Sleeping Habits

I'm not a great sleeper.  I never have been.  I even remember when I was a little kid my parents would want me to nap and I wouldn't want to, afraid I would miss something.  Its become so clear to me now that sleep is such a vital part of healthy living and any training routine.  So I'm working on decompressing more in the evenings to trigger a relaxation response.

I've been using a few tools.  The first is reading.  It seems simple and while you can get caught up in a book and use up valuable sleeping time in a story, its a great way to distract your mind and start getting relaxed.

Secondly, I like keeping a book of lists or a journal.  It gets things off your mind and onto paper.  Its never going to be seen by anyone else but you so it doesn't have to have perfect grammar, handwriting or even make much sense.

I have been using an eye pillow over my eyes some nights.  The one I have is filled with delicious smelling things like lavender, but you can get them unscented and in all sorts of materials.  These are great for blocking everything out and just focusing on breathing and relaxing.

My other favorite thing is incense.  Its great to burn before bed.  The scent changes your perception of time and makes you relax.  While you should be careful with any fire, its great to burn a stick and put it on your bedside stand.   Incense is actually quite inexpensive and can be found lots of places online.

I'm also leaving my computer in the office, NOT taking it to my bed side stand.  I do still charge my phone there and peek at it from time to time, but I'm more cautious than I have been in the past.

So while these may not work for you, these techniques have worked very well for me.  I try to vary things from night to night so nothing feels routine.  I can even vary the scent of incense I use.  

Sleep tight!