Daylight Savings Time is over, and the rainy season is (hopefully!) around the corner. It’s a great time of year to spend some quality time in bed (late mornings, anyone?). Here’s how to get the most out of this winter.
Get Naked
People who sleep naked tend to sleep better, because the cooling process of the body at night allows for deeper REM sleep. It’s also a great opportunity to get some skin-to-skin time with your partner – which has been shown to reduce stress, stabilize heart rates and promote emotional connection.
Moisturize
Before climbing between the sheets, rub moisturizer on your hands, feet and body. Winter is a drying time for skin, and putting lotion on before bedtime gives it time to absorb.
Fluff your Pillows Every Day
Fluffing your pillows when you get out of bed ensures their longevity and comfort. More importantly, it makes them so much more comfortable when you get in to bed.
Avoid the Glow
The light produced by digital devices and TVs can disrupt your circadian rhythms, so it’s best to start shutting them down an hour before bedtime. Does the beeping of notifications wake you up in the night? Put your phone on airplane mode to hold unimportant announcements until morning.
Grab a Book
What’s better than snuggling under a fluffy duvet on a cold night with a great book? Here are some great books to keep you company this winter: Empire of Cotton by Sven Beckert, Packing for Mars by Mary Roach, On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee, Why We Make things and Why it Matters by Peter Korn. Research has shown that reading before bedtime can help people fall asleep, so grab a book.
Listen to a Podcast
Serial radio dramas were like TV before Netflix was invented. Now, thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can binge-listen many radio dramas from yesteryear and try out new content: Decoder Ring Theatre, Orson Welles On the Air, Texas Radio Theatre are a few of our favorites. The best part is, you can close your eyes and still “watch” them.
Learn How to Lucid Dream
Lucid dreaming is what happens when you know that you’re dreaming. People harness the power of lucid dreaming to solve intractable dilemmas, resolve emotional problems and design visually. People wake up from a night of lucid dreaming refreshed, with a fresh perspective on their life. Famous lucid dreamers include Nikola Tesla, Salvador Dali and Richard Feynman.