Ever since declaring foundation my yearly theme, I knew I’d eventually have a trial involving getting my sleep in order. Sleep is one of the most critical tasks we do, but often it’s easy to put it aside. After reigning in my todo list in the last trial, I decided it was a good time to set my sights on sleep. Coincidentally, I came across the ideas of The Four Pillar Plan a couple of weeks ago, and felt it would make a good framing device for a trial. Now, I’m not only getting my sleep in order, but adding small habits for relaxation, eating, and movement as well.
The Four Pillars
While the book, contains some opinions about modern medicine I don’t totally fall in line with, I do agree that the four areas laid out are a good start to what many would consider a healthy lifestyle. The titular four pillars are relaxation, diet, movement, and sleep.
Relaxation is something I was surprised to see, but it makes sense. Taking time to really decompress helps reduce the stress hormone cortisol. I was glad to see, at least in the summary I read, that no wild practices were recommended, but instead a simple meditation practice of counting breaths for a few minutes.
The next two pillars many will be more familiar with as common areas of monitoring health. Diet and exercise are what most people probably consider when thinking about their health.
In regards to diet, the advice was pretty simple: reduce sugar consumption and try eating meals in a 12 hour period. These are both practices I’ve tried in the past and saw positive gains. While my sugar intake has certainly normalized in the last year and change, I still loosely practice intermittent fasting.
I really enjoyed the recommendations for exercise, or movement as the author puts it. The word exercise conjures the image of a jogger or weightlifter, but here it’s recommended as simply to incorporate movement into daily life. This can be accomplished with walking when able or light calisthenics like squats or pushups a few times a day. The point isn’t to work out, but to allow our bodies to work in ways it is built for.
Finally, the pillar I see as the most important, though largely neglected, sleep. When we sleep, our bodies engage in a variety of important functions from waste cleaning to muscle repair and even managing hormones such as cortisol, ghrelin, and leptin. The latter two are involved in managing hunger.
Focus on Sleep
In the past week, I’ve been attempting with limited success to dial back my bedtime. I started with a target. To be in bed and trying to sleep by 11 PM. I eventually would like to fall closer to 10:30.
Last weekend, a friend made a comment to the effect of allowing himself to sleep in simply led to staying up later. It got me thinking about how a lot of my late night activity is looking at my habit list and trying to tackle anything I haven’t done yet. I thought back to when I tried waking up at 5 AM for a month, and remembered how satisfying it was to tackle a few items for the day first thing. While I have no plans to get up that early, making some time for myself before work to read or write can put an end to the late night habit rush.
My main focus as been working on a winddown routine starting by 10 PM. I avoid screen use, make a cup of tea, and read. The book recommends 90 minutes away from screens, but with how much I rely on technology for hobbies and interests, I’m hoping 60 will suffice. Admittedly, I did read an ebook for a portion of the week, but have shifted to a nice paperback for the time being. Finally, I brush my teeth and put on a YouTube video I’ve used for years to fall asleep. The hope is that performing these activities time and time again will help to prime my brain and body that it’s time to fall asleep.
The weekends may prove to be a problem area for me. This weekend alone started with a late night of staying on the computer followed by a long night out for a friends birthday. The latter of which resulted in sleeping after sunrise. Making the decision to prioritize sleep is something that is easier said than done.
On the opposite side of the day, I’ve gotten back to using an alarm app called Sleep Cycle. Instead of blaring an alarm at a given time, it attempts to determine the sleep stage you are in and wake you up during the lightest sleep of a 30 minute window. Not every morning has been perfect, but I feel like I’m less groggy in the mornings. Whether it’s the app, the nightly routine, a combination or neither, I’m hoping to continue chipping away at my bad sleep habits.
The Other Pillars
Sleep has been my focus, but the other pillars haven’t gone unnoticed.
I’ve had an odd relationship with relaxing for some time. Many days I’ve logged off of work and laid in bed looking for a YouTube video to winddown for a bit. Minutes later I find I’ve been scrolling through the home page just as mentally exhausted.
I’ve been trying to tackle two birds with one stone and shift this sedentary activity with a quick walk in the neighborhood. I’ve been taking regular walks during my lunch break, but adding them to the end of the day has helped shake some of that late afternoon fog.
Nutrition is the least of my concerns of all the areas, but I’ll continue to ponder ways I can utilize good habits or eliminate bad ones surrounding my diet. I’m sure there’s plenty I can work on, but it hasn’t been an area of concern like sleep or relaxation has for me.
Trying Out Before Buying In 