Sleep isn’t something that comes easily. In college insomnia was fantastic for 3AM truck stop chili eating, midnight bowling or movie marathons. I had the luxury of scheduling 10AM classes to get enough sleep or nap between classes.
Now in my mature years, I understand sleep or it understands me. I still have insomnia but I manage my bedtime routine to lessen the occasions.
- Same – almost – bedtime each night: When I deviate from the plan I don’t sleep. Sometimes it’s necessary, but I minimize the occurrences to maximize sleep.
- Night time reading: Instead of last minute computer work in bed, I grab a book or my nook. Getting wrapped up in story relaxes my brain to sleep.
- No late-night stimulating food/drink: Coffee, tea, sugar, Mexican…they all upset my stomach and keep me up.
- Limit late-night showers: I prefer morning or afternoon showers because late night showers are a jolt of energy. With sweaty evening workouts I rinse off in really quick.
- Evening workouts: A. They let me sleep in. B. They wear me out. Regular workouts keep me healthy and regulate sleep too.
Still have insomnia but these tricks help reset my internal alarm clock.
I even have self-snooze feature. *They say it’s good for your health.* My body wakes naturally at 6.30AM. I rarely get up except for early meetings or travel. My self-snooze goes off at 8AM and I actually get up, get dressed and have breakfast.
If insomnia happens and I fall asleep late, at least I know when I’ll wake up. 
What are you sleep habits? Do you have tricks for getting better sleep?
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Sleeping’s my favourite thing to do. No, really. I sleep best if I unplug from screens at least an hour before bedtime – easier in theory than in practice.
Stephanie recently wrote about..My Parents’ Garden
I had a friend in seminary who listed “sleeping” as his favorite hobby. The theory is easier than practice…still does for me.
I wish I could wake up early on my own. When I haven’t been up late, I’ll usually wake up around 9, like on the weekends. I’m glad you found a system that works well for you
Alexa @ Simple Eats recently wrote about..Signs of Fall
Waking up early took a long time but my early isn’t early for most people…just works for me.
I love sleeping.
And I switched recently to nighttime showers so I can sleep until 4 AM, instead of 3:30.
It’s nice to nurse, put K down, and then get in a darkened shower (I only turn on the light in the shower, not the bathroom light), and then slip into bed, watch the Phils or read for a bit (or do both!), and fall asleep.
I’m sure my habits will change when kids come along. I like sleeping but it doesn’t always like me.
As always I think your schedule is crazy…at 4 am sometimes I’m just falling asleep if I have insomnia.
Two sleep tips that i’ve heard about & used with success are 1) lie in bed & put your feet up on the wall & relax for a few minutes right before you want to go to sleep, and 2) take a cold shower — sounds crazy, but it does work!
Cold showers are my nemesis. But on sweaty workouts I rinse off in cold showers before hitting the bed and take a regular shower in the morning.