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Hi and happy Monday!

How was your quality of sleep over the past 7 days? Last week’s newsletter was about how Revenge Bedtime Procrastination emerged for many folks during the pandemic. As much as we might want to spend our nights reclaiming our personal time lost during our busy days, we don’t want it to be a detriment to our mental health.

This is why creating a sleep plan can be helpful.

Now, when I talk about a sleep plan, many folks think it just means going to bed early to wake up early, but it’s more than that. We plan our days according to our priorities — such as work tasks that need to be completed, what we’re cooking for dinner, and even laundry time. A lack of planning can make it hard to get things done. The same applies to our sleep. Prioritizing good rest in order to wake up feeling energized and not depleted calls for a sound sleep plan.

A sleep plan can look like:

  • identifying a time you’d like to be asleep by
  • communicating with others you live with about your sleep goals
  • holding yourself accountable for creating the right environment conducive to sleep

A sleep plan helps us enjoy the idea of going to bed instead of dreading it.

Here are a two crucial tips to consider when creating your sleep plan:

  1. Create routines. Creating a nighttime routine can consist of doing a nighttime skin care routine, taking a bath, drinking decaffeinated tea, listening to calming music, reading (a physical book), sex and/or physical intimacy, bed time massages, stretching or *light* exercise. These can train your body to know when it’s time to prepare for sleep.
  2. Eliminate distractions. Distractions can be anything that interferes with your ability to wind down. Stimuli that can keep you awake instead of aiding sleep might include: extra screen time before bed (scrolling, texting, or shopping), doing more work, or not silencing your phone. If something is engaging your thoughts when you should be asleep, it’s probably a distraction.

I encourage you to try one of these things this week, and gradually add to it as you create a sleep plan that makes sense for you.

I’ll be back again next week with more ways to increase your sleep habits. Stay tuned!

With love,

Minaa