As someone who is always sleep deprived, I feel like being "well-rested" is a very glamorous concept, one that I associate with wearing cashmere and having enough disposable income to fill my home with fresh flowers every day — in other words, out of my budget. According to Fast Company's latest video, though, my lack of sleep could be caused by some evening habits I thought were harmless. Who knew sleeplessness could be so devious?
Fast Company's one-minute video quiz gives us five easy tips for better sleeping, but not before fully calling you out on your bad habits. Like, they know that you know that existing on a junk food-only diet is probably not great for your health, but they also tempt you with what you know is the "right" answer. Will it solve all of your sleep-related problems? Probably not, but it might help you start to figure out where you might be going wrong — and what you can do to start getting better shut-eye, starting with your own habits.
You can scroll down to watch the full video, but here are a few questions to get you started. How do you score on the good sleep test?
1. What Are Your Eating Habits Like, Especially With Regards To Burritos?
HA. I do know that bad eating does not need to beget bad eating (although let's be real — I apply the whole "Well, I already had this piece of chocolate so I might as well eat this entire pint of ice cream" type of thinking on a fairly regular basis), but I didn't realize that it so directly affects my sleep cycle. Salads, here I come. Ugh.
2. How Do You Relax?
The stimulating effects of your cellphone are widely known at this point, but I hadn't considered audiobooks as an alternative. Great tip, Fast Company!
3. About Those After Dinner Snacks...
I actually got this one wrong, since red wine in particular has been proven good for us (yaaaaas), and carbs and dairy are always getting a bad rap. Does this justify my habit of eating Easy Mac in my bed? I say yes. It's for science, guys. Sleep science.
4. How Do You Get Ready For Bed?
I actually combine the two: I open all of the windows and then burrito myself into bed. I don't know if I can sleep without swaddling myself, but I suppose I'll have to try it at least once.
5. What's Your Pillow Situation Like?
This one was especially helpful! I don't pay much attention to the number of pillows on my bed, but I can easily be more diligent about lying in a flatter position. To be honest I will probably pick and choose in regards to which tips I actually follow, but now I can say that I'm consciously making the wrong decisions when it comes to my sleeping habits. The more you know, right?
Watch the full video below:
Images: TempusVolat/Flickr; Fast Company (5)
