Poor sleep is not just a matter of hours
Sleep is prepared during the day
The quality of rest depends on what happens in the hours before and also on how your day has gone: the number of decisions, the level of activation, the light you have received and when you ate or exercised. Looking only at night leaves out half the problem.
- What time you go to bed and wake up on weekdays and weekends.
- How much natural light you receive in the early hours of the day.
- When you have your last large meal, alcohol or caffeine.
- What activity you do in the hour before sleeping.
Sleeping little and sleeping poorly are not the same thing
You can spend eight hours in bed and wake up without having rested. It is worth distinguishing between not having enough time to sleep, not being able to fall asleep, waking up during the night or sleeping straight through and still waking up exhausted. Each situation points to different causes.
Sustained worry is a frequent factor
When the mind continues solving issues as you turn out the light, the body remains activated. It is not about clearing your mind, but giving your worries a place and a time, so that they do not claim the night.
- Write down pending tasks before dinner, not in bed.
- Decide on the first step of the next day.
- Separate the place where you work from the place where you rest.
Where to start
Choose a single change and sustain it for two weeks before adding another. What works best is not the perfect routine, but the one that fits your real schedules and you can repeat without heroic effort.
Rest is one of the eight areas checked by the Vitae Audit. Seeing it alongside the rest helps you understand if the problem starts at night or during the day.