Endo Warrior Wednesday: Healthy Sleep Habits for Better Wellbeing

For many years, especially the years I was in graduate school, I believed that the less I slept the more productive I could be. Guess what?

I was so very wrong.

Yes, there are people out there who can thrive on 4-5 hours of sleep per night. I am not one of them. The less I sleep, the grumpier and more forgetful I become.

When I was diagnosed with Endometriosis (read my story here), I started researching the signs and symptoms and I had a lot of light bulb moments.

Fatigue and brain fog, especially during flares, are common symptoms of endometriosis. I began to realize that sleep was fundamentally important to my wellness.

But it’s not enough to just be in bed for 8 hours per night.

Sleep hygiene is also important.

I’ve already talked about how I developed a nighttime routine here. Consistency is key. Having a set bedtime and wake time, with as few variations as possible, lends it self to better sleep quality because your body begins to recognize the rhythm of your routine and prepares itself to respond to it. The ultimate autopilot mode.

Life happens and there will be variations in your routine. Somedays you’ll crash into bed an hour early after a particularly active day. Somedays you will go out and paint the town and fall into bed well past last call. That’s okay. It’s more important to live your life than be completely rigid in your routine. Make these variations the exception, not the rule.

Equally important is creating a comforting, safe environment for sleep. Invest in bedding that makes you feel secure. Maybe you need a mattress topper or some quality sheets. Try a new pillow.

Your bed should be comfortable and inviting.

And your room should be conducive to sleep - keep it dark and cool. Black out curtains and a good fan can go a long way towards improving your sleep quality. An investment in your sleep space is an investment in you and your wellbeing.

Focus on keeping things comfortable, dark as possible, and cool. That’s how we sleep best.

Beds are for sleep and sex. Keep it that way.

Quit working working from bed. Stop reading, except for relaxing, pleasure reading, from bed. And if nothing else, stop scrolling social media from bed.

For me, my phone goes on my desk when I’m ready for bed and there it stays until I wake up. I do read in bed nightly and occasionally watch TV or YouTube in bed but only when I am ready to go to bed.

I do not lay in bed in the middle of the day surfing the Internet from the comfort of my bed. Because that can be confusing for your primitive little brain - the part of the brain that helps you regulate your base functions like your sleep-wake cycle.

Don’t make your life harder by having to fight the urge to work in bed by working in bed.

Repeat after me, sleep and sex. Nothing else.

There are so many ways to be a healthy sleeper. Check out the National Sleep Foundation for more tips and tricks.

For all my endo warriors out there, I hope you are getting sleep, especially during flares and hard days, so you can be your best self!

Tell me your best sleep tips and tricks in the comments below!