There was once a time I thought that eight hours sleep was just too much. Whenever motivational speakers shared their usual punchlines, like: ‘If you want to be rich, you shouldn’t be sleeping,’ I’d nod enthusiastically and side-eye my partner who didn’t believe in such things. But life has a way of setting us straight. Lol. Today, I can’t even over emphasize how incredible and necessary sleep is, especially after a stint of overworking myself and not getting enough rest.
Look, now that the holidays are here, sis, sleep. I mean it, find time to sleep abeg. Schedule it if you must, plan a getaway, change your schedule, just sleep. Personally, I’m training myself to sleep better with the aim of 6 – 7 hours of sleep on average. But I know sleep doesn’t come so easily to everyone, so if you are struggling to sleep better, here are a few tips that might help.
Avoid Long Naps
It may sound counter productive but try it. Avoid taking long naps during the day. It’s understandable if you feel like it’s the holidays, you’re on leave, so it’s time to catch up on all the sleep you’ve missed out on for the year, but long naps will mess up your night time sleep. And you may end up awake well into the night, which would then affect you the next day and the cycle continues. I would recommend short power naps instead.
Ditch the Caffeine
I’m a coffee lover and can take coffee morning, noon and night if you let me but I know better than to take caffeine at night before I sleep. It’s a big no-no. Because your eye will most likely be shining long into the night and you’ll be wondering who you offended.
Create a Sleep Pattern
It’s tempting to mess up your routine, to stay up gisting or watching movies and I believe it’s ok to do on the odd occasion. But sticking to a steady sleep pattern will help with getting a good nights sleep. It could be reading a good book, mediating, journaling etc. Just create a consistent practice that helps you unwind and signals your brain that it’s time for rest.
Finally, no matter what, make sleep a priority. Many times the solution to our headaches, lack of concentration and other things that affect our mood, mental health and productivity is just a good nights sleep. So what are you waiting for? Hit that snooze and enjoy your dream land. Lol.