You wake up Monday morning to your alarm out of a sound sleep, waking once or twice throughout the night. You’ve finally gotten back to sleep and there’s that stupid alarm again.
You hit snooze because you’re so tired from a weekend full of fun, late nights, some wine and/or tequila, pizza and other over-indulgences that seem to occur on a regular weekend basis. Not that there is anything wrong with that on occasion!
Your 9 minute snooze is over and the alarm sounds again. You hit snooze once more. Eh, I’ll get to the gym tomorrow, even though you promised yourself this week would be different. Just another 9 minutes!
Your feet are swollen as they hit the floor or your body may ache all over. Could this be from the overindulgences…that’s a good possibility!
Girls, let’s face it…sleep gets a lot tougher to accomplish in those peri- and post-menopausal days. If we don’t make changes, it will affect our health one way or another! Not to mention our mood, which may already be suffering!
Sleep is super important to a well-functioning brain and a better overall attitude, so if you’re having trouble getting up on a Monday morning, try these tips:
1. Set the apps on your phone in “settings” to shut off at 8 or 9pm and not turn on again until 7am. Let’s be real! Do you really need to be checking Facebook before you go to sleep and first thing upon waking? Nothing earth-shattering will occur if you don’t check in with everyone’s superficial lives, right? Make sure your kids and your parents are listed as favorites however, so in case of an emergency, they can still reach you.
2. Turn off the TV early and try to get to bed so that you have at least 7 hours of decent sleep. Netflix and reality TV can wait!
3. Avoid sugar after 6pm. Are you the late night snacker or night cap person? Try to eliminate this for one week and see what happens to your sleep patterns. Sugar causes your insulin to spike so if you’re that person waking up at 1am and can’t fall right back to sleep, check your snacking habits and also avoid having that nightcap. While a nightcap may make you sleepy initially, it also interrupts sound sleep, again due to a spike in insulin. If you must have a snack after dinner, make it protein and fiber…lol, you may be less inclined to grab a snack if this is your choice. Bed time tea of any kind is always a great way to wind an evening down!
4. Boot the animals out of your bedroom. Brutus taking up the entire king-sized bed, lying right smack across the middle of it, so all you have left is the edge and you’re worrying about falling out of bed or you just can’t get comfy? Or is the cat pawing you in the face for food? If you’d rather sleep with your pets than be a zombie, that’s a choice you’ll have to make.
5. Create a bedtime routine. This may also signal to your brain that it’s time to chillax. Whatever that looks like for you…mediation or prayer, herbal tea, lavender, warm bath with some bath salts, reading and having a set time to turn off the lights! And STOP hitting the snooze button upon waking.
If you are not willing to change some of your habits, your health won’t change either. Start with making small adjustments here and there and don’t forget it’s not JUST about nutrition and exercise. Sleep and stress matter. It’s tough to make lots of changes at one time, because you set yourself up to fail.
Pick the easiest habit you think you can comply with MOST of the time and don’t feel guilty if you slip up here and there. Making changes can be a process, especially if you have fallen into habits!
MAKE THIS A RULE! NEVER MISS A MONDAY!!