I have gotten some better sleep by cutting out watching tv late at night. This is one of those sleep tips that I've known about, but never really put into practice until now. I always thought that when I got in bed I'd like to watch tv for "just a little bit" to put me to bed. What usually ends up happening is that I'll get involved in the show and then end up watching it for 45 more minutes.. and then if the NEXT show happens to be interesting.. well, you can see where that leads!
More than just the time you'll spend watching the show, watching tv before you go to bed isn't good for you in more ways than one. Usually your room will be dark, and you'll get just the light from the tv.. well it so happens that this light entering your eyes will actually stimulate you and keep you awake longer, and just disrupt your sleep schedule all together!
Beyond the light, watching tv when you lay down to sleep also mentally stimulates you as well. When your brain should be shutting down, you're taking in the information from the shows and it gets your mind thinking. I have spent MANY nights just laying in bed with my mind racing! It's not that I'm particularly thinking about something from the tv show, but my mind is just active.. so it starts thinking about things I need to get done tomorrow.. things I DIDN'T do that day, things I'd like to do in the future. For me, those kind of thoughts are hard to shut down, so I lie awake in bed, wondering why can't I sleep?
I stopped watching tv the last 2 nights, and that combined with a nice walk during the day has lead to me getting better sleep the last 2 nights! (oh, and of course I had my fan going at night for the white noise!) Let's hope that this trend continues!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
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