Despite having graduated from college five years ago – it took me until this past year to deal with a very real post grad problem – revenge sleep procrastination! Prior to graduating college- I never struggled with falling asleep or getting enough sleep but once I started working full time and (sort of) “adulting” I began to find myself sleep deprived. Part of this was due to the increase of anxiety I was experiencing due to all the change that was occurring but a bigger cause of the sleep deprivation was due to my self-sabotaging habit that I began to pick up where I would do things like check my social media, binge watch my latest tv obsession, shopping online instead of going to sleep at a proper time that would allow for a full nights rest. Why did I do this?! Because I was unknowingly falling victim to Revenge Sleep Procrastination.
According to VeryWell Mind, the term Revenge Sleep became popular following a viral tweet by journalist Daphne K. Lee. She described it as something that happens when “people who don’t have much control over their daytime life refuse to sleep early to regain some sense of freedom during late night hours.” While I wasn’t aware of this term until recently, I knew back when it started, my reasons for delaying sleep and knew that it came from feeling that lack of control over my new schedule and needed some way to regain that sense of control. I also needed some type of reward at the end of a busy day and to me that reward came in the form of blocking off time, time that should have been spent sleeping, to scroll thru my instagram and online shop. While I wish I could say that after a few months of adjusting to the new schedule, I adapted and was able to stop this revenge sleep procrastination but unfortunately it took me a long (like reallllly long) time to begin to find coping skills to deal with this not so helpful habit! So for those of you who too have found yourself falling prey to this habit- continue reading as I am sharing the tips and helpful tricks that have been major in overcoming revenge sleep procrastination!
Six Ways Self-Care Tips To Avoid Revenge Sleep Procrastination
- Work toward becoming an early riser. I know that sounds painful, but try 15 minutes earlier each morning, and look at it as 15 extra minutes all to yourself. This will help you feel more in control of your schedule at the beginning of each day, so you don’t feel the need to create those late night sessions.
- Set up a regular evening routine that will help you sleep. Maybe take a hot shower and settle down with a good book before, maybe meditate and move your phone to another room, and maybe make a hot cup of chamomile tea to help put you to sleep! And don’t forget to account for this time in your weekly schedule so that you block off this time.
- Make your bedroom a place you look forward to unwinding at the end of the day so that you will be enticed to go to bed earlier! Your sleeping environment can be a game changer when it comes to stopping this revenge sleep procrastination because having a relaxing and soothing room will make you more interested in sleeping and look forward to hopping into bed and getting those z’s. We briefly discussed how incorporating color therapy can be help influence our moods and how certain colors, such as blue, can serve as a soothing color to help you feel calm. Consider the ways that adding in color to your room can help you to go to bed on time and genuinely look forward to resting each night!
- Exercise! Endorphins are key to mental and physical health, so make some time each day to get those endorphins. It will put you in a good mood, and will tire you out enough to help you get to sleep earlier! I found that when I have had a super busy weekend with lot’s of activity, socializing and mostly just lots of movement from walking around the city and attending a fitness class that by the Sunday, I was looking forward to rest and found myself falling asleep earlier than usual. This helped me to not only get a full night of sleep but it allowed me to start my week off on a good note/ sleep schedule. If you are wanting workouts that you can do from home or really anywhere- check out the five best online cardio dance classes that we love to do!
- Start your week off on a good note. We’ve discussed the importance of having a self-care Sunday routine to prepare for a successful week and while we fully stand behind this, especially scheduling your daily self-care into your weekly calendar ahead of time, we will say that if Sunday comes around and you find yourself unable to check off your list of to-do’s and it is getting late, don’t sweat it- it is more important to get your you time in and head to bed early/on time. Self Care Sunday is a thing for a reason and taking the time to make sure you are starting your week off well rested and taking care of you is the best note to start your week off!
- Getting the recommended healthy amount of sunlight! Sleep and sunlight?! This may come as a shock to some of y’all but one of the biggest differences in helping improve my sleep has been sunlight! According to Verywellhealth sunlight can increase the level of serotonin which is highly correlated to sleep and our sleep rhythm. Having lived most of my life up north, where that lack of vitamin d is very real throughout the majority of Fall, Winter and Spring – I know firsthand the sudden shift in mood, energy and mostly my sleep cycle that occurs when I finally do experience a sunny day spent outdoors- I am so much more ready for bedtime at the end of the day and naturally tired shortly after sunset.
These ideas have really helped Sara and I gain more control over our days so that we can sleep at night. Trust us, there is not enough coffee in this world that will help to feel alert and stay alert as a good night’s sleep!
What other tips do you have that help you get enough sleep?
If you enjoyed this post, check out more of our self-care tips here!
