The Healthy Life Survey summary indicates that many of us are not getting good quality, or quantity of, sleep. This week, focus your attention on your bedtime routine, specifically on the activities that you do about 1-2 hours before bedtime.
Use the tips below to help you reflect on what you can do to promote better sleep hygiene.
1. Have a daily exercise routine (but don’t exercise within 2-3 hours of bedtime). Aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity each week.2. Stay hydrated. The rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces daily. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink at least 75 ounces of water.
3. Reduce your use of caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.
4. Pick foods that promote sleep if you need a light bedtime snack.
5. Keep your bedroom dark and cool (55-65°F).
6. Take a warm bath before bed and establish good bedtime routines/rituals. This can include relaxing scents, or calming activities, like reading before bed.
7. Meditate or listen to relaxing music right before sleep.*
8. Limit artificial (especially blue) light at night.
9. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.10. Stay in bed only if you’re sleepy. If you are having trouble falling asleep, or, if you wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back to sleep, get out of bed. Go do a relaxing activity for no more than 30 minutes before trying to go back to sleep. Keep your bed for sleep.
*If you have access to Calm.com, I recommend browsing its extensive and diverse Sleep Stories and sounds collection. This week, I was introduced to traditions of Diwali from the perspective of a young girl traveling to see family. Other stories range from tales from around the world and classic children's stories, to pop culture figures narrating the history of basketball (Scottie Pippen) or the first chapter of Wealth of Nations (Ben Stein, a.k.a. Ferris Bueller's economics teacher). If you do not have Calm.com, check out a few of their Sleep Stories on YouTube or choose one of these soothing nature sounds.
Also...VEHI PATH Updates
- VEHI has added a SECOND course on Mindful Nonviolent Communication! If you completed the first course, you can earn another 50 pts by completing the second course! Meet the course instructors in this video in PATH Good News.
- PATH Adventure registration for Tidal Wave is still open until December 4th.
- Check out this flyer for other PATH offerings. The one I want to point out is on page 2: Addressing Emotional Fatigue with Peer Coaching staff. They will discuss strategies in new ways, and send you on with a tool kit of options to try that can help make things better for yourself, even when you can’t change the world around you. The event is online on Wednesday, November 18th from 2:00-3:00pm. Registration link is on the PDF flyer or click here.
1. Recognize: The first step is to become aware that you are stuck in your anxiety and name it for what it is. This can be the hardest step because it requires us to purposefully shift from reacting to responding. Once you realize that you are overwhelmed by a feeling, name the emotion that most stands out to you: "fear", "anger", "hurt", or maybe "confused."
2. Allow: Next, give yourself power with a pause. Let the emotion be there; tell yourself it is OK to be like that for a few moments. The emotion is different now because you have now given it a name. Now, you can do something about it.
3. Investigate: Ask yourself, "what really needs my attention right now?" Check in with your physical body, notice the places where you feel tension or discomfort and address your physiological needs first. Then attend to your emotional needs. Ask, "what am I believing right now?" and then, "what do I need to get through this?" 
4. Nurture: And finally, no matter what you're feeling, be kind to yourself. Emotions are a large part of being a human, so give them space to happen and be mindful about how you respond. 
