Detach to Unwind

It doesn't take the recent studies to show that we're messing up a lot of our own tranquility and relaxation time. Stress levels are skyrocketing, as are insomnia, obesity levels, and electronic device sales. Not really related, though, are they? One of these things is not like the other… but in reality it’s our ever growing dependence on up-to-date media and devices that may be sabotaging us in the first place. Here are some common mistakes that you may be making that are cutting into your unwind time.

Relaxing with your blue light emitting friend is the most common. I’m beyond guilty of curling up in bed, all ready to go, and then switching on my cellphone to check out the latest update on Instagram or Vine. Even worse, I'm guilty of deciding, “Oh, I could really go for a little (insert TV show title) catch-up!” and flipping open my iPad to Netflix. This constant attachment is completely sabotaging your (and my) sleep cycle. The longer you’re attached to the glowing screen, the less likely your brain is to turn off.

Another bad habit (which I'm also EXTREMELY guilty of) is curling up to read for a while, but grabbing my tablet or ereader to do so instead of a close-by paperback. Even with the “nighttime” font setting on your ereader, the screen still emits a glow that reduces the melatonin levels that your system should naturally create, telling your body that it’s time to go to sleep. You may be reading to help slow yourself down, but you're not doing yourself any justice.

Instead, try keeping the electronic devices out of your wind-down time. If you're going to catch-up on your favorite shows, do so on your old-school TV and keep it out of your bedroom. This will limit the blue-light inside your “quiet space” that’s keeping your mind going when the rest of your body is craving sleep. Also, do rely on that literature to help tired your brain and get you ready to sleep, but make it a paperback. I have started this habit and have been known to be that freak that buys it in both digital and paperback. That way you can pick up from where you were on your e-reader without detriment to your sleep cycle. Conversely, reading actually does slightly “over-work” an already tired mind, helping your eyelids get heavy a little bit faster. Add a glass of warm milk and I guarantee you’ll be down for the count in no time! Those two steps actually helped me completely break an anxiety attack/insomnia stint in the matter of a few days. My own personal suggestions would be a warm glass of 2% and a couple pages of Peter Pan. ;-)