8 pm: Fasting begins. intermittent fasting (15/9 schedule usually works for me because I don’t know anything to consume (food or drink) after 8pm that is healthy or good for my sleep.
8:30 pm. Coming home this afternoon after a weekend in Santa Cruz, watching my son compete in the Ironman half. Even watching these endurance events is exhausting! I definitely feel tired from weekends and travels, but I know I might need some extra rest to help shift my biological clock hour by hour (from PST to MT).
8:35 pm: I close the curtains in the living room and turn off all the lights in the house to help alert my brain that it’s time for the night.
8:40 pm: After some discussion with my husband about which show we should watch, we came across a documentary about tennis player Mardy Fish on the “Untold” series. Documentaries are a pretty safe bet for us at night entertainment, because we both enjoy them, and it’s a good way to avoid watching anything very disturbing, like “Ozark” or the news, that tends to keep me awake at night.
9:43 pm: I wake the dogs off the couch, let them out again before bed, and then send them to the dog beds in the laundry room. (I’m not one to let my dogs sleep with us, as much as I love them, I care about my sleep so much!).
9:47 pm: I plug my phone into the charging station we keep in our kitchen (He came out of the bedroom).
9:50 pm: wear night dressbrush my teeth, wash my face, moisturize, fill up my water bottle (which I lay on my bedside table) and put my running clothes on the dresser, so I’m ready to run tomorrow.
9:55 pm: I spray the sheets and pillowcase with rosemary-scented pillow mist, climb into the bed, and grab my stove. Technically, the bed is only meant to be used for sleep and sex, but for me, reading is a psychedelic and part of my ritual. I’m currently reading “The Fairy Tale” by Stephen King. I love his storytelling, but I will need to be careful if this particular story is too disturbing or scary. If that happens, I’ll make this a file day book only So it doesn’t keep me up at night or give me nightmares. So far, it’s a beautiful story about a boy, a dog, and a somewhat mysterious old man.
10:17 PM: I made it through a few pages and my eyes started to go to half mast. bed time.
10:20 pm: Kiss me good night my husband and enjoy a few minutes of cuddling. As I discuss in my the bookIt is really important for couples to mark the beginning and end of their days with small but gentle gestures. Even a quick hug is a great way to connect and personally, it gives me a great sense of comfort. Then, turn to the sides of the bed and take a moment to test how good it feels to sleep, in my comfortable sheets. I love this moment before bed. I savor it, knowing it won’t be long until I drift off to sleep.
6:43 am: I wake up alone. I check the clock, and realize I have a few minutes to cuddle with my husband, which feels especially good on this cold morning. I’m feeling a bit jittery, but maybe it’s because of my busy weekend, and not a reflection of my sleep. I get myself out of bed.
6:47 am: I grab my toothbrush and take it with me in the cold shower. I take a deep breath and plunge myself into the cold water. It is definitely a shock to the system. I do some jogging around to help myself deal with the temperature, and brush my teeth while singing the alphabet song to help pass the time.
6:50 am: By the time I finished singing the Alphabet song, this was my proof that I had endured the cold long enough, so it was time to get out of the shower. I am now wide awake. While I engage in this amount of self-torture, my husband starts making coffee for us.
7 am: Coffee in hand, I take my dogs from the room they are sleeping in and take them to the backyard, where I throw a ball to them, get 10 minutes of sun exposure and do a wordle. I’m really looking forward to this ritual now. I know it’s good for my dog and it’s good for me, as getting sunlight first thing is one of the most effective strategies Set my daily rhythmThis, in turn, prepares me to sleep at night. I enjoy this quiet time for myself, before diving into the responsibilities of work or family.
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