Mastering the mechanics of sleep transformed my lifelong struggle.

This is a follow up to my first piece I wrote on Medium titled: Snooze or Lose: 10 Sleep Secrets to Catch Those Z’s!

Let’s dive right in!

1. CBD: Use it however you want, CBD may help some people relax before bed, although results vary.
2. Sleep mask: Unless your room is PITCH BLACK, you need one of these. Light is the enemy of sleep, so get yourself a sleeping mask. You’ll thank me later. FYI, get ready to start dreaming for real !
3. Stop eating three hours before bed. That’s right, three full hours. You know what’s the best part about this? By doing so, you will inadvertently start your Intermittent Fasting journey.
4. Weighted blankets: They provide a calming effect and promote better sleep by increasing feelings of comfort and security. Some people find the gentle pressure calming.
5. Warming your feet before bed, either with a warm foot bath or by wearing warm socks, helps dilate blood vessels and signal to your body that it’s time to sleep. I bet you didn’t know this one !
6. Experiment with sleep positions: For example, sleeping on your left side alleviates acid reflux symptoms (but ditching dairy will eliminate those symptoms altogether, for good), while elevating your legs slightly improves circulation and reduces leg and back pain.
   I sleep on my back first, then turn. I like stretching my backbone before bed as well, hence my first position.
7. Sleep in a cool room: Do keep your feet warm, though. A cool bedroom (around 65°F or 18°C) is often associated with better sleep. Our bedroom is often cooler than that in the winter.
8. Use pink noise (I looked up why it’s call pink noise, I still don’t get it): This ambient noise has a soothing effect and drowns out other sounds that may disrupt your sleep.
9. Try aromatherapy: Certain scents like lavender, chamomile, or vanilla have a calming effect and promote sleep. They also create a relaxing atmosphere, which is paramount to sleep well.
10. Practice lucid dreaming techniques: These techniques allow me to become aware and almost control my dreams. Lucid dreaming has definitely enhanced my sleep experience and made it more restful, and fun. Yes, sleep can be fun too.

Many sleep problems improve once we address the habits surrounding sleep, though persistent insomnia deserves professional attention.

Update: recent studies have linked the lack of dreaming to certain illnesses like dementia and depression, and you can’t dream if you’re not getting proper sleep consistently.

Thanks for reading.

Tee.