out for a final Frisbee / bathroom break, you could hear cars hit the ‘ba dum ba dum ba dum’ stop sign indicators on the road that was kilometres away!

But, in recent weeks, my talent for sleeping has slipped a little. I find myself waking up in the middle of the night, sometimes falling back asleep easily, other times tossing and turning for hours. Living on a hyper busy road in downtown Toronto certainly plays a large role, with rip roaring motors and streetcar honks punctuating an otherwise peaceful sleep. The effect a poor sleep has on me is astounding! Irritability, grogginess, ravenous hunger, dark circles under my eyes and lackluster skin – all incredibly uninspiring feelings as I get ready for work - when I can finally drag myself out of bed that is! A bad night sleep turns me into a snooze button zombie. 

I’ve tried a few things, albeit haphazardly: Melatonin, meditation, a sleep supplement that combines Catsnip, Tryptophyn, Valerian (among others), deep breathing, turning down the thermostat. The things that seem to have the greatest impact on my sleep are behavioral – and maybe this isn’t so surprising.

The body loves routine, and getting cues on what comes next from our actions and surroundings. Replacing my paper books for digital versions on my iPad haven’t helped my sleep. I’ve read more and more how the light emitted from the iPad can mess up your circadian rhythm and signal to the body that it’s time to be awake. Slipping up on my exercise routine also seems to be a sure fire way to sleep less and get hours of more poor quality snoozing.

Yes, of course I’d like a bit more time to devour my magazines on my iPad before sleep. And finding time for consistent exercise is HARD (and less appealing than scheduling after work drinks – let’s be honest!). But sleep is SO CRITICAL! Getting a good night sleep is linked to all kinds of things good, not to mention fun and zany dreams. 

What do you do to get better sleep?