Put it Down People

Hi.  It's me.  Your neighborly intermittent blogger.

This week I have health advice: put down your phone long before you get into bed.  Leave it in the other room while you sleep.  Get an alarm clock if you need to wake up at a certain time.  Remember alarm clocks?  As obnoxious as they are, most of us, if we are getting enough sleep and are in touch with our circadian rhythms, will wake up a few minutes before the actual blare of the electronic rooster.  

If you need more inspiration about how vital sleep is to us humans, please check out Matthew Walkers, Why We Sleep- Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams.  The way Matthew describes the symphonic neurochemical dance of how our brains defrag each night practically had me in tears.

We are freaking miracles, people!  And we need to remember that.

Before Bed:

Sleeping with a router and wifi on at night can disturb sleep.  We have been turning off the router at night and both G and I feel more rested.  The science of what Wifi and Bluetooth technology is doing to our brains is so disturbing that I won't get into in here.  Reading about the dangers could cause even more insomnia.

Since the advent of LED lights, which I personally abhor since they are utterly unflattering to women of a certain age, the blue light pollution in our homes is ruining our production of melatonin.  Blue light tells your brain that it is still daylight.  Blue light is toxic.  I miss the gentle aura of incandescent bulbs.  I have not tried Blue Blocker glasses, mostly because I don't want to look like Bono, but they are supposed to help with sleep.  I'll let you all know when I try them.  Another cool trick that I have tried lately is lighting candles before bed.  I heard about "candle hour" on a great podcast called Nocturne. Candle hour is so relaxing.  I feel like Abe Lincoln when I crawl into bed and read by candlelight.  (Just don't forget to blow them out before you fall asleep).  

Avoid scrolloholism, especially in bed.  This is my made up phrase to describe the countless minutes and hours wasted by pushing your thumb upward over the screen of your phone.  I am so guilty of scrolloholism that it feels disingenuous to write this down, but do understand that I write things so that I can work through them too.  Guilty as charged!  But how can we quiet our minds before sleep if we are googling the Staircase Owl Theory or why dogs spin in circles before lying down?  Instead, put the bloody phone down.  Review your day in reverse, starting with what you just did, working your way backward.  I guarantee your mind can't help but drift into a state of relaxation and ultimately, sleep.

And in the morning:

Remember yourself.  Remember the peace of morning without glancing at your phone and seeing all the Instagram notifications?  Instead of bombarding your brain with information within just moments of emerging from rest, lay awake and listen to your inner voice.  Who is there?  What is there?  Some of the best writers used to lay in bed for hours.  Why?  Because they were thinking things through and using their imaginations before they even put down a word.  Try to envision what life was like before these screens, these sirens of seduction, beckoned us to forget who we are.  They distract us most of our waking hours.  Give yourself some kindness and ignore the lure of the screen for just a short while.  See if connection to yourself changes.  If this is tough, start slowly.  Drink your coffee and then look at your phone.  An odd thing to consider, isn't?  What would happen if we stopped the digital noise?  

I say, put down the phone. Drop the distraction because guess what?  Your unique and beautiful essence is still there, buried under the piles of mental clutter.  Quit covering yourself up under tabs and notifications.  Quit compromising your ability to live your one life to its full potential.

Do you have any suggestions for better sleep hygiene or management of technology?