What I Learned From Changing My Sleep Habits

Thank you to CVS for sponsoring this post. As always, opinions are my own.

Over the past month, I took a challenge to get more sleep as part of CVS’s #DontSleepOnSelfCare campaign. What an interesting month it was to stick to any type of new routine or habit, right?

Despite the uncertainty of the times, I knew I needed some structure in my life. Sticking to a routine has always been my way of coping with uncertainty, and I knew it wasn’t the time to compromise a good night’s sleep.

We all know getting enough sleep is vital, yet most of us aren’t consistent with our sleep habits. The main reason I wanted to take this sleep challenge was that my sleep habits were all over the place. Sometimes I’d go to bed at 10 pm and sometimes it would be 2:30 am. I had no regularity, and it made getting up in the morning and being productive really difficult. When you don’t get a consistent amount of sleep, you feel exhausted more often than not.

Even though I knew my sleep habits weren’t consistent, I didn’t realize how much they affected other things in my life like my mindset, mood, and productivity levels. Sometimes we believe that the way we’re doing things is the way it always has to be, but a simple challenge can show you what’s possible if you switch things up.

What I Learned From My Sleep Challenge

My goal for this sleep challenge with CVS was to be more disciplined around the time I went to bed. My usual routine before was to work (or get distracted) on my laptop until I felt exhausted. To change that, I decided I would close my laptop at 9 pm sharp, relax for about an hour, and then read until 10:30 pm and go to bed. This would give me enough time to wind down before going to sleep and give my eyes a break from a bright screen.

When I followed my routine to get more sleep, I noticed that I felt less irritable and grumpy in the morning. This obviously made my days run smoother because I didn’t start off on the wrong foot. An added bonus was that I got my work done more quickly because I had a self-imposed deadline before bed (rather than leaving everything until the last minute and working late at night).

Sometimes I didn’t feel tired after reading, so I’d take a Good Day Melatonin Chocolate or make a cup of Natural Vitality’s Calm supplement. Sometimes I’d read an extra chapter of my book until I felt tired and that usually did the trick. If there was something on my mind, I’d write about it so I could get it off my mind.

There were definitely times when I slipped up and didn’t close my laptop at 9. Sometimes I stayed up until midnight for no good reason at all. But I didn’t beat myself up for slipping up because I knew that wouldn’t change anything. I just tried to do better the next night. That’s all habit creation is – trying again until it sticks. 

What I’m Doing Moving Forward

I’m glad CVS challenged me to this sleep experiment because without it, I might just have accepted my old sleep habits as the norm. Sometimes a good challenge is all you need to kickstart a positive change.

Moving forward, I’m planning to keep up this routine I’ve created for myself. Now that I know I’m capable of following it and not staying up until 2 am, I’m more motivated to keep doing it. I think I’ve found my groove, and I want to keep it up. 

The thought of sticking to a routine might feel a little boring, but I always make sure I switch up the things I do to relax before bed (watch different shows, listen to music, take a bath, etc). Routine doesn’t have to feel boring. After all, we need structure in our lives if we want good self-care habits to stick. 

What are your sleep goals?

I hope this post has encouraged you to think about your own sleep routine and how you can challenge yourself to get more sleep. Don’t forget that CVS is a great resource for all of your sleep and self-care needs. There’s no reason to let excuses get in the way of a good night’s sleep – you’ve got this! #DontSleepOnSelfCare #DiscoverCVS #CVSPartner