Your sleep routine starts in the morning

A lot of sleep advice online obsesses over "healthy bedtime routines" and often looks like this:

• Avoid screens an hour before bed

• Read a book

• Meditate

• Drink herbal tea

and the list goes on...

This is certainly helpful and it's an important part of ensuring a restful night.

But what many people don't realize is that the way you start your day is just as or even MORE important for a healthy sleep routine.

Your morning routine is crucial and it's where a lot of people fail to set themselves up for success.

There are 2 essential mechanisms regulating your sleep:

• Sleep drive

• Circadian rhythm

Sleep drive builds up by being awake and gets depleted when we sleep.

It tells our body when it's time to feel sleepy and to get ready for bed and by getting enough sleep at night, our sleep drive should be at its lowest point in the morning, helping us feel alert.

It then builds up throughout the day and the longer we stay awake, the stonger our sleep drive gets.

Circadian rhythm refers to our internal 24 hours body clock and it regulates not only our sleep-wake cycle but also our energy and productivity levels, mood, hunger and other important aspects of our wellbeing.

It is mostly influenced by light and dark and should be automatic for most people.

It should be but for most of us, it's not.

With artificial lights available to us around the clock, our circadian rhythms can easily get thrown off which is why a lot of sleep advice focusses on removing screens and bright lights from your evening to create a better sleep routine.

But we also need to pay attention to what's happening at the beginning of our day and how getting good quality sleep starts in the morning.

Are you getting enough sunlight as soon as you wake up or within the first hour of being awake? If not, it needs to be a priority for you if you want to improve your sleep.

Especially now as we approach the winter months, it becomes more and more difficult to get enough exposure to sunlight.

I'm currently struggling with exactly this problem living in the UK and having to get up before sunrise so I can walk my dog and get ready for work in time.

So here some easy tips that you can incorporate into your morning routine:

• Get as much artificial light as you can as soon you get up. Our eyes are very sensitive to light so any bright lights, especially white light, will help.

  
  

• Go to another room if you have a partner who is waking up later and can't turn on the lights.

  
  

• If there is any sunlight at all, go outside immediately, even just standing in your garden for 5-10mins can make a difference.

  
  

• If you can't go out, sit near a window with a lot of light for 5-10mins.

  
  

• Try using a sunrise lamp that mimics natural sunlight.

  
  

  There are many different types on the market, I got this Philips lamp many years ago and it's been a game changer ever since (not affiliated or sponsored).

  
  

  It comes with different types of alarms and can also help you fall asleep at night by mimicing sunset.

• Try light therapy lamps (such as this one) that you can setup anywhere around the house. Sit in front of the bright light for at least 5-10mins in the morning, ideally 15-30 if you can.

• If you can adjust your commute, try incorporating walking or cycling. For example, if you take the train or bus, get off a stop earlier and walk the remaining distance to get a boost of extra sunlight.

• Make sure you also get exposure to sunlight at around midday. Go outside for your lunch break or try a short walk after lunch. Again, even 5 mins can make all the difference to your body.

By focussing on sunlight exposure at the right time, we can help our body's natural rhythms and set ourselves up for a succesful day.

It also makes it much easier to wind down in the evening and signal to our body that we are now ready to sleep.

So if you want to sleep at night, prioritize your mornings!

Let me know what change you're going to incorporate into your morning routine. Small steps can lead to big results!

Wishing you a restful night!

The Sleep Nerd 😴🛌🌟