ZZZZZZZZZZZ
A much discussed topic, sleep is extremely important for the body as well as the mind. Our bodies heal themselves when we sleep, so it should be no surprise that if we don’t get enough sleep, we can fall into disarray and sometimes even illness. I am not here to offer how much sleep a person needs because this is very personal and subjective, but what I do plan to do is offer some tips on how to set up for a successful night sleep – declutter style!
It should be no surprise to anyone that if our minds or our surroundings are cluttered, it may be more difficult to fall and stay asleep, so I will give some tips on how to create some successful habits for a good night sleep.
Tip #1 – Straighten up your bedroom before bed – declutter that room!
A cluttered environment can sometimes wreak havoc on our mental states, so I always suggest what we call in our house an “S & T” (straighten and tidy) prior to getting into bed for the night. Having piles of stuff around and maybe even on your bed is not conducive to a good nights sleep, so take a few minutes to tidy and perhaps even lay out clothes and other things that you are going to need in the morning.
Tip #2 – Declutter your next day
Sometime in the evening before you retire for the night is a good time to check what you have on for the next day – this can help you settle in for a restful sleep without having your mind wander to “what did I forget for tomorrow if anything??” When we settle into stillness and quiet, often the mind will start to move into overdrive thought – thoughts that can often prevent us from falling asleep. A simple check in with what your next day has to offer can prevent this overthinking and help you relax into the blissful sleep you need and deserve.
Tip #3 – I have woken in the middle of the night now what?? Declutter that wake up
It is more common than not to wake up in the middle of the night, and this is nothing to worry about or fear. However, the important thing to remember is not to clutter this “wake up” with unnecessary computer time or multiple looks at our phones which can actually activate the mind and prevent us from falling back asleep. We are likely all guilty as charged on this one, but when we wake up at 3 am we need to go back to sleep in order to be functional the next day, so I encourage you to return to slumber with the mind still in that sleepy state and not be tempted to reactivate the mind with what may be on our phones – what we see can actually result in our not being able to fall back.
The less clutter we have to deal with, both in body and mind before bed, the more we will be able to sleep easily and peacefully knowing that all is well so I encourage you to try some of these decluttering tips…and on that note GOOD NIGHT!!
Aside from helping with all of our decluttering needs, Avery hosts the Journey Into Yoga Podcast where she guides you through a different yoga pose each week explaining all that it has to offer the body and mind. Episodes and more can be found at averyrich.com. Check out this week’s show where we work where we engage the legs into a block while in tadasana.
Avery Rich
Avery hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba, with a background in both law and yoga! As a long time Yoga Instructor, she hosts the Journey Into Yoga podcast, a show which explores and demystifies a different yoga posture each week. A true believer in creating space in our bodies through yoga, her Declutter U newsletter is designed to provide tips and tools on how to create more space in our lives by decluttering.
