Your sleep prescription

One thing that surprised me about middle age is losing the ability to sleep well. From conversations I’ve had with many of my friends, I know I’m not alone.

We don’t prioritize sleep in our society. How many times have you said, or heard, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” In fact, a lot of us wear getting too little sleep like a badge of honor. As a Highly Sensitive Person, however, that doesn’t work for me. And really, it shouldn’t be the case for anyone.

When I approached menopause in 2020, sleep became elusive. As if that year weren’t tough enough, I started to barely function due to lack of it. I tried multiple supplements, and even attempted to sleep in a hammock the following summer hoping it would help. (It didn’t.) Thankfully things improved, although nowhere near back to my good old days.

Lately I’ve been grateful to get mostly decent sleep. But when I saw The Sleep Prescription: Seven Days to Unlocking Your Best Rest by Aric A. Prather, PhD, at a bookstore in Florida recently, I snagged it! And it has changed my life already.

Our columnist has already worn out this excellent book and hopes you’ll read it soon. (Photo provided by Amy Shankland)

As the title suggests, within a week, I was doing much better with my sleep. I was astonished. With better sleep came better days, filled with less stress, more productivity, and calm. When I finished the book, I started over! I didn’t want to forget all the things I’d learned, and I also wanted to complete the sleep diary Dr. Prather recommends. It’s been enlightening.

The book helps you overhaul what you do during the day to get better sleep at night. It also tells you what NOT to do at nighttime, which includes getting out of bed to do a relaxing activity if you’ve been awake for 20 minutes or longer. I used to struggle greatly with that recommendation.

But even better than the behaviors is the new attitude Dr. Prather gives us regarding sleep. He stresses that even with following every single step in the book, we’ll still have the occasional “eh” or bad night – and that’s okay. In fact, I had a “meh” night recently, but with my new knowledge, I was okay the next day. (And had a great night after that!)

Finally, the author makes a strong case for changes in our society regarding our attitude towards sleep. It shouldn’t be something we make last in our life, but rather should be as important as good food, water, exercise, and other healthy habits. And sleep affects all those things – we make healthier decisions when we’ve had the sleep we need.

If you’re struggling with your sleep, this book is an easy, quick read that can help almost immediately. Of course, talking to your doctor along with reading this book is ideal.

The Sleep Prescription is available at many libraries and online. I’m sure our local bookstores would be happy to order it if they don’t have it in stock. I hope you’ll give it a try and start enjoying wonderful nights soon!

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.