Does this sleep mask make me look tired AF?

Last night I had a date with my bed at 9 p.m. and no one was going to get in the way of it. I had been uber productive that evening: cleaned my apartment, did three loads of laundry, and took the dog on an extra long walk. My sheets were changed and if my frequent yawns were any indication of how good that sleep was going to be once my head hit the pillow, I was in for a major catch-up of some much needed beauty rest.

At 12:19 a.m., I had been laying in my comfy-as-shit bed, staring at the why-do-I-have-stucco ceiling for three hours. I was utterly exhausted and could barely keep my eyes open, but sleep just wouldn’t come to me. Even with the assistance of some lovely sleep meds prescribed to me by my doc, tonight it just wasn’t happening. This is an issue I’m all too familiar with. But since sleep is precious to me and I was dreading the forthcoming workday without my requisite nine hours, I began my ritual to get back in dreamland--and that’s what I’m going to share with you.

It’s not so much as a ritual as it is a bevy of boring things that make me wish I were dreaming in my bed instead. The most important thing is STAY AWAY FROM TECHNOLOGY. I don’t know how many articles or studies or news reports we need to read before our generation realizes that technology, mostly our phones, are going to be the death of our necks, eyeballs, brains, etc.

That being said, go old-school and try some tried and true techniques before burning your eyeballs out from Facebook.

Get out of bed and do something. Whether it’s to brew some *decaf* tea or coffee or to unload the dishwasher, it may seem counterproductive to get out of bed and do something, but your body associates your bed with sleep so laying there stressed out about not sleeping will lead your body to associate it with something anxiety-laden and stressful.

Read a book! I’m a bookworm so this is the obvious choice for me, but you know you’re tired when the words all start to blur together on the page. Turning the light on and reading something good will also distract you from some of the bazillion thoughts on your mind.

Do some menial tasks that don’t require much energy like unloading the dishwasher or laundry. Aka chores. They’re boring AF and will make you tired. If all else fails, try melatonin or talk to a doc if this becomes a multiple night situation. Hopefully, you’re not an almost-insomniac like myself and a good book, yummy tea or stupid chore will put you back to bed. Sweet dreams!