Our kids moved in nearly 5 years ago.
In that time we have had less than 20 nights without at least one of them wiggling away in our bed; 7 of those for me were on holiday last week.
The result being, I have tried pretty much everything out there to try and improve the quality of sleep that I get.
They are a lot better now than when they moved in but the wiggling still disturbs my sleep most nights. Me and K shared a twin room in Wales and the difference having a single bed to myself made to how rested I felt was amazing. Just a week of sleeping with without a toe stuck in my ear or bum cheek was fantastic.
Lack of sleep quality can play havoc on everything else on your health and fitness journey.
When you’re tired / unrested, it is harder to make wise choices with food. It’s harder to put the intensity in with exercise. My spark is certainly depleted following the more wiggly nights.
The following are things I have found to make a difference to how rested / recovered I feel.
Breath work – Focussed breathing or meditation during the day helps me to focus when it’s been a bad night, sometimes this turns in to a little power nap. I’ve been more consistent using the “State” app before bed and have noticed a big difference in sleep quality.
Blue light blocking glasses – I tested the ones I had recently and found that they weren’t really blocking that much blue light, I changed to a different set and noticed a difference immediately. If you use a screen, including TV, in the evening within a couple of hours of bed they’re worth it.
Consistency – Having the same bed time and wake up time every day, has made a massive difference. I’ve stopped hitting the snooze button and get straight out of bed when my alarm goes off. If I need more sleep because I’ve been up late, I try and have a little nap after lunch, 20 minutes does the trick.
Having something to actually get up for helps, I’ve been using the time to practice a little BJJ with a friend, just 20 minutes of movement to start the day.
There are lots of other things that can help, the above are the ones I’ve found to make the biggest difference recently. Breath work and consistency can be started immediately.
As with all of these basics, it is all about simply getting started and not worrying about the details too much.
Give them a try.
Darren “wiggly” Checkley
