Manufacture Your Best Night's Sleep

Dear Fabulous Traveler,

Tao’s alarm beeps, waking him rudely from a fractured night of sleep. His limbs feel heavy, and his mind is muddled. Fighting the fog of fatigue all day, he overreacts easily. His attention span is as short as his temper.

Looking for a quick energy boost, he relies on caffeine and junk food, forgetting all about his healthy eating goals. His sleep habits are derailing his good intentions and leaving him feeling like a spectator in his own life.

His neighbor, Sara, starts her day by waking naturally, feeling refreshed and calm after a restful night's sleep. Stretching her legs and wiggling her toes, she lets out a long, satisfying yawn and contemplates the day ahead. She feels rested and ready for anything.

If you’re not enjoying all the benefits of restorative sleep and waking up feeling as rejuvenated and full of energy as Sara, don’t worry, that’s about to change.

Quality Sleep Matters

Uninterrupted, consistent, quality sleep not only makes you feel good, it’s a magical elixir for total health and wellness. Without it, research shows that your risk for chronic illness shoots up and your ability to concentrate, problem-solve, and even communicate plummets (Tucker, AM et al. 2010).

Scientists have also found that our brains are remarkably active while we sleep and that a type of housekeeping takes place where toxins, accumulated during the day, are removed. Your mind is like an office, and it needs to shut down overnight to allow the cleaners to take out the trash, polish, and prepare it for a brand-new day tomorrow (NINDS, 2019).

Sleep is as essential to your survival as food and water. You simply cannot function without it.

This Week’s Plan

Your Goal

Set up the evening routine alarm in The Fabulous app to remind you it’s time to get ready for a good night’s sleep.

For the next two evenings, prepare for bed when you hear this alert:

• Brush your teeth, shower, get undressed, and ready for bed
• Look around your bedroom and try to make it darker, quieter, and cooler
• Do something calming, like reading or listening to music for 10 minutes before bed

During this Journey, you will add habits to your nightly routine to make restful sleep part of your new normal. Are you ready for a great night’s sleep?

Your one-time action

Choose one calming activity to enjoy before bed tonight and get anything ready that you might need. You could choose to:

• Read a book
• Meditate
• Enjoy a light snack or drink
• Stretch
• Have a warm bath

What We Are Doing

People struggle to get quality sleep for lots of different reasons. There can be valid physiological reasons that sleep eludes you and that’s why it’s important to speak with a medical professional if your sleep quality is negatively affecting your life.

More often, however, people have simply fallen into bad sleep habits and choose to prioritize other activities before sleep. Thankfully, that's relatively easy to fix with a simple and easy-to-follow bedtime routine. That’s what you’ll develop during this Journey.

Fabulous Traveler, Your dreams are calling, it’s time to commit to a Fabulous night of sleep.