[Babybird]

Boosting your immune systems part 9​

If you have trouble fally or staying asleep, you can start to develop
negative associations with sleep. If these associations persist, they can create a
harmful cycle that leaves you chronically sleep deprived. Negative associations can
develop around your nightly habits before bed, the sleep environment in your
bedroom or the process of falling asleep.
Negative conditioning created by the way you prepare for bed or approach
bedtime may in fact increase your brain’s alertness and make it very difficult to fall
asleep. Say, for example, that you always are late to bed, which increases your worry
that you won’t get enough sleep before the next day.
In your rush to get to sleep, you ignore bedtime rituals and jump straight in
between the sheets. Once there, though, your brain is so wound up that you’re
nowhere near feeling drowsy. You toss and turn, but sleep remains elusive. Once
again, you’ve failed at getting a good night’s rest. The next night, your brain
remembers the difficulty falling asleep, and the whole process reignites.
To undo this cycle, you need to expose your brain to the glow of success. And to
do that, you need to break the conditioned responses that happen when you
repeatedly try to sleep without success. How do you do this?
• Refresh your bedtime rituals. They don’t have to take up a lot of time, but you do
need a few rituals signaling bedtime, such as brushing your teeth or getting into
proper pajamas. Relax your mind by reading a book, contemplating a few things
you’re grateful for or focusing on slowing your breathing. Do your best to go to bed
at the same time every night and wake up around the same time every morning.
• Reclaim your bedroom. Only use your bedroom for sleep or sex. Remove prompts
for activities that don’t belong in the bedroom, such as watching TV, working on a
computer or browsing apps on your phone. It may also help to remove pets from
the bedroom. If you can’t sleep, get up and go read a boring book or magazine in
an upright chair. Do this until you start to feel very sleepy, and then go back to bed.
The important thing is that you don’t want to associate your bed with not sleeping.
• Rinse and repeat. You’ll likely need to do this routine repeatedly until your brain
starts to feel good about bedtime and sleeping. The trick is to make it easy to fall
asleep but hard to do other things like worry, watch TV or anything else that will
hype your brain.
Although getting more sleep may seem like the least urgent change you need to
make in your life, the truth is that quality sleep creates a halo that touches all other
areas of your life. When you’re rested, you make better choices about what to eat
and how much to eat, you have more energy for physical activity and exercise, you’re
more patient and attentive to those around you, you’re less prone to getting sick,
and you’re mentally better equipped to handle stressors large and small.
Some people have more specific sleep problems, such as insomnia, obstructive
sleep apnea or a snoring partner. It’s important to get these sorts of sleep problems
evaluated by a doctor so that they can be treated appropriately and you can get the
rest you need for your health (and, in many cases, the health of your partner).
Cut back on caffeine if needed.
Reduce screen time an hour
before bed.
Relax with a bedtime routine
(for example, gratitude
meditation, practicing
optimism, journaling or
reading).
Cool bedroom temperature.
Keep room dark, comfortable.
Take slow, deep breaths.
Get enough daytime exercise.
Avoid heavy mbedhs before bed