Are you tired of being tired? Do you struggle with getting to sleep? Do you have difficulty falling asleep when you awake in the middle of the night? Do you need a regular sleep schedule?

The Importance of a Regular Sleep Schedule

For most people establishing a regular good sleep schedule is not hard once they
actually put their mind to it. I find most of us just don’t think about it much. As a consequence, we have a lot of habits that obstruct scheduled sleep, and/or we simply suffer from poor sleep for years until we finally wake up. Pardon my pun. Instead of worrying and struggling with your sleep, try to follow these few good practices on how to create a good regular sleep schedule.

Key Practices to Creating a Regular Sleep Schedule

Three key practices:

1. Go to sleep at approximately the same time every night, especially when establishing the habit. Once you have the habit, you’ll notice how much you can occasionally vary your bedtime without disturbing your regular schedule too much.
2. Maintain the same schedule on the weekends as you do on the weekdays, especially when trying to establish the habit.
3. Establish a good pre-bedtime routine. Listen to my podcast on best pre-bedtime practices that are accompanied by FREE three-in-one guided breathwork, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided visualization for relaxation and sleep. Here are just a couple of points.
   1. Get enough hours of sleep, and avoid taking long catch-up naps during the day.
   2. Don’t drink stimulants (coffee, most soft drinks, etc) in the evening.
   3. If over 30, definitely consider drinking less alcohol in the evening including wine and beer. Sorry, but tolerance does change with age.
   4. Cut out screen viewing and stimulating activities 30 minutes before your scheduled bedtime.

Make Adjustments Through Time and When Needed

Once your habit is established, check in with yourself and see if you aren’t sabotaging yourself and your schedule. If your life changes in dramatic ways (you have a new baby, you get a new puppy, you enroll in a degree program, etc), revisit what works and what needs to be adjusted.

I’ve noticed that sleep and the things that affect sleep change throughout the lifecycle. Establish a good habit that works for you. Then be mindful of whether you might need to make some adjustments over time. Don’t fight it. Just establish a new equilibrium that works for you.

For More On How To Create a Regular Good Sleep Schedule, See:

• My Mind Body Spirit blog, in particular
  •  Calm Your Mind and Relax Your Way to Sleep.
  • Aromatherapy For Better Sleep,
  • Regular Sleep and Your Company’s Bottom Line,

or, Contact me