I recently found this cool sleep quiz from the BBC. It confirmed for me something I already knew: I'm pretty expert at sleeping. I got 93% in my results, which I didn't think too much of at the time, but when I shared it with other digital nomads in the Anywhereist Group, I was surprised to find that other people were languishing with scores of 16-25%.
So I thought about the things I do to help me sleep (aside from the ones mentioned in the test, which include having a bath, not exercising/drinking alcohol or caffeine right before bed and no screens before bed).
So I thought about the things I do to help me sleep (aside from the ones mentioned in the test, which include having a bath, not exercising/drinking alcohol or caffeine right before bed and no screens before bed).
My boyfriend even calls me the sleep monster because I can never get enough of it. I prize my sleep very highly and get pretty grumpy if I don't have enough of it. Plus, being tired flares my misophonia like nothing else, so here are some of the things I do to make sure I don't get a bad night's sleep:
It can never be too dark for me. The downside of this is that the natural light doesn't wake you up in the morning, something I'm still trying to figure out.
My boyfriend snores, but it's a great way to make you feel like you're in a little cocoon away from the outside world.
Hot bedrooms SUCK. I've read that around 18 degrees is ideal, but if you've got plenty of snuggly bedding and a hot water bottle, go as cold as you like. When in a cold country, I never sleep with the heater on.
So relaxing, and you can develop a Pavlovian reaction to it, too. I've also heard rose oil is a nice alternative.
Nothing is more annoying than a feeling like you kind of sort of need to go to the loo but are too tired to do it. Wee right before bed to prevent you from having to do it in the middle of the night. A side note on this: when I was a teenager, I used to need to wee multiple times each night. It sucked. You can train yourself out of it: just refuse to get up. It's a few uncomfortable nights, but after that it won't trouble you again.
- Sleep with not one but TWO sleeping masks.
It can never be too dark for me. The downside of this is that the natural light doesn't wake you up in the morning, something I'm still trying to figure out.
- Earplugs.
My boyfriend snores, but it's a great way to make you feel like you're in a little cocoon away from the outside world.
- Sleep in as cool and dark a room as possible.
Hot bedrooms SUCK. I've read that around 18 degrees is ideal, but if you've got plenty of snuggly bedding and a hot water bottle, go as cold as you like. When in a cold country, I never sleep with the heater on.
- Occasionally use stuff like lavender oil on the pillow or in a bath.
So relaxing, and you can develop a Pavlovian reaction to it, too. I've also heard rose oil is a nice alternative.
- Try staying awake.
- Wee right before bed
Nothing is more annoying than a feeling like you kind of sort of need to go to the loo but are too tired to do it. Wee right before bed to prevent you from having to do it in the middle of the night. A side note on this: when I was a teenager, I used to need to wee multiple times each night. It sucked. You can train yourself out of it: just refuse to get up. It's a few uncomfortable nights, but after that it won't trouble you again.
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