Greetings and welcome to the Why Struggle podcast.
I'm your host Barbara J.
Faison and my intention with this podcast is to offer ideas,
Insights,
And inspirations so you can live life better.
Greetings and welcome to 2024 week 30.
How are you sleeping?
This is an episode about sleep.
Have you ever had a night where you didn't sleep well?
I didn't rest well for a few days because I had some pains in my body.
It was rough.
My left shoulder was bothering me so I couldn't be on my left side and my right lower back above my hip was hurting and when I turned to lie on my back I just couldn't get comfortable.
I could feel the after effects of the restlessness several days later.
I'm grateful that my sleep is back to normal now.
Having a sleep routine has been very helpful.
I usually get off my phone or tablet about 30 minutes before I go to bed and lately I've been either reading a book with essays or doing a jigsaw puzzle to calm my mind down and get ready for bed.
The mind likes to have something to do so I do my best to make my before bed stuff relaxing.
According to the state of sleep in the U.
S.
And sleep statistics from the Center for Advancing Health,
I found out a few statistics about sleep and sleep habits.
53% of U.
S.
Adults say worrying about inflation and or cost of living has negatively impacted their sleep.
43% of U.
S.
Adults say they experience insomnia.
18% of U.
S.
Adults say worrying about the 2024 presidential election has negatively impacted their sleep.
51% or more than half of Americans say their symptoms prevent them from getting enough sleep.
Symptoms including back pain,
Joint pain,
And heartburn.
41% say their anxiety over what will happen the next day keeps them up at night.
Temperature also plays a role with 31% saying it's either too hot or too cold to sleep.
73% of U.
S.
Adults follow a regular bedtime routine.
20% of U.
S.
Adults say they stop using devices with screens 20 to 30 minutes before going to sleep.
The mind is usually still active until we give it something to do to calm it down.
My current sleep hygiene routine may include one,
Getting off my devices,
Phone,
Computer,
And tablet.
Two,
Reading a few pages from a book that isn't stimulating.
Three,
A short bedtime qigong practice about 10 to 12 minutes.
Four,
Deep breathing while in bed,
Four breaths in through the nose,
And eight breaths out the mouth.
Here are a few suggestions for you to consider before bedtime.
One,
Put away your phone,
Tablet,
Devices at least 30 minutes or longer before bed.
I know.
Two,
Turn off the television before bed.
Once again,
I know.
Three,
Do a jigsaw puzzle.
Four,
Do word search sudoku or crossword puzzles not in the bed.
Five,
Bedtime qigong.
Six,
Deep breathing.
Try four breaths in through the nose and six or eight breaths out the mouth.
Seven,
Practice yoga nidra for sleep.
Eight,
Take a warm bath with epsom salts.
Dr.
Teal is one of my faves.
Nine,
Sleep with the phone in a different room.
Ten,
Listen to a bedtime story or meditation.
A few years ago,
I collaborated with another teacher,
June B.
,
On the Insight Timer app to create a few adult bedtime stories.
She wrote the scripts and I narrated them.
You can find them on the Insight Timer app if you're interested.
I also have them on my Bedtime with Barbara playlist on my YouTube channel.
Going to bed at the same time is part of a routine that many sleep experts recommend.
I'm not there yet.
On the weekends,
I tend to stay up later than usual.
Do you have a bedtime routine that you use?
You can leave a comment wherever you're listening to this podcast.
