Did you know sleep isn’t for your body? Sleep is for your brain. When completely deprived of sleep, for only a few days, research shows that at best our immune system is depressed, we have trouble concentrating or processing information and at worst become paranoid and schizophrenic.
Maui, my cat, was a superb sleeper. No matter where I went in the house I found him stretched out. Whatever magically found its way to the floor (I certainly never put it there) I’d find him asleep on it – pillows, magazines, empty boxes, dirty clothes . . . new clothes. A particular comfy spot was in the middle of a pathway at the top or bottom of the stairs.
As far as I could tell Maui was never sleep deprived, paranoid or schizophrenic.
Superbly Sleeping
Maui’s Tips for a Good Nights Sleep . . . for humans only
- Exercise every day but never just before bedtime. (Chasing things like children and dreams doesn’t count)
- Stay away from alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine (catnip is fine).
- Have a relaxing bedtime routine (stretch, turn in circles and always clean your paws and teeth).
- Keep the room temperature cool. It helps us hibernate.
- Limit catnapping during the day to 10 minutes, 20 minutes max. Any longer and your brain goes into deep sleep (and you’ll be a ornery cat when you wake up)
- Keep your bedtime consistent.
- Don’t sleep all day and be up all night – it messes with your circadian rhythm.
Peggy’s Tips on Sleeping Well
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Mind won’t shut off? Do a brain dump 30 minutes before bed. Write down your worries, things to do, random thoughts until your brain is empty. (takes about 3 days for this to work, but it works!)
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Talk to your brain. Assure your brain it can solve any problem or cope with difficulties much better when you are rested. Your unconscious mind is always working and give you solutions while you sleep.
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Get bright sunlight in the morning when you first wake up. Go outside if you can. Even if it is cloudy you get 3000 lumens vs 200 inside. (That’s a lot of lumens!)
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Turn off cell phones, computers – anything that emits blue light. It keeps the brain awake.
Someone just gave me a tip that works, and you know how difficult it is for me to go to sleep. i breathe in through my nose and out through my nose. Seems so simple but it does work! I also do many of the other things on your list, and they help.
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Thanks for the tip–good to have lots of things to try and see what works . That one sounds easy, glad it works for you.
Peggy
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Cats do find the best spots to sleep and seems that nothing gets in the way of THEIR getting some good shut eye. Thanks for the sleep tips… I find it also helps if the room is super dark, helps the brain acknowledge that the day is over.
Peta
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Peta,
I know-cats always look so comfortable! They seem to be able to relax their bodies completely and quickly. Wish I could do that.
I agree about the dark, and have read the the little phone and computer lights are bad for sleep.
Peggy
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I really love Maui’s tips but I think I will try out Peggy’s first. LOL
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Carol,
If one of the tips you try works, you don’t have to do any of the others-so pick the one that sounds like the most fun to do first :-).
Peggy
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Will do! And thanks for posting them.
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Welcome!! Let us know what works.
Peggy
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Carol,
Under normal circumstances I would agree with you but I suspect that Peggy was orginally trained by Maui.
j.
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LOL that’s funny…Maui did a great job then. Haha
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Thanks–I do sleep well 🙂
Peggy
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That’s awesome!
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