Trouble Sleeping?

One of the first symptoms of dysregulation — aka your body alerting you that something’s up — is disrupted sleep.  Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep can have long-term health implications and sets you up for further mood issues and cognitive difficulties.  There’s a reason sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture.

Here are my non-negotiables to support healthy sleep: 

Get a pair of pajamas.  Not an old t-shirt and not your partner’s sweatpants.  Something that sparks joy, is comfortable, and feels cozy.  Switching from your outside clothes to pjs signals to your brain that you’re transitioning.  It allows your nervous system to downshift. The days of falling asleep in your clothes are done.  Sleep is as important as work so dress for the job.

Set a bed time and stick to it.  Your nervous system likes predictability so give it some.  Adhering to a (general) sleep and wake time also supports better sleep.  Added bonus, this is a great practice in boundaries too.

Eliminate screens.  The bedroom is for sleep and sex.  No phones or tvs in the bedroom.  I know, I know.  But trust me.  The blue light can suppress melatonin (the sleep hormone) and doom scrolling is gonna do one of two things: 1) it’ll send you in to activation that is going to make it harder to settle or 2) you dissociate and before you know it, it’s 2 am.

Distract your brain.  If you can’t fall asleep in silence or you wake in the middle of the night and struggle to return to sleep, try the podcast Nothing Much Happens.  You’ll hear soothing, cozy stories (told twice) that lull you back to sleep.  It’s my go-to when my brain is racing.

Bonus tip: Separate comforters if you sleep next to someone.  No waking up to wrestle the blankets back.  It can protect your sleep…and your relationship.

*Hint: you gotta keep these habits going for more than a week for them to actually prove effective