A healthy sleep pattern is vital for your overall wellbeing. Before humans invented artificial light, their sleep cycles were linked to natural lighting, meaning they woke up when the sun rose and went to bed when it set at night. In our modern society it has become very popular to push past our humanness and stretch time as much as possible. From caffeine to drugs, the list is endless when it comes to methods on how to overcome the need for sleep in order to enhance productivity. But this comes at a cost.

Pushing past your inner sleep cycle not only wreaks havoc on your immune system but also slows down your metabolism and the process of cell renewal. Ever wondered why you feel crazily tired whenever sick? Throughout sleep your body does the necessary repair to regain health. Pumping your body with meds only to be able to continue working or doing whatever you feel obliged to do will not only cause you to stay sick for longer it can also negatively affect your health in the long run.

I always found that when I give my body at least 1-2 days of total rest, I‘m quicker back up on my feet if I had just pushed through. The same goes for your sleeping pattern. The more you pull all-nighters and pump yourself with caffeine, the more sleepy and less energized you will feel. I know that many work situations don‘t allow it but in my perfect world, jobs (especially office jobs) would not start before sunrise and end not later than the sun sets. This will of course shorten the time of work throughout the darker winter months but will in my opinion be more effective in the long run. Winter is a time for rest anyways. The entire nature goes into hibernation during this time. The only species pushing against it are us humans.

Let‘s look at it from this perspective: no one works 8 hours straight when in the office. Most of the time is used to browse the internet, going on a coffee break or talking to colleagues. All this time could be better used towards doing something for your health like sleep. Spending shorter days in the office will mean you can be laser focused on the task at hand and will even get more done as when you spent 8+ hours there. Then during the Summer months when the sun is out and energy levels are up, you can use this to complete even more tasks. It would be a win win for productivity and for your health. I sometimes wish more employers would incorporate this method into their work ethic because let‘s be honest, it totally can be done. The pandemic showed that work processes can be made more efficient and flexible.

But let‘s get back on how to improve your sleep. If you are in a work environment that doesn‘t allow rising when the sun goes up then at least make it a priority to get 8 hours of sleep AND go to bed around the same time each night. Ever wondered why you are crazy tired on the weekend, and then again on Monday morning? It‘s because your probably went to bed way later on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night and on top of that – of course – slept in. This totally confuses your sleep rhythm and in turn makes you feel the Monday blues. I know it‘s so tempting to just let loose on the weekend but all it does is disrupting your sleep pattern.

I have been practicing going to bed around 10 PM each night and naturally waking up when the sun is rising and have experienced crazy results with this. Not only am I less tired throughout the week, I also have managed to stay away from any colds or similar health issues. When I was still working from home and could manage my own time, I even made it a case to wind down by 4 PM when the sun started setting in the Winter months. This even meant putting on my PJs and only doing things that required minimum energy. I know this is not possible for everyone.

Now that I have a kid things look a little bit different but not too much. William is a total light person after all. When he was 5 months old, he would oftentimes be in bed by 5 PM because it was dark outside and he felt incredibly tired. He would still sleep until 7 AM in the morning or even later depending when the sun came up. We made it a priority, though, to teach him about light and dark from the beginning on meaning we would block out all light from his room when it was bedtime even during Summer and let all the light in when it‘s time to get up. It‘s totally something you can teach your kids.

Even now at almost 2 he still is ready for bed the minute it gets dark outside. Once I come home from work during Winter time, we only engage in relaxed and restful activities like looking at books together, playing with the shape box or anything else he is interested in that day. I oftentimes play soothing music, talk not as loudly anymore, and just create a very relaxing environment so he realizes it‘s now time to slowly wind down. Teaching your kids how to cycle sync with the natural patterns of nature will definitely give them an easier time later on to tend to their natural needs when it comes to rest and relaxation.

Once he is in bed, Roman and I depending on how the stressful the day was, sit down and talk a little bit about how our day went. Sometimes we even engage in what I call an enhancing discussion where we talk about our thoughts, worries, and future dreams just to talk it out. Getting things out of our systems before bed has a very clearing effect. Lately, I also made it a case to not watch Netflix or anything else before bed anymore because I realized it just unsettled me too much. I now make myself a cup of goodnight tea and either read a couple of pages in a book, journal or do some other kind of mental exercise to calm down. When I feel my eyes getting heavy which is usually around 10 PM but can also be earlier then I don‘t force myself to finish the chapter or whatever I‘m doing but immediately shut off the light and go to sleep.

This bedtime routine has given me the most restful sleep so far as well as many other health benefits mentioned above. I always wake up all rested and ready to tackle the next day. Since I‘m still employed, getting up when the sun is rising is out of the picture during the Winter months and it‘s something I‘m struggling with big times. I‘m definitely working on it and I wish it could become reality for everyone on this world one way or the other.

Let me know about your sleep patterns and if you cycle sync with nature yet or not in the comments below or as always over on Instagram.

Love you guys!