Island Dreaming

This course is part of my overall strategy to get fit after being diagnosed last year with a number of life altering conditions. One of the last puzzles my medical team and I have been working on is my inability to sleep through the night. Thanks to Scott I now have a better understanding of what a good night's sleep entails, and a great list of items I can draw from as I work toward improving my sleep patterns.

Last week I:

• Measured my normal water consumption, and was pleased to see I am already on the right path with that
• Went to the yoga studio five times, instead of my normal one or two times per week
• Walked my dog, instead of sending him into the yard each time he needed to go out
• Read from a paperback before bed instead of reading from the Kindle app on my iPad

I keep track of my steps walked, stairs tread, and sleep patterns through my FitBit, which does not indicate deep vs. light vs. REM sleep, but does breakdown percentage of time in bed that one is actually asleep (I believe it combines REM and deep sleep to determine this figure). Over the course of the seven days, my sleep improved from four to five hours of actual sleep time during my eight and half hours in bed, to just over seven hours asleep!

I also woke each morning BEFORE my alarm, feeling more well rested, and better able to face the world and my university students. 

Still to do:

• No sugar in the evening
• Unplug from TV, computer, and iPad an hour and a half before my bedtime
• As often as possible, go to bed closer to my weekday bedtime on weekends
• In addition to my stepped up yoga practice, make sure I weave in regular aerobic exercise

Scott, thank you, thank you, thank you for presenting this information in a succinct, informative matter.

Peace,

Dana

@biscottidana on Twitter

Photo of sunset on Cliff Island, Maine, my favorite place on the planet.