I have always, as far back to when my first child was born 35 years ago, had trouble with sleep. I don't fall asleep easily, and I wake up many times through the night. Most mornings I wake up feeling groggy and lazy, and it takes hours for me to feel like I didn't just crawl out of bed.
Eating carnivore has actually improved my sleep quite a bit, but not enough. I just wish I could get a solid night's rest and wake up feeling refreshed. I wish I could get through the night without waking up 10 times. I wish I didn't have to pee 3 times through the night, which really ruins my sleep and takes me 30 minutes to fall back to sleep!
Well, just this week I made some drastic changes. Most of these ideas I got from Dr. Ken D. Berry, some I've known about for a few years, and the last two are from Dr. Andrew Huberman, who explains circadian rhythms in a way I have never understood before. I have had the absolute best week of sleep this past week and am so excited about it! I actually discovered Dr. Huberman through Dr. Berry's wife, Neisha Salas-Berry.
Here are the changes I have made that have given me the most amazing sleep over the past few days:
1. No coffee after 10:00 AM. Even though I don't feel that coffee really affects me, I learned that the caffeine can stay in your system for 8 hours and affect sleep. I will do whatever it takes. I do love my coffee in the morning, and I drink it plain and black most of the time. Sometimes I will whip it in the blender with a tablespoon of Kerrygold butter.
2. No alcohol. I was in the bad, unhealthy habit of having a couple of drinks (whiskey with either Diet Coke or club soda) at night before bed while watching Netflix with Andy. Dr. Berry said the cut-off for alcohol, if you do drink it, should be 4 hours before bedtime. Since I don't want to have a drink at 5:30 PM, I just decided to cut it out completely. I have found a cup of "Sleepytime" tea (with no added sweetener) is nice to sip on and helps me to relax while watching our favorite show.
3. Stop drinking water (or other liquid) 2 hours before bed. I am in the habit of drinking water all day long. I fill my water bottle up several times throughout the day and sip on it without thinking about it. Then I take a giant bottle of water with me to bed every night. I felt that I would be way too thirsty to give up drinking water in the evening before bed, or having it readily available during the night. However, I was willing to give it a try. As it turned out, giving it up a couple hours before bed and not having it on my nightstand at night has not killed me. I missed it the first night, but after that I've been fine. I don't even feel thirsty at night anymore. And the best thing - I can make it all the way through the night without getting up one time.
4. Make sure the bedroom is completely dark. A few weeks ago, we bought some black-out curtains for our bedroom windows, and that helped a lot. However, I also had to take down some nightlights and shut doors in our bedroom to get the room as dark as possible.
5. Be sure the bedroom is very cool - ideally, somewhere between 60-69F. I love a cool room to sleep in, but now I'm making sure it is getting cool enough. It's been in the 30's and 40's at night lately, so just opening a couple of windows has been enough to keep the room very cool and comfy. When the weather gets warmer, I will be setting the A/C around 67 at night.
6. Use white noise. I've been doing this for years, so of course I will continue. I love the sound of a big box fan on high. It also circulates the air in the room, which keeps it at that nice, cool temperature. If we are staying in a hotel, I use Spotify on my phone to create white noise. There are several I have found for "white noise," "pink noise," or "brown noise," that last 8 hours or more. I especially like the sound of "pink noise." My grandchildren love the sounds of ocean waves for sleeping!
7. Block blue light once the sun starts going down. I bought some yellow lens glasses a long time ago from Amazon and have been wearing those in the evenings. They look ridiculous, but they're great when watching Netflix or some other show on TV at night. I also pull all the curtains closed, and have been turning off lights and just using a few lamps for dimmer lighting in the house once the sun is going down. I also have my phone and laptop scheduled to block blue light between 7:00 PM - 7:00 AM.
8. Take a hot shower at night. This really relaxes me and makes me feel so calm. I avoid hot showers in the morning, as they are too relaxing! I take a much cooler shower in the mornings, which is invigorating.
9. Get in bed 30-60 minutes before "bedtime" and put away electronics. I use this time to relax and read a book. Most of the time, I use my Kindle Paperwhite (which isn't the same as a tablet and does not emit any blue light). I also have a yellow lightbulb in my bedside lamp if I read a "real" paper book, and the light is not so harsh. This routine helps me fall asleep at the time I actually want to be asleep. I get in bed between 9:00-9:30, and I'm out by 10:00.
10. Go outside first thing in the morning and take a walk while the sun is rising. Wow this is the best advice I have ever heard, and it came from Dr. Huberman! Letting the sunlight and photons into your eyes (no sunglasses) wakes you up and sets your circadian rhythm. I have been so energized in the mornings now since doing this. In fact, I am energized for the entire day! And for the last 2 days, I woke up without the alarm at exactly 6:00 AM. I had no idea that doing something so simple early in the morning could affect my sleep at night.
I lay my clothes out the night before, change as soon as I get out of bed, bundle up (it has been in the 30's and 40's lately), and head outside. I briskly walk a couple times around the neighborhood. I do not look down or at my phone, but look ahead and enjoy nature and the scenery (and seeing lots of birds!). I want to assure my eyes are getting sunlight. This morning my walk was about 30 minutes. I can't even express how wonderful it feels to get up and get outside before anything else in the morning.
11. Wait at least one hour after wakening before having your morning coffee. This advice was also from Dr. Huberman. It prevents coffee from artificially energizing you up, which will then be followed by a crash. I can still enjoy my morning coffee, but only after I've had my outside walk in the sunlight, and then coming in to get ready for the day.
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