I love sleep, but sleep doesnt love me back.
The results were…not great.
My husband and I are serious night owls, so we are rarely in bed before midnight.
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The National Sleep Foundationrecommendsthat adults between 24 and 65 get seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
I thought I was hitting that, but a quick review of my sleep app data shows otherwise.
My sleep definitely isnt terrible, but its nowhere close to ideal, either.
My sleep stats weren’t so hot before this experiment—note those crazy bedtimes circled in the middle column.
Raymann tells me that waking up at the same time every day is crucial to settinga consistent sleep-wake schedule.
Experts say its even more important than going to bed at the same time every night.
Therefore, your ideal bedtime totally depends on your habits and when it’s crucial that you get up.
A comfy bed, old-lady monogrammed satin pajamas, and caffeine-free Diet Coke became my friends.
To make things easy, I decided on a midnight bedtime and 7:45 A.M. wake-up time.
Being exposed to bright or LED light tells your brain its time to be awake, Raymann says.
That can get in the way of really falling asleep.
The results from my experiment show a much more regular sleep schedule.
You might want to dim your room after sunset as much as possible, and avoid using screens.
According to Raymann, your bedroom should be dark, cool, and quiet.
I also spruced up the bed withcomfortable sheetsand removed all stressful clutter.
Raymann says that abedtime routinecan help quiet your mind and cue your body that its time for bed.
I also kept a close eye on my mood and productivity during the week.
With my goals set, I started my week of good sleep hygiene.
The first few nights were much easier than I anticipated.
But I actually enjoyed sitting in bed with a book.
When I turned off my light at midnight, I did not feel tired.
Like, at all.
As it turns out, I must have been sleepy after all because I was asleep within minutes.
Over the weekend, things got a bit hairy.
After all that, I was wiped…and I took a long, delicious nap.
Getting back on schedule for the week was a mixed bag.
I also really wanted to nap on Monday afternoon, but talked myself out of it.
I learned a couple of surprising things from this experience.
First of all, it turns out Im not that good at knowing when Im tired.
Clearly, my mind doesnt always know when my body needs rest.
Going forward, I hope to stick with my bedtime, wake-up time, and caffeine cutoff time.
That said, I wont beat myself up over the occasional weekend lie-in.
