Building Healthy Sleep Routines

Before I quit drinking I thought that a poor night’s sleep was normal. Life is stressful and busy and as a successful and ambitious woman with a high pressure job - it’s almost a given that I wouldn’t be getting the most relaxing rest every night, right? 

At least this was the story I kept telling myself. But the truth is, while yes, my work was stressful and I had a lot going on in my life, the main reason behind the restless nights was my daily drinking habit. 

Too many nights I’d wake up at 3:00 am feeling dehydrated and exhausted, followed by another few hours of tossing and turning. My goal was always to get a workout in before work, but most of the time I would have convinced myself I didn’t have time, and instead I’d leave the house later than planned, grabbing a drive-thru breakfast on the way to the office. I’d do my work while trying to suppress feelings of shame and frustration, and then I’d leave the office and dive into my after work and evening routine (drinking). At some point I’d go to bed.

Rinse and repeat. 

Nowadays, I love, love, love my sleep routine! It’s honestly one of my favorite things about myself. Being an early to bed, early to rise kinda gal. It feels good. And since removing alcohol from my life I have developed a non-negotiable night and morning routine for myself.

My Evening Routine

• Generally after I finish up my work for the day I will prepare dinner for my husband and I, so when he gets home from work it will be ready to go. In my book, the earlier the dinner, the better! During the Fall and Winter I love a one-pot meal that I load up in the morning and then I can use my afterwork time for something else  *runs to watch Married At First Sight*

• After dinner we’ll oftentimes watch a bit of TV together. I started cutting myself off from TV at 8:00 pm. So on the nights when we do watch tv it's usually just a single episode of something.

• Then, it’s me time! I never miss washing my face and sometimes I’ll even take a shower even if I don’t “need” one. I love going to bed with clean skin, and the best night time lotion that help me drift off and my skin care routine completed.

• Before getting into bed, I spray my pillow with This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray and I’m in bed reading by 8:45 most nights. Okay, sometimes it is 8:30. 

• Then I read. I force myself to put away my phone, and instead read a physical book. I also make sure I am not reading a “self help” book at night. It has to be something for pleasure. I’ve been soaking up Colleen Hoover and Freida McFadden like crazy lately. I find if I am reading self help style books in the evening it can overwhelm me or make me feel like I’m not making progress. I save those books for a few minutes in the morning or my weekend reading.

• Lights out no later than 9:15, unless the book is a real page-turner and then I may make it up to 10:00.

It’s a routine I started in early sobriety and the reason why I keep it is because I’ve built a morning routine I love and crave so much I don’t want to miss a minute of it.

My Morning Routine

• I wake up between 4:30 and 5:00 every day without an alarm feeling deeply rested (most days). 

• I lounge on the couch for a bit with some coffee in a seasonally appropriate mug, checking my instagram, doing the NYTimes mini and Wordle. 

• Then I switch gears and get my workout in. I rotate between strength training, a ride on my Peloton, a run, and some days a leisurely walk with my dog. 

• Afterwards it's time for my second cup of coffee, a little news, and some note taking (how I refer to my journaling practice). 

How to Start

All of this to say, restful sleep and peaceful mornings are two of the many beautiful parts of sobriety. If you are thinking about getting sober or are in the process of ditching alcohol, I am thrilled for you and rooting you on from here.

If you are ready to start building your own sober routines, know that you can start small. What is an evening or morning habit you’d like to incorporate? Here are a few suggestions to start:

1. Implement a new Skincare routine

2. Journal for five minutes before bed

3. Drink a cup of tea (caffeine free) before getting into bed

4. Start your morning with a new movement practice (15-minute yoga, a walk)

5. Fill up your water bottle first thing in the morning

If you are sober curious and are looking to finally make the progress with your sobriety that you’ve been dreaming of - including building out your own morning and evening routines, let’s talk. I offer a free 30-minute sobriety strategy session to get started.

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