Summary

The article outlines four personal strategies for improving sleep quality, emphasizing the importance of sleep for overall health and immunity.

Abstract

The article "How to Improve Your Sleep With Four Easy Steps" presents a personal account of maintaining good sleep habits. The author shares four simple yet effective steps that have helped them achieve quality sleep: preparing for bed by dimming lights and planning for the next day, reflecting positively on the day's events, maintaining a consistent sleep-wake schedule, and charging electronic devices in a separate room. The author underscores the detrimental effects of poor sleep on health, referencing studies on the impact of sleep on immune function and overall well-being. Despite a lapse in their routine due to nighttime phone use, the author reaffirms the effectiveness of their methods, encouraging readers to prioritize sleep hygiene, especially during seasons when immunity is crucial.

Opinions

The author believes in the power of a consistent routine and positive mindset to enhance sleep quality.
They advocate for the importance of sleep in maintaining health and resisting illnesses.
The author acknowledges the disruptive potential of technology in the bedroom and promotes device-free sleep spaces.
They share a personal anecdote about the negative impact of deviating from their established sleep habits.
The author expresses a renewed commitment to their sleep routine, particularly as colder weather approaches and immunity becomes more important.

How to Improve Your Sleep With Four Easy Steps

I have four tested points that served me well until the summer I fell off the saddle.

Even monkeys fall from trees. Photo by Christian Englmeier on Unsplash

The decades-long trends that celebrated little sleep are outdated now. We’ve witnessed what that has done to us. Heard about how our activity patterns contribute to our sleep quality. Read of reputable evidence that indicates that our immune system gets weakened when we ignore the benefits of sleep, making us more susceptible to viral infections.

And we’ve also heard how something as simple as maintaining good sleep habits can boost our resistance to illnesses.

We’re well aware that when you pair a healthy diet and exercise with a good sleep-wake routine, you create a robust environment for a good quality of life.

How drastically our lives have been disrupted. Everyones’ — even for a working girl turned stay-at-home-mom, and wife turned empty-nester like me.

In that capacity, I wish to share with you my 4-pointers for getting a night of quality sleep:

1. Preparedness. Dim the lights in your home. That alone helps me to wind down. Often, I like to sip a warm glass of water before retiring for the night. I also check my wall calendar and input an image of what I need to do the next day. If I need to go somewhere in the morning, this will include deciding what to wear.

2. Recap. If a negative incident clouded my day, I think about it and intentionally re-frame it to the point where I feel satisfied with the outcome. This exercise helps me to do away with negative emotions. Then I think about one or two incidents that went right or about one or two things I learned. This intentional practice helps me to relax further. Many times, I write them down, but merely thinking about them is good enough.

3. Sleep-wake pattern. I seldom watch TV, but if I stay up late finishing a project or reading, I still wake up at the same time. Then if need be, during the day, I take a 20-minute nap. Sometimes!

4. I charge my e-devices in a different room from where I sleep.

“Even monkeys fall from trees.” ~ Japanese Kotowasa (saying)

These four points have seen me over the years with beautiful results. They’ve helped me to add a collective nod to the following statement from NHLBI:

In Brief: several vital tasks carried out during sleep help people stay healthy and function at their best. On the other hand, not getting enough sleep can be dangerous.

I nodded because I had all the benefits above until one day, twilight caught me with my damn iPhone in my hand. In bed! Yes, it did!

My nocturnal affair made pointers #1, 2, and 3 obsolete. Disrupted something I had believed in for many years, ran rampant for many weeks until I could take my tired bones no more.

I failed me. I’m embarrassed.

I’ve gone back to my points, and I’m happy to report that its simplicity has renewed my belief in them, particularly my #4. I hope they help if you, too, have fallen off the wagon, and you require a set of pointers as a reminder.

With colder weather upon us again, finding ways to boost our immunity against seasonal illnesses is essential. Seriously consider giving sleep more of your attention.

This Fall, I see myself sticking to my resolve to continue to make a healthy sleep routine a must! Happy October.

THANKS FOR READING I Wish You Miracles.