Sleep is my favorite hobby.

Welcome to MindfulMornings. We hope you’ve had a good week!

Here are 2 quotes, 2 tips, and 1 question to help with your mornings this week.

Today’s newsletter is brought to you by BedJet - products designed to help you get a better night’s sleep. Learn more in the P.S.

2 Quotes

1. "The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night's sleep." – E. Joseph Cossman

2. “The best way to a more productive, more inspired, more joyful life is getting enough sleep." - Arianna Huffington

2 Tips

1. Prioritize sleep

    

   Why: Sleep has a huge impact on our mornings. It affects how we feel and how much energy we have, as well as our decision-making, motivation and ability to live life the way we want. Sleep impacts nearly every area of our lives and, because of this, plays a big role in determining our overall health.

    

   How: To get a better night’s sleep there are some things we should avoid and some we should do more.

    

   What to avoid:

    

   • Caffeine late in the day, unless you know that it does not have a stimulant effect on you.

   • Alcohol. Like caffeine, it is best to avoid alcohol in the evening. If you are going to drink, it is better to have a glass of wine with lunch than at dinner. This way, your body will have processed the alcohol by the time you go to bed and it shouldn’t impact your sleep. 

   • Late afternoon naps. Napping too close to bedtime can make it difficult to go back to sleep in the evening.

   • Late dinner. Try to have dinner 3-5 hours before going to bed so that your food is mostly digested before sleeping.

   • Screens. Give yourself 1-2 hours away from the screen before bed. Use night mode on devices in the evening to reduce the blue light impact on your circadian rhythm.

   • Too much water after dinner to avoid having to get up in the night.

      

    What to include more of:

    

   • Early morning sunlight. Getting sunlight on your skin as soon as possible helps regulate your circadian rhythm, allowing for better sleep at night.

   • Exercise reduces stress and anxiety, improving overall physical health and regulating the body's internal clock, leading to deeper and more restful sleep. We recommend including yoga or walking in your morning routine.

   • Meditation helps with sleep by calming the mind, reducing stress and anxiety, and promoting relaxation, which makes it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. We like to use Insight Timer for finding guided meditation.

   • A Hot shower or bath signals to your body that it's time to unwind and rest. Counterintuitively, a hot shower lowers your body temperature as the heat dilates blood vessels in your skin, helping your body get rid of heat and cooling you down once you get out of the shower.

   • A cool, quiet, and dark room helps with sleep by creating an optimal environment. Aim for a temperature around 70°F.

   • Having a consistent bedtime helps with sleep by regulating the body's internal clock. This makes it easier to fall asleep and wake up at the same time each day, thereby improving overall sleep quality.

    

2. Assess your sleep and build a bedtime routine

    

   Why: We are all different, and what works for one person may not work for others. To find what benefits you, the most accurate way is to measure your sleep. Then, build your bedtime routine based on what helps you achieve the best nights sleep.

    

   How: Our recommended option for sleep tracking is the Apple Watch SE, but there are plenty of other devices on the market to choose from. You can also complete a self-report questionnaire to assess your sleep quality.

    

   Measure your baseline for one week, then make one of the above changes for a week and see how it affects your sleep. Continue adding or removing one change at a time to find what works best for you.

    

   Below is an example routine you may like to build up to.

    

   • 5:00pm - Dinner and a big glass of water

   • 6:00pm - Evening walk

   • 7:00pm - Watch a TV show or engage in some other light entertainment

   • 8:00pm - Switch devices to night mode and dim lights

   • 8:05pm - Reading. We provided some book recommendations in last week’s newsletter which you can find here.

   • 9:00pm - Take a hot shower or bath

   • 9:15pm - Bedtime meditation

   • 9:30pm - Bed

1 Question

• When was the last time you woke up feeling truly rested?

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoy your week.

With gratitude,

MindfulMornings

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