Why we’re not getting enough sleep and why’s it’s needed for the day ahead

Sleep is essential. It’s the recharge we need after a busy and stressful day. It’s the gas our engines need to start powering up for another day, yet so many of us are not getting enough of it. Why? There are so many reasons!

Why we’re not getting enough sleep

For many of us, we start our day in a groggy state and it’s almost like clockwork that once we sit down to unwind and actually prepare ourselves to start and get ready for bed that our bodies start to wind up and we stay up later than usual.

The silence and stillness of the night can give way to having conversations and thoughts with ourselves about the stress and worry from the day, which wears on us.

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Perhaps your schedule is busy from start to finish with the hustle and bustle of work and daily responsibilities at home. For some, the only downtime is late in the evening well into the wee hours of the night.

Television, tablets, and cellphone screens are ways that many decompress, but the lights of these devices also send signals to our brain that end up stimulating us, not allowing us to fall asleep.

And for myself and many others, it’s parenthood that keeps us awake into the wee hours. Whether it’s late-night feedings, helping ward off the monsters that visit in dreams, I often find myself up late because my child is a bit of a night owl.

Why sleep is needed for the day ahead

There are so many studies I could list about why sleep is needed! But the reasons are obvious, we need sleep as much as we need food and water to survive.

Our brain activity is essential for our survival. We need our memory, we need to have the ability to make split-second decisions, especially for our safety. We need to be productive and effective in the jobs we do.

Anytime I had an injury or surgery, I noticed immediately each time I got enough sleep, my body would feel a little better each and every day. So much healing happens while we sleep.

And when we’re children, so much growth happens during that time too. Especially with our brain development!

Plain and simple — we need sleep to help our bodies function and survive.

5 ways to get to sleep faster

Many of us can make an effort to get ourselves into bed to try and get some much-needed sleep, but sometimes we fall short on our ability to get to sleep quickly. Here are some methods I’ve used to try and fall asleep quicker to sleep more soundly.

1. Set an alarm for yourself to tell yourself it’s time for bed

I always want my head hitting the pillow by 10:00 pm., but time easily slips away from me. I can get involved with doing something and lose track of time. The next thing I know I’m looking at the clock at it’s 10:00 p.m. and by the time I brush my teeth and climb into bed, it’s creeping towards 11:00 p.m.

Here’s how to do that: To remedy this I started setting an alarm on my phone for 9:00 p.m. This lets me know I need to start thinking about getting ready to wind down for the night.

If I’m watching television, I’ll hit pause or wait for a commercial, run and brush my teeth. Get situated and finish what I’m doing. I’ll have another alarm go off with a 15-minute warning at 9:45 p.m. and then I know it’s time to head upstairs.

2. Make the room as dark as possible

Whether you live in a big city, a suburb or the bright moon shines in a rural area, sometimes it can be difficult to fall asleep if there is any light.

Here’s how to do that: Purchase some room darkening curtains or shades. Limit any artificial lights. If you’re prone to waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, try getting one of those motion-activated night lights that will turn on when you signal it.

3. Lower the temperature in the house

Ever notice if it’s summer and you don’t have air conditioning it’s very difficult to fall asleep? There’s something about cooler temperatures that allows us the ability to sleep comfortably.

Here’s how to do that: If you have central air conditioning try and set it a few degrees cooler in the summer or turn down your heat a little bit during the winter. Your fuel bill will benefit from this in the winter!

If you don’t have the luxury of central air during the summer months, invest in a window unit or some fans to help cool your space.

4. Remove electronics from your arm’s reach

It’s so easy for us to want to keep checking the time or if we hear a notification pop up on our phone, but the more times we grab for electronics while we’re trying to fall asleep, the less likely we will fall asleep in a timely manner.

Here’s how to do that: To stop myself from checking electronics I ended up putting my phone across the room from the bed. And honestly, this has helped me fall asleep quicker!

Another bad habit I was able to break by doing this was that I stopped hitting the snooze button continuously and have been able to start my day when the first alarm goes off. My phone is my alarm clock and I have to physically get up to shut it off and since I’m up I figure I should just stay up and not crawl back into bed.

5. Create a relaxing environment to melt away in

I have found the more relaxing space is, the easier it is to melt away into dreamland.

Here’s how to do that: Consider investing in a really good bed and some pillows that fit your preference for comfort. Perhaps paint your room a relaxing color that will give you peace. Or perhaps invest in a sound machine or have relaxing music playing in the background that can help calm you.

BONUS TIP: Got, kids? Here’s something to try

My daughter takes after my mom. She’s a night owl! She can stay up late and still rise and function early in the morning. I don’t get it. And I don’t like it.

And she fights going to bed! But I’ve managed to beat her at her own game.

Here’s how to do that: Every child wants to feel like their the boss or they want to a least feel like they have input in a decision. So I started telling my daughter that I needed some help with someone tucking me in.

The first time she seemed perplexed. Tucking mommy in? So I flipped the script and she’s had so much fun with it! We’ll go into her room. I’ll ask her to read me a story and then the next thing I know she’s fast asleep.

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