Why A "Checklist?"

Why did I write The Great Sleep Checklist?  Why does it take a checklist to restore sleep?  Why won't sleep happen if you follow a few tips?

I wrote the Checklist after spending my life trying desperately to get a good night's sleep.  Sure, there were periods (months at a time, matter of fact!) when I slept well.  I worked hard, played hard and fell into bed at night and experienced blissful nights of slumber. 

But there were other times, when I worked equally hard and enjoyed myself every bit as much, yet could not put my head and my pillow together for anything but what seemed like an eight hour battle.  It seemed no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get a restful night.

I finally realized that a lot of little things were keeping me from sleeping.  These were things that could be avoided.  And if I wanted to get to sleep, I'd better get started on knocking them out ofmy life.

Further, I realized that if I wanted to fall asleep, stay asleep and have very restful sleep, I was going to have to do more than just eliminate the obstacles and things that were preventing my sleep.  I was also going to have to start doing some other things to "smooth out the kinks" that kept me from the really great, restful and deeply satisfying sleep that I wanted.

The Great Sleep Checklist is a concisely compiled list of all the things that I changed to start sleeping better, and a few that I didn't have to bother with.  It's all the tips I saw on the internet, all the things that I found helpful, a few others that I could see were helpful (but didn't personally experience) and the ways I found to "boost" my chances of a good night's sleep.

Next time, we'll talk about one of my more controversial "strategies" for sleep and why it works.  Because you need a checklist to get back to sleep.  And you need a strategy to get GREAT sleep.

Sleep Tip: Familiarity Builds Sleep

I'm proving my own advice this month.

 I'm in the West, away from my usual Washington, DC location, visiting my aging parents. I came because there were issues with their health that I wanted to give personal focus to. I came for three weeks and with only a carry-on.

That means an unfamiliar bed (sleeping arrangements have changed in the years since I left home), a different time zone, and unusually longer hours as I take care of various issues and concerns. I've not slept much in the past several weeks, in spite of a deep satisfaction with my parents home and life.

It's wonderful being here. But I work and enjoy my parents all day, then try to catch up on some professional issues online at night.

The changes in my resting place, longer hours and exposure to electronic lights are taking their toll. I'll go home at the end of the week a happier, but tired daughter.

To start to restore my sleep, I'll start my familiar bed and known surroundings.  I'll miss my parents, but I am hoping I'll also sleep better knowing the way we've worked together to better their situation.