I wake up 6-7x a night, and so far everything medical has been ruled out. Even if I take sleeping medicine (over the counter or prescribed), I still wake up constantly.
I have some ok sleep hygiene already, but I want to seriously implement strict no screen time for an hour before bed to see if it helps. I get migraines, so reading won’t always been an option. I will do 20 minutes of stretching/meditating, but what else to fill the time that is somewhat enjoyable?
I can do that when I don’t have a migraine…which is unfortunately a couple days a week.
I truly understand you. Sometimes, I walk on my treadmill but not too close to bedtime. At other times, I just sit on my lazyboy couch listening to my ‘sleep’ playlist.
This. If I don’t read before I sleep, I find I typically wake up at least once during the night, so now I read every night. I always have a good book I’m reading as a result.
I wear red blue-light-filtering glasses, so I can actually watch screens if I want and it doesn’t affect me at all.
I choose “boring” long form content, so that I don’t get too excited, and embroider, crochet or draw. Although you can’t really see color with these glasses, so all of my projects are black and white.
Anyway, I paid like 10€ for the glasses and my sleep was fixed within a week. Best investment ever.
I found that putting in place an offline bedtime routine makes it much easier to stick to it & makes me fall asleep so much faster.
I try this routine to be around 60min.
I take my dog for his final evening walk: 25-30min
Come back- make a cup of herbal tea (usually chamomile or mint)
Take a shower followed by my nighttime skincare routine 20min
Then I head to bed. I read a physical book or a magazine. 5-10min
I also have an offline eink alarm clock that lets me upload custom audio files- so if I do want to listen to a podcast or some guided meditations or even an audiobook, I have that option as well. However, I’m usually out like a light in 5-10min.
Reign said: @Darcy
I like the idea of incorporating a shower/skincare into the bedtime routine! I guess that counts as no screen time, and it’s productive!
I started using calming shower steamers and/or bath bombs when I’m having trouble sleeping. Love them! Lavender is great for helping you sleep. I’ve sent a link to an example.Calming Bath Bombs
Gratitude journal, and read in bed with a book light. I cut out screens before bed almost a year ago and reading has been a huge help. I get migraines (hemiplegic!) but a warm book light focused on the words has been fine and requires less eye-straining.
If you have trouble going back to sleep when you wake up, put an earbud in your ear with podcasts running at low volume throughout the night. Every time you wake up, tune into what’s playing instead of what your brain wants to do …think about everything else. It sounds silly but has been a game-changer for me (going through SSRI withdrawal/insomnia).
Sit outside if you have a porch or patio, go for a nighttime walk if you have a safe area. Listen to calming music(hard to turn it on without looking at a screen I guess) (maybe get a cool record player)
During my screen-free time before bed, I like to write in my journal. It’s a great way for me to release any lingering thoughts, especially stressful or negative ones, that might be keeping me awake. Putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, in my case) and getting everything out of my head feels incredibly therapeutic and helps me unwind.
Of course, I also pair this with my favorite natural sleep aid – a glass of tart cherry juice. It’s a delicious and relaxing way to end the day and prepare for a good night’s sleep.