It’s Bedtime!!!

Most individuals have the capacity of waking up the same time each day. Have you ever wondered how this came to happen?

That’s because people are creatures of habit. You may have heard of this before and yes, it’s true. However, there is a deeper underlying reason why we wake up and doze off at almost the same time everyday.

It’s because of our body temperature rhythm. Our body temperature rises and falls the same time each day, regardless of when you sleep. Do you know that even when you go out partying and sleep at 2:00 a.m. on a Friday night, you would most probably wake up at the same normal time as you always did? You will also feel sleepy at the same time the next day.

That’s why it is important to have a consistent bedtime schedule. If you don’t, you’ll ruin your own body clock. You can’t “recover” for sleep you lose during the night by waking up much later in the morning (or even in the afternoon for some people). This will result in fatigue, restlessness, and even irritability.

The SOWS Trick

The trick is simple, the person is typically advised to set off to bed only when sleepy. If unable to fall asleep, the person is told to get up, hang about until sleepy, and then go back to bed. Later on the person's body will be taught to relate the bed and bed time with sleep. SOWS is a pneumonic that stands for the phrase “Sleep Only When Sleepy”.

Sleep Rituals

Do you have any particular habit before going to sleep? For example, you read a book or meditate. For most people, certain activities correlate or connect something heard, seen, touch, smelled, or tasted with a particular memory or representation. These are called anchors.

Take this case: Every time before you go to sleep, you listen to your favorite classical tune. Then the day came when you have to go on a business trip and you forgot to bring the classical tape with you. Night comes and you simply could not get yourself to sleep without listening to that music first. That classical melody is the anchor. It signals your brain to prepare for dreamland.

Anchors could be a very powerful instrument to put you to sleep. Some people could not get to sleep without having a midnight snack. Having a light snack may have a sedative effect and is not bad at all. But eating too much before going to slumber may affect the quality of your sleep. Let us discuss more about this topic later as we go on.

There are certain anchors that you do not want to be associated with sleep. Avoid watching TV in bed, because it can stimulate your senses. Do not make your bedroom an office, because you might associate your work with sleeping time. As a general rule, your bedroom is designed only for sleep.