Sleepless In LA

[Image from pixabay.com]

Lately my sleeping patterns have sucked! I know as an educated woman my vocabulary should be a bit more expansive than the word “sucked” but there’s just not a word equivalent to describe it. And when I say “lately” in reference to the time period, I mean for the past few months. Much of that is attributed to waking up in the middle of the night with plans to take over the world. Okay, maybe not that deep. More like projects, dreams and the like that I’m forcing on myself to make happen…like yesterday. (Yipes face)

I’m not sure if any of you have seen the movie “I Don’t Know How She Does It” starring Sarah Jessica Parker. SJP plays a working mom who can barely remember where she placed the glasses on top of her head let alone to make cookies the night before her daughter’s bake sale. But somehow she manages to. Onto my point…there’s a scene where she awakens from her sleep in a panic, creating a mental to do list. Well the movie producers have some sort of sense of humor because as she thinks of the list quietly in bed, her voice is narrating out her thoughts as the list is scribbled on to the ceiling. Boy do I wish my brain to ceiling connection was that on point! I’d have my whole life staring down at me while I sleep. (Kind of a creepy thought now that I consider it.) I may not have the technological advancement of the illustrated list but there’s definitely one being noted in my head many times in the wee hours.

Any who, I did some thinking about factors that might be hurting my sleep patterns and came up with a few alternatives. A little root cause analysis if you will. So here’s what I came up with…

4 Great but Not So Great (Negative) Things I Currently Do Before Bedtime

1) Browse social media

I think most of the time it’s just a way of avoiding sleep more so than me actually being interested in scrolling through feeds. Well when it comes to cute outfit posts on Instagram, that may be a different story. Scroll on!

2) Stay up late sending screenshots of funny memes

Because who can resist a good laugh before bed? Or worse…make it wait until the morning.

3) Partaking in late night chats with the roomie

#2 is especially true when you’re sending these to the person in the next room. Which leads to a conversation about the meme then you end up talking about everything under the sun. Or should I say the moon…cause it’s night time, right? 🙂

4) Try to pack in everything I didn’t do that day

Around 9 o’clock I take a look at my “to do list” for the day. Not that it’s the first time I looked all day. Just that it’s the first time I decided to act upon it. So yeah…things like cleaning the bathroom, typing up a new blog post, etc. become crucial shortly before sleepy time. Sigh.

4 Ideal (Positive) Things I’d Like to Begin Doing Before Bedtime

1) Drink Chamomile (aka “Sleepy”) Tea

I recently purchased Chamomile tea containing the herb valerian. Valerian is a sedative also known to help with anxiety. (Read more in the hyperlink.) I’ve tried it a couple times and didn’t notice a huge transition in the shut eye department. But perhaps I need to drink it more consistently to see better results.

2) Take relaxing spa-like bubble baths

Any time spa and bubble bath are used closely together it’s pretty much guaranteed a relaxing treat will result. Which would make you think I sign up regularly. Nope…not the case. So I need to incorporate that into the routine.

3) Practice unwinding activities (yoga, reading, jazz music)

There’s yoga mat rolled up and leaning against the wall in my room. Multiple books have been put to the side and replaced with audiobooks for car rides. And the jazz music…I paid top dollar (okay not top dollar but it wasn’t cheap) for a John Coltrane “vintage” record at Urban Outfitters awhile back. Mr. Coltrane and the record player are currently hibernating in my closet. So I think you get my point by now? It’s time to bring those mellow vibe items back to life.

4) Committing to regular devotion and prayer   

This one is interesting. I’ve gotten better with the devotion. Lately I’ve been picking up a couple new devotion books and reading every night. It’s helped me to relax and go to sleep with positive thoughts. (So maybe I’m getting something right.) But as for the prayers they’re kinda struggling. They start off good and end up somewhere in delirium. Hinting that I should be more committed to setting aside a designated time and consistent schedule with this. Perhaps this will be a small yet huge calming factor in my sleep transition routine. Not to mention a more trusting approach to my plans to take over the world. 😉

I’ll be checking back in on the progress of my journey to better sleep. In the meantime, feel free to let me know what helps you prep for a good night’s sleep. Currently taking suggestions.