Today I am thinking about sleep and the word / idea of “cozy”.
The word “Cozy” was in the subject line of a recent email newsletter I received. For me, hearing the word also makes me want to be cozy. To “do” cozy. To increase my coziness level. Something like that.
I also received a newsletter from NYT with “Hunkering Down” in the title, and let’s face it - we’re doing that this time of year, too.
And all of this is related, at least for me, to my annual episode and article about sleep. Because honestly, this time of year, hunkering and cozy and sleeping all kind of go together.
This week, I spent a few hours with a client transitioning her home to Fall and Winter, and also reviewing the items as we went to purge things completely that she no longer needs. Light colored and weighted coats for heavier coats, sandals and summer sneakers for boots, baseball caps for hats and gloves and scarves. It was 61 degrees the day we worked together, but there is a chance of snow this week by Friday, so it was time! For you and for me, we may transition outerwear like this client, but we can also swap out summer bedding for the down comforters and flannel sheets, add throw blankets to the couch for cozier evenings, break out the candles, or whatever else cozy may mean to you. I personally think it’s time to bring out my teakettle - I drink a lot more tea when the weather gets chilly!
For me, getting cozy is the upside of this darker part of the year. It is so much darker so much earlier but I relish the fuzzy sweaters, the snuggly blankets, the warm lighting, and the soups and teas. From an organizing and coaching perspective, we benefit when we have environments to support us! That includes cozy, welcoming spaces to help us relax into a good night’s sleep!
That’s the other part of the cooler weather, right, and darker days? That we are biologically programmed to spend more time sleeping, and, you know, snuggling in, hunkering down, as it were. So, let’s talk about sleep.
Sleep is one of my favorite topics to talk about because for most of us, getting a good night's sleep makes life just a little bit better. (Unless it’s at the sake of missing your alarm, I guess!)
Sleep makes things better, and yet, for many of us including me, sleep eludes us some nights and sleep hygiene is an area where we struggle. What was that? Sleep hygiene? Yes, sleep hygiene. Your “sleep hygiene” is your daily routine for getting a good night’s sleep.
Today, let’s walk through why sleep is important, how to set up our environments for cozy evenings and a good night’s sleep, and then clean up our sleep hygiene for consistently better sleep!
We all know that sleep is essential for optimal performance and health. Sleep gives our bodies time to rebuild, and our minds time to process stimuli from the day. Our bodies and brains are actually very busy while we sleep!
We also may struggle at different times in our lives to get enough sleep or good sleep. Students, parents of young children, shift workers, people with illness or injury that make sleep uncomfortable or difficult - there are many reasons why we aren’t getting enough sleep!
What happens if we don’t sleep?
Short term, simple things like feeling tired, lack of focus, irritability and lethargy.
For example, on the day I started writing this article, I was up late last night for a concert on the north side, and I was very tired the next morning! (and it was worth it!!). But what does tired look like? I was slow to get moving that morning! Thankfully, I planned ahead and had adjusted my alarm a little later to get as much sleep as I could. In addition to moving slowly, I also didn’t complete some of my usual daily and wellness activities like exercising, which also slows me down.
I was a little sleepy while I wrote. Low energy, losing focus earlier in the day than I normally do. I could have opted for another cup of coffee, or maybe, if I was really lucky, a 15 min nap before my afternoon and evening meetings (a perk of working from home a few days a week!). I could also just keep slogging through, which is what actually happened but I knew that I wouldn’t be doing my most quality work, and that I would be ready to sleep earlier that evening.
More importantly, what about long term sleep loss? Long term sleep loss can lead to:
decreased cognitive function which can cause poor performance at work, unsafe work or job loss. Sleep loss can cause or make worse the symptoms of physical ailments like high blood pressure, increased risk of heart disease, inflammation, decreased metabolism, skewed hormones, and psychological issues like depression and anxiety.
Getting all sciencey for a moment, let’s talk “Sleep cycle”: Nightly, we alternate between REM (lighter, Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and Non-REM sleep (deeper, more restorative sleep). We need both for optimal physical and mental recuperation, and memory consolidation. (Harvard.edu)
I'm not a sleep expert, but as an organizer, I recognize logical, objective ways to improve routines and physical space to live better. Here are some tips for chasing those elusive Zzzzzz’s!
