Sleep, for so many, is elusive at best. I know. I used to struggle with night sweats, waking to soothe my son’s night terrors, and lying awake with worries I thought I could miraculously fix between 1-3am. But in the past decade I’ve made getting better sleep my top wellness priority. How and what did I do to make this shift?
Here are my top five tips to start building better sleep habits in your 40s and 50s:
1. Set a Consistent Bedtime
Our brains thrive on routine and pattern. Going to sleep at 10pm one night, then at midnight another, and back to 10pm again the next, is tough for the brain to figure out its rhythm. So aim for the same time every night. If your bedtime does need to shift slightly, keep it close to the same time, for the sake of your sleep!
2. Step Outside In the Morning
Set your circadian rhythm by getting morning sunlight as soon as you can after waking, as close to dawn, if possible. It may be one five-minute walk to the end of your driveway, or just to the parking lot and back, but at the very least a quick glance outside at your front door. Setting your brain and body in motion first thing in the morning helps set you up for the most beloved appointment of the day—restful and uninterrupted sleep later in the night.
3. Get Moving During the Day for Better Sleep at Night
I train using bodyweight, weights, and anything else I find at my disposal! In our 40s and 50s, our bodies want to SLOW DOWN, so we just cannot compromise movement during these years. Fight the urge to serve others before yourself and schedule in some training, which can look hard some days and easier on others. Shake things up regularly too!
4. Stop Drinking Fluids 2 Hours Before Bedtime
Who would want to waste precious hours of recovery, muscle building, and detoxing that happens when you sleep by waking up to use the bathroom? No, not me. No, not you, either. Let’s all get a solid night of sleep, rather than wake up to use the bathroom.
5. Establish Your Nighttime Routines
I follow the same nightly routine: Once I go upstairs, I do not go back downstairs. Then tooth brushing, bath/shower, face washing, a load of laundry, eye drops, lotions, and potions…it all happens in the same order every night at around the same time. The research linking consistent bedtime routines with improved sleep quality is compelling. That email or IG scroll? That can wait until the morning—after your sunlight glimpse!
I know firsthand that while these steps all seem simple, building new habits takes time and effort. Start small. Choose one new practice and develop it slowly, so you can build on that success once it is a part of your daily routine. It is worth the slow and steady work.
It took years for me to incorporate all of these practices for better sleep. Particularly strength training, which took prioritizing over a very long time. I simply could not make time away from the computer and running a business to commit to training. I even tried paying for it—yes, I owned a gym and yet I paid someone else for training!
Fast-forward to the Pandemic, when I made the decision to JUMP into strength training as hard as I could. I began to train myself, in my home, with my own equipment. Now my strength training is a serious habit and I am proud to say that I got fitter than ever at age 55!
If you’re looking for support around sleep and incorporating healthy habits into your life, I offer a number of avenues to get there—from online classes to small group meetings. Enrollment a live Small Group Concierge Wellness program, available both in-person and online, is opening soon, in the Fall. Stay tuned for more info!
Still not sure what is best for you? Connect with me so together we can find a program that suits you best!
