I was thrilled to hear from so many readers regarding my sleep column from a few weeks ago. I had written about my great results from implementing what I had read in The Sleep Prescription by Aric A. Prather, PhD.
It sounds like many of you have been buying or checking out a copy, and I’m delighted to hear it. My mission in life is to bring joy to others. I think having good sleep is critical to becoming our best selves.
Some of you may recall that I mentioned the steps in this book are simple, but not easy. One of them is getting out of bed to do a relaxing activity if you haven’t fallen asleep – or back to sleep – in 20 minutes or so.
I resisted this strongly because I tried it once years ago during a particularly frustrating night. I got up to read and promptly banged my shin on a rocking chair in the corner of my bedroom. The pain and ensuing bruise made me swear, “never again.” This activity certainly didn’t relax me and make me sleepy!
But like I have also said in this column … never say never.
Dr. Prather recommends finding an activity that is truly relaxing for you. One of his clients said she loved to do cross stitch, which the good doctor thought would be quite boring. On the contrary, it wound her back up and she couldn’t sleep! She did, however, create some beautiful pieces of art, so that’s something.
I gave this some thought and figured I’d choose reading for my “can’t sleep better get up” activity. I make certain I have a magazine or non-fiction book in my room now, not a thriller or anything that would make me want to keep turning the pages.
During a recent weekend getaway to my happy place – Lake of the Woods in Bremen, Ind. – I found myself wide awake at 4:30 a.m. I had brought a magazine in case this happened, but then I thought, “Wait a minute. I’m at the lake!”
After a bathroom trip, I quietly left the cottage and padded out on to the pier in my sandals. It was a warm, cloudless night with a just a sliver of a moon, which was not visible at that time. I sat on the bench at the end of the pier, looked up at the stars, and breathed deeply.
I also heard two stray cats mating … which gave me a chuckle … but that quickly ended. After those shenanigans, all was blissfully quiet – an occurrence I never experience when I’m outside in my Old Town Noblesville neighborhood.
In about 15 minutes, my mind and body felt relaxed and sleepy. I wandered back to the cottage, laid down on my cot, and drifted off to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, I told my family how grateful I was to have had that experience. I’d never done anything like that before.
From now on, I’m going to embrace my 4:30 a.m. – or whatever time it is – quiet moment at night. I believe that I’ll come to enjoy these times of extra reading, prayer, or simply gazing at one of the many glorious sights of nature.
I hope you give it a try the next time you’re struggling. You may find yourself loving these extra moments to simply enjoy life – and falling back to sleep in no time.
P.S. – I want to wish my readers a Happy 4th of July! We won’t be getting much sleep this evening, but I hope you all enjoy the holiday.
Amy Shankland is a writer and fundraising professional living in Noblesville with her husband John, two sons, two dogs, and a cat. You can reach her via email at amys@greenavenue.info.