Sleep procrastination
How many mornings do you wake up and wish you had gone to bed earlier? Getting into a cosy bed feels so lush, yet so many of us put off going to bed, even when we are really tired!
Sleep is absolutely crucial for our health – certainly more and more research is coming out about the impact of insufficient sleep – yet sleep procrastination is very real, and very frustrating!
So why is it that so many of us put off going to sleep?
1.One of the main reasons falls around the idea of “revenge procrastination”. Some of us feel that we have such little down time, that we want to make the most of it. It might be so late by the time we’ve finished work, eaten, tidied away and sat on the sofa – we want to make the most of it! Even if it means our eyelids are drooping….
2. And of course, TV watching is not what it once was. With so much choice at our fingertips, and whole seasons ready for bingeing, it is easy to get carried away late at night. And if you and a partner are watching, then there can be an extra pressure of not wanting to miss out!
3. And once we are in bed, other screens can steal our attention. Social media on our smartphones can be highly addictive, and leave us scrolling when we would be better off snoozing.
So what can we do to stop the procrastination and get more of the sleep that we so clearly need?
First of all, identify what the main cause of your sleep procrastination. With many of my clients it tends to be a combination of factors.
1. Find more proactive rather than reactive stress management.
We all react to stress in different ways – not all of which (such as sleep procrastination and alcohol) are great for our health and we can get stuck in a vicious cycle. Insufficient sleep elevates levels of our stress hormones, which in turn affect how well we sleep.
Meditation, yoga, exercise and journalling are all great lifestyle tools to help with stress, and of course nutrition has a significant impact on stress in the body too.
2. Find ways to free up your evening time.
Cut down on your dinner preparation (as well as any for the following day) but batch cooking and planning on quick, healthy meals during the week. Meal planning and batch cooking can make a real difference to your weekday evenings.
3. Avoid late evening exercise.
Post exercise endorphins are great for mental wellbeing and in general exercise can help sleep, but too late in the evening, and you could find that you physically need more time to calm down and relax for sleep. Avoid exercise at least 2-3 hours before bed.
4. Establish a bedtime routine.
This isn’t just for kids! As much as morning routines have become popular, winding down for bed is important too. Decide upon a time to switch off the TV (or set a limit for how many episodes you will watch – especially if it’s exciting). Switch to relaxing music, an audio or a book, in a hot bath for bonus relaxation) and then turn off your phone an hour before bed. If temptation feels too much, get an old fashioned alarm clock, or better yet, a dawn simulating one.
These are some tips that you can try to bring into your lifestyle, but you may want to consider some larger factors too, around your work life balance and home responsibilities. As always, let me know how these tips work out for you!