Well hello there! It has been a minute since I checked in with you!! 2020 has started off with a bang and it's been cra cra around here lately!!
I have had a great work year so far, I launched a podcast in January called The Glam Life of Real Estate, and it's all been great but BUSY!
One of the areas that I am focusing on right now is getting good sleep because I've been staying up just a LITTLE past my bedtime and the hours that I do get to get some zzz's I need to make the most of them!
I thought I'd share some of my tips to getting a great night's rest so you feel more rested and energetic in the morning!
Tip #1 - Turn off electronics a few hours before bed and if you have to be on them wear some blue light blocking glasses.
Sooooo I had heard about blue light blocking glasses (basically they are non-perscription glasses you can purchase anywhere and the lenses have a film on them that blocks the blue light from electronic devices), but I honestly thought it was exaggerated the benefit I could get out of them so I didn't mess with them...Then one day I was roaming the aisles of Target and spotted an end cap with a few different snazzy styles and was like "ok sure, why not" - I've been on the computer a ton, let's try them out.
OMGEEEEEEE I haven't looked back since! When I wear them while I'm in front of a screen I don't get as dry of eyes, my face doesn't feel as stressed out and I feel SO MUCH BETTER because my eyes don't feel like they are straining so much!
So the reason it's important to block out the blue light especially in the evening is the blue light from your devices has been found to affect the secretion of melatonin, which is a hormone that helps aid in your sleep cycle. You can supplement with Melatonin and usually it'll say on the bottle to take before going to bed.
Highly recommend grabbing some blue light blocking glasses even for during the day and then limiting electronic screen time before bedtime.
Tip #2 - Wear an eye mask when you go to sleep
Ok, so this was quite a shift for me but I was listening to a podcast awhile back and they were talking about how to get better sleep and one way was to have blackout drapes and the other was to wear an eye mask at night to block out any ambient light in your room.
Even the light that comes from your alarm clock can penetrate a bit through your eye lids and I feel like when I wear my eye mask that my brain completely relaxes and knows it's time for bed. There's no way I could not wear my eye mask now that I've been wearing it to block out all the extra light (and I thought our bedroom was dark before I started wearing it!)
Tip #3 - Wear a mouthpiece
If you wake up or throughout the day feel like your jaw is sore, of the muscles in your neck are tight, chances are you are grinding your teeth. So many of us do it and not even realize it until we go to a massage therapist or the dentist. Both my massage therapist and my dentist noted that I had symptoms of grinding my teeth and clenching my jaw which is fairly common so they recommended an appliance/mouthpiece.
It was super easy, I picked one up from the store, took it home, and placed it in super hot water according to the directions and then bit down to form a mold of my teeth. Since I've been wearing it at night I don't have the tight neck muscles or the sensitive teeth which is a common symptom of grinding or clenching your jaw.
Tip #4 - Wear Mouth Tape
If you're still with me then this may freak you out a bit....lol....so one thing that many of us fail to do in our sleep is breathe fully through our noses. How many of you sleep with your mouth open and/or snore? Ok, turn to your spouse and ask them that question if you said no so you get the real answer! HAHA
So mouth tape is a real thing you can purchase online or at a drug store and it's tape that has tine holes in it that you put over your mouth at night which will force you to breathe through your nose and therefore sleep deeper and get a better nights rest.
I put in my mouthpiece and then put my tape on and I'm lights out. Just make sure not to put on too much moisturizer/lip balm around your mouth otherwise the tape won't stick.
Tip #5 - Sleep in a cold room
I find that when the room is a bit cool I sleep way better than hot or room temperature so try setting your air down a few degrees or turning on a fan. You'll want to make sure you have some kind of shirt around your neck so your neck muscles don't tense up to keep you warm but a cooler room will help you get better sleep in my experience.
Tip #6 - Journal and Plan Day Before Going to Bed
When you take the time to get the thoughts out of your head and onto paper and also take a few minutes to plan out the day ahead of you it allows your brain to clear from all the thoughts and rest. I find that when I know what my plan for the day ahead is, I wake up in a more energetic state and tend to get up when my alarm goes off versus just hitting the snooze button because I'm aware of what needs to get done.
I hope these tips are helpful to you in getting a good night's rest and let me know if you have any questions or other recommendations!
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