Have you seen those “My Morning Routine” videos online? The ones where people willingly wake up at 5 am and have the most productive day ever? They are focused, calm and seem like they have their life together. Sleeping early is a goal I’ve always wanted to achieve but never had the willpower to. It was my Everest and I kept failing at the first base camp. Even if I was in bed by 11 pm, I’d sleep between 2 and 2:30 am and it was horrible. However, I pulled my self (and my sheets) together and actually slept by 10 pm for a whole week and it changed me. Scroll down to read my experience of going to bed early!
1. Sleeping Early Is Really Difficult
What I hated during school turned out to be something I craved in adulthood. Sleeping early is difficult. Extremely difficult. For the first two nights, I just stared at my ceiling for the longest time. While I was in bed physically, I was all over the place mentally. It was hard, but eventually, I got tired of cooking up romantic scenarios with Aditya Roy Kapoor (can you blame me?) in my head, and I fell asleep. However, it got easier after that and before I knew it, I was asleep by 10 pm every day.
2. My Night Binges Stopped
I am a professional midnight-snacker. I pride myself on it sometimes and curse myself for it all the time. However, after sleeping by 10 pm, my midnight cravings automatically stopped. After all, it is physically impossible to eat and sleep at the same time. The cravings stopped and so did the dirty bloating they brought in the mornings. And a seven-day break from binging actually broke my cycle as well! I haven’t binged since then.
3. I Ate Dinner Earlier
I started eating dinner at 8 pm in order to sleep by 10 pm and it felt good. My family eats by 9 pm, but my grandmother eats earlier. So I started eating with her and it led to cute bonding sessions, an overflow of family gossip and a lot of wholesomeness. I’ve been eating with her every day since then and it makes me really happy.
4. I Started Having Dreams Again
I had not had a dream in the longest time. When my friend would discuss their weird dreams, I had nothing to contribute. But after sleeping early, I started dreaming again! My dreams were weird (and low-key troubling) but at least I was having them! Beggars can’t be choosers, right? Dreams are a sign of deep sleep and that made me feel happy. Plus, Harry Styles popped up in my morning dream, and you know what they say about those.
5. I Woke Up Earlier And Fresher
I am not a morning person. Getting up early is a real task for me and requires a LOT of willpower and negotiation. After I started sleeping by 10 pm, I automatically began waking up anywhere between 7 and 8 am without even keeping an alarm! So much can be done in the mornings! I was able to go for a walk, read the newspaper in peace, drink (and not chug) my morning coffee and just feel fresh. This was the best thing to come out of my routine.
6. I Became Somewhat Nicer
Sleeping early elevated my mood. I was less stressed, less anxious, calmer and happier. I became nicer and kinder too (or at least that’s what my mother said). I was less cranky and whiny (that’s what my mother said too). It made me more productive as well!
Going to sleep by 10 pm every night for a week was a real game-changer for me. While it is highly impractical for me to continue sleeping by then, I pushed it to 11 pm (which is a massive change from the late nights I was used to earlier). Since then, this new pattern has positively impacted my routine and I highly recommend it!
Do you sleep early? Share your experience with us in the comments below!
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