Dr. Grimes’ 20-1-7 CHALLENGE:
- For the first TWENTY weeks of this year,
- Pick ONE healthy change every Sunday, and
- Commit to that change for SEVEN days.
ZZZZ: 20-1-7 Challenge Week #8
How many hours do adults need to sleep at night? The throw down answer is eight hours, though it varies from 6-10 hours on an individual basis. However, with the introduction of electronic screens into our bedrooms, many of us are using screen time to wind down…which is at least a double whammy on our sleep. Social media sites can suck us in to story after story, and fully advertised “addictive” games like Candy Crush can easily steal an hour of precious sleep time. Meanwhile, staring at that blue-lit screen in the last hour or two before sleep is tearing down the quality of our sleep. SO- 20-1-7 challenge for week #8 is all about the Z’s and improving both quality and quantity of sleep.
- First – I will use an app to make it easy to keep track of the actual time I am spending in bed (both awake and asleep). Fitbits work well for this, too.
- Second – I will cover my clock so I don’t check the time when I wake up (which I typically do several times/night).
- Third – I will turn the figurative clock back and read an actual, real-life book for 15-30 minutes before I head to sleep (and commit to no electronic screen in the hour before bed).
BOTTOM LINE: SLEEP restores our brains and our bodies, so this week will focus on assessing and improving my own “sleep hygiene.”
20-1-7 Challenge Week #1: COLOR
20-1-7 Challenge Week #2: Veggie Spiralizer
20-1-7 Challenge Week #3: Medication Dispenser
20-1-7 Challenge Week #4: Meditation
20-1-7 Challenge Week #5: WATER
20-1-7 Challenge Week #6: Exercise BOOST
20-1-7 Challenge Week #7: FLOSS FEEDBACK: Honestly, putting a visual reminder with my pill dispenser worked like a charm for me- should have done this decades ago!