M. Suzanne Terry

Cozy bed, I miss you. I’ll see you again tonight.

It’s funny for me to be writing this post on a day when I overslept. I did not practice good sleep habits last evening. I had both coffee and gobs of sugar in the form of cookies (shortbread, which is easily one of my top three favorite cookies, and those grocery store bakery cookies that are like crack) at book club. It’s challenging for me to turn down either one on their own, but with their powers combined…well, I’m not even sorry. It was delicious, and I enjoyed it.

It made getting to sleep before 3:00 a.m. downright impossible, though.

Good sleep is necessary for everyone, but it is especially important if you are making extra demands on your body (like a regular running practice). You simply cannot run at your full potential if you are not practicing good sleep hygiene. I first heard the term “sleep hygiene” when I started working the night shift at a residence hall, which was also the last time I ran with any regularity. Having never been a great sleeper and then adding to the mix that I was sleeping against the natural clock (i.e., when it was light outside instead of dark), I was desperate to find a way to get some rest so that I didn’t go through my night shift like a zombie. Good sleep hygiene involves doing things that help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer (at least long enough to get through a few good REM cycles).

Sleep experts (real experts, not the mattress company, although they know what’s up, too) tend to agree on five things you need to do to practice good sleep hygiene. The list below is compiled from information gleaned from the American Sleep Association, the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and the National Sleep Foundation.

1. Create an atmosphere that’s actually conducive to getting good sleep. The bedroom is not Grand Central Station. Most experts agree that, in order to get good sleep, the bedroom should be a sanctuary reserved for only bedroom activities (i.e., sleep and sex). Our bodies tend to rest better at lower temperatures, so maybe turn the thermostat down a few degrees when it’s time to go to bed. Having a comfortable mattress not only helps you fall asleep faster, it also helps to prevent the musculoskeletal issues caused by sleeping wonky. Because noise is a factor that both keeps me awake and wakes me up easily, I have a white noise machine that masks the intermittent jarring of things that go bump in the night. And finally, avoid using your phone in bed. Not only does the glaring light from the screen confuse the brain that thought it was sleepytime, it also pisses off your retinas, at least temporarily.
2. Use light to your advantage. The first thing I did when I started working night desk is invest in blackout curtains. They block a significant amount of light from entering the room. I still use them, because there is a security light outside my window. When you are ready to wake up, however, light is your friend. The body naturally wants to wake up when the sun hits your face. Turning lights on or throwing open the curtains (if you have a job that means you get to wake up after the sun…also tell me what you do, because I feel that I would enjoy that) can help set your natural sleep schedule. Which brings me to…
3. Have a routine sleep schedule. For most people, this involves limiting naps during the day, because your body only needs a certain amount of sleep, and getting more during the day can make it harder to fall asleep at night. It’s also important to establish a bedtime routine. The bedtime routine that works for me (when I use it, that is) means
   – No social media after 9:00.
   – A cup of herbal tea or half a glass of wine as I read for 30 minutes to an hour.
   – Warm shower or at least soaking my feet.
   – A few yoga stretches to work out the day’s kinks.
4. Take care of yourself overall. A body that is getting good nutrition and exercise tends to function better in other ways, including sleep. It’s also important to pay attention to the time of day you are eating and exercising. Limiting caffeine intake (I know – limits are the worst – but I begrudgingly admit that coffee after 5:00 p.m. makes me want to stay awake forever) and not eating heavy foods or engaging in strenuous workouts right before bed are all part of good sleep hygiene.
5. Don’t fight with sleep. If you lie awake in bed for more than 20 minutes (some people say 5, but some people have ridiculous expectations about how easy it is to fall asleep), don’t get mad – get up. Repeat one of your relaxing practices from your nightly sleep regimen until you feel sleepy, and then give it another try. The chemicals produced by your frustration with the inability to fall asleep just add to that inability.

Despite my terrible (and by terrible, I do mean delicious and awesome) food choices last night, I did practice rest by taking the afternoon off to go to the salon. How did you practice rest yesterday?

I’m spending 31 days running wild.