10 Ways to Go to Bed On Time

Last Updated on 2015-01-09 by Kassandra

I am sharing this information today in synergy with the last few posts:

• 10 Signs You Might Be Sleep Deprived
• 10 Morning Habits to Be Extraordinary
• 11 Ways To Become An Early Riser

For many people, they already don’t want to go to bed early and find it super difficult to do so … If they don’t follow these steps.

1. Determine How Much Sleep You Need

   Everyone’s sleep requirements do differ. And it can be difficult to know how much you truly need if you’ve been pushing your sleep to fit the rest of your life for a while (like most people).

   The main indicator is that you feel refreshed on waking – ready to carpe diem!
   Too many hours can have you feeling lethargic or sleepy …
   Too little and you might be exhausted and irritable.

   From my own experience and what I’ve researched, it’s best to have between 7 and 8 hours of sleep. Between 6 and 7 might be ok, but you still run the risk of getting “adequate” rest, and not what your body needs to function at it’s best.

   You can learn how much YOUR body needs by keeping an eye on when you go to bed and how you feel when you wake up. Try different times to see which bedtime works for you, but try each time for a couple days in a row. If you’re been sleep deprived, your body may still be recuperating and need readjustment.

2. Determine WHEN You Need to Go to Sleep

   Once you’ve determined how MUCH sleep you need, you can determine WHEN you need to go to sleep by taking into account WHEN you need (or decide) to wake up each morning as well as how much sleep you’ll need. Simply determine the time you need to wake up and count back the number of hours of sleep you need (might want to add 20 minutes to give you time to fall asleep).

   Keep in mind that most adults (18 and older) don’t function well if they’re not in bed by MIDNIGHT! (Excluding shift workers.) And it’s suggested that the optimal bedtime is between 9pm and midnight (which makes sense for most people).

   If you’re looking for a tool to help you work out your best bedtime, you can also check out the sleepyti.me site and it will give you suggested times to try to FALL asleep (not go to bed). It works by counting backwards in sleep cycles, which normally last about 90 minutes each.

   The average adult human takes 14 minutes to fall asleep.

   REMEMBER: You HAVE to be CONSISTENT! Consistency is key to any successful habit. That’s why it’s called a habit.

3. Don’t Balk If Wake Up Time is Earlier Than You’d Like

   Keep in mind that the successful people get up super early! Staying up past midnight doesn’t make you cool, and going to bed before 10pm is not a mark of old age.

   Time is what YOU make of it!

   Just be sure you get up at the same time EVERY DAY — even weekends. Your body needs to establish it’s own regular routine, which will in turn have the rest of your life fit around your sleep schedule … And not the other way around.

4. Remind Yourself of Reasons to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

   Here’s just a few:

   =>  better cardiovascular health
   =>  decreased blood pressure
   =>  decreased stress hormones
   =>  increased alertness & energy
   =>  better memory & clarity of thought
   => improved mood
   =>  less risk of depression
   =>  better appetite regulation
   =>  more time for your body to heal itself

   And if you don’t get the sleep you need?

   =>  creativity plummets
   =>  less inspired, can be more stubborn
   =>  may experience headaches, stomach upsets, etc

   More of this is discussed in a previous blog.

5. Plan Ahead

   Plan your work and work your plan!

   If you determine what needs done during your waking hours, how much time each task should require and when you’ll do them, you won’t be worried about them when you go to bed! And if for some reason you have a thought while trying to go to sleep, you can keep a notepad by your bed so you can write it down and fuggedaboutit!

6. Make A Bedtime Routine

   Keep it short. Having a routine will help both your body and mind relax before bed and prepare for sleep. Do similar things each night that signal bedtime:

   =>  brushing teeth
   =>  taking a shower
   =>  reading your 10 pages of a personal development

   Just remember – your body THRIVES on routine!

7. Eliminate Distractions

   Bedtime is not the time for TV, internet, or anything that might be disruptive to your sleep. Keep in mind that reading is calming, good for you and often makes you go to sleep quicker! (Electronics – including your phone – are not advised in the bedroom as they disturb the peace & often will keep you too alert to sleep.

8. Make a Bedtime Appointment With Yourself — And Do It!

   This can be a diary entry or even a reminder on your phone. Just be sure you DO IT and stick to it!

9. Look For the Benefits

   The more you continue to stick to your daily routine of early to bed, early to rise, & enough sleep, you will see benefits like:

   =>  greater energy
   =>  more positive outlook
   => faster thinking ability
   =>  better reflexes

   Look for these positive signs and congratulate yourself … Use them as motivation to continue your success habits!

10. Melatonin

    If all else fails, this is a fast & effective oil that does NOT make you wake up drowsy … As long as you ensure you get enough rest. (That’s the kicker!)

    And be sure not to use this as your main way to get to bed, as your body may begin to require it — and that’s not good.

I hope these tips were helpful in giving you ideas on how to be go to sleep on time (early) and that you’ll start implementing them.

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Successful people have successful habits. They have teams of people helping them stay focused and on track.

If you’re looking for a team that will do the same for you, I wanted to give you some additional information about one of mine. See the “Wealth is a Team Building Sport” below. 🙂