"Good sleep starts the moment you wake up."
For years, Dr. Sheryl Guloy has been telling people that good sleep starts the moment you wake up.
While a sleep routine is typically viewed as something that is done before one goes to bed, and there is distinct benefit to having a narrow definition for sleep routine (it helps in terms of planning and building sustainable habits), good sleep is related to lifestyle decisions that are broader than what one does right before going to bed.
How well one sleeps, barring disorders or conditions that affect sleep, is influenced by the lifestyle that a person leads and the myriad of decisions made throughout the day:
- what you eat and drink;
- when you eat and drink; whether you exercise;
- when you expose yourself to light;
- how warm or cold you are;
- how you design your bedroom;
- what you sleep on;
- how you manage stress
- how you wind down at the end of your day
Knowing what affects sleep and how these things can be optimized for sleep wellness, all in consideration of your responsibilities and obligations, is critical to sleep and overall health, wellness, and performance. In essence, then, being able to sleep well begins with what you do during the day.
