It is recommended that between the ages of 18-64yrs, you require 7-9 hours of sleep every day, minimum 6hrs. It is only God who never sleeps or slumbers.
So good long sleep is apparently important but how we retire to bed is also equally important and it is where I also struggle a lot. And hopefully I am not alone J
We have to prepare for the night the same way we prepare for the day. Thinking of it, it is illogical how well we prepare for the part of the day where are most aware of ourselves than the part of it when we are completely unaware and defenseless.
Taking your technology idols to bed
A lot of us are culprits. Technology, mainly phone and tablets have become our bedmates. They are the last we hold before we slip off to sleep and the first we reach out for when we slip out of sleep. Before you lay on your bed, store them completely away. If you have to catch up on anything, do it whilst out of bed. When it is time to lie on your bed, then it should be time to put them away. Keep them out of reach so that you can’t even reach out for it when you toss in bed or wake up. The first thing you should be reaching out for when you slip out of sleep is your bible or your spouse. Tech addiction and invasion is real and one way to break its mastery is during bedtime. Everything can wait if you make it wait. It is not going to be easy but work at it.
Watch your TV habits not the TV
Dozing off at night in front of your TV is just bad – I wish I could put it more politely. Science suggests that the light coming from the television can inhibit the release of melatonin, the hormone that makes us sleepy. This means you might fall asleep but you might never reach the deep level of sleep you require when you sleep with the television on. And bad nights of sleep could lead to poor moods and dampened alertness during the day. But even apart from science, you should plan your sleep – just don’t find yourself slumping into sleeping.
Plan your sleep
It helps to plan to go to bed and plan how long you intend to sleep. Plan your sleep the same way you plan your day. Keep a consistent sleep schedule as much as possible especially when you are not traveling. Try to get up the same time everyday even when you can afford not to – weekends and holidays. Do not confuse your brain and body by having a confusing sleep pattern. If you cannot afford to walk into office and out of office anytime and anyhow then don’t afford to slip into bed and out of bed anytime and anyhow.
Plan not to wake up until you plan to
Expert say it is best to have uninterrupted sleep in-order to get the best out of your sleep. When you have put your technological idols away, then another interruption to deal with is waking up to attend to nature’s call. This completely disrupts your sleep rhythm robing you of potentially the best parts of your sleep. To avoid or reduce this, then it is recommended not to drink water or other liquids atleast an hour before your sleep. Water is essential for the body but drink all the water you can in the day and much earlier in the night.
Pray
My wife will always remind us to pray before we sleep. I guess one reason why God never sleeps nor slumbers is because we do. Going to sleep without committing yourself to Him is like driving at top speed on a highway without brakes. Your most vulnerable times are the times you are asleep. You don’t control when you fall into sleep and how you wake up. If that is not a miracle and scary, then what is? Of all the bedtime protocols you should observe, this is most important. If you would want to walk your toddler in the dark woods at night and not let them wonder by themselves, then why would you not also ask your father in heaven to be with you at night when you are totally not in control?
Watch your posture
So when you finally slip into bed, watch how lie. Never lie face down. It affects your spine and your breathing. The best recommended posture is to lie on your side to give your spine the best alignment. Also ensure the pillow is only for your head and not your neck and shoulders. There is a part of the spine called the arc of life and its contour needs to be maintained properly whilst your sleep. And when you slip out of bed, do so with your knees folded and slip out with your lower body before your upper body follows.
So how you go to sleep is as important as how you prepare for surgery – you want to make it back and live well after. So is sleep and waking up. There are many people who don’t wake up from it everyday. Prepare to wake up everyday by having your protocols in place.