Our home environment impacts sleep:
The National Sleep Foundation states that people who make their beds daily are more likely to sleep well every night, and 71 percent of us sleep better in a fresh-smelling bedroom. A cluttered room reminds us of unfinished tasks, whereas an uncluttered room helps us relax. Closing closet doors and dresser drawers further soothes us. In addition, 75% of people sleep better when they have clean sheets.
According to The Anxiety and Depression Association of America, depression can cause clutter, and clutter can cause people to feel tired and more depressed!
Individuals who live in clean homes are generally healthier than their counterparts living in clutter, according to research conducted at Indiana University
Take Care of Your Sleep Environment:
Not too loud: Soothing music is nice, if you need it, but set a timer for it to turn off and don’t sleep with ear phones in your ears.
Not too quiet: Silence can be even more distracting than noise. A white noise machine may help, or a cool vaporizer like the one we run all winter helps drown out nighttime noise.
A cool room is best for sleeping, and some prefer a fan to move air around. Sleep with blankets in layers, not just one really heavy one, so you can shed or add covers as needed.
An actual bed (get off the couch!) and the right pillow – not too soft or hard, or too many.
Bedrooms are Bed Rooms. Limit your bedroom to sleep and relaxation. No computer, TV, treadmill or workout equipment, no unfinished work or unfolded laundry. Sleep and relaxation!
And, sorry to say this, but if you’re having trouble sleeping, have your pets sleep elsewhere.
Myself as a case study,
Let me get personal here for a moment. I advocate in my classes for my students to make adjustments in their sleep environments to get a good night’s sleep, but I was slow to make adjustments for myself! Not to get too detailed, but menopause and night sweats were such a big deal for many months that I finally sought medical advice (don’t wait!!). Turning down the thermostat overnight, using the prescribed estrogen patch, my own set of bedding on our shared bed so that I can adjust for my own comfortable temperature and a portable white noise machine at my bedside were all game changers!
Clean up your Sleep Hygiene for better sleep.
Your “sleep hygiene” is your daily routine for getting a good night’s sleep.
Use “Square” or “Triangle” Breathing for relaxation.
Determine how much sleep you actually need. We don’t all need exactly 8 hours a night to live our best lives. Some folks need less and some need more, based on age, physical demands, individual rhythms and a host of other variables. Fix your wake-up time, and work back from there for your bedtime, first with 8 hours, then 7.5, then 7.
You may be getting more sleep than you think. It may feel like you’re awake, since your sleep may be shallow and not restorative. And obviously, intentionally napping or even nodding off while watching TV counts as sleep and can undermine your overnight sleep.
How to adjust your daily routine for better sleep:
Set a consistent sleep schedule. Keep your bed-time and wake-time the same, even on weekends. Wake-time should vary no more an hour from weekday to weekend.
Get outside in daylight every day, preferably in the morning.
During the day, exercise, but not close to bedtime.
Avoid caffeine after lunch, and check your medications, foods and beverages for hidden caffeine, sugar or other stimulants. You would be amazed at all the places caffeine hides, or how medicines like steroids can keep you awake at night!
Avoid overhead and fluorescent lighting as much as possible. Turn down all your lights after dinner, to tell your brain it is time to start shutting down for the night.
Start winding down a little before bedtime. Create separation between day and night. Choose the same 3 or 4 soothing activities before bed nightly, like yoga, wash your face, warm beverage, a warm shower, quiet TV viewing or reading (with soft lighting or a clip light) in a darkened room.
Screen Time: turn off anything with a screen (TV, computer, phone) half an hour before bed time, and keep computers and TVs out of the bedroom completely if you are having sleep issues. The electronic fields can interfere with good sleep. Set your device screens for “night time” and lower the brightness, with less blue light to keep you awake. And watch something calming, and not energizing or stressful!
If you’re having a hard time falling asleep, focus on relaxing, not sleeping.
Keep a notebook and pen at your bedside, to jot down random thoughts that might keep you awake.
So, in these darker evenings, spend a little time making your environment warm and cozy, and set up your days, physical environments and habits for long term sleep success!
