When you own a business, your company’s success feels like your success– because it is. The highs and lows are exhilarating– and exhausting. Fulfilling a leadership role can be incredibly stressful as the pressure builds to succeed, and this often takes the joy out of the job, even when things are going well. A consistently excessive level of stress can wreak physical, mental, and emotional harm on your body, and one of the most common side effects is insomnia. In today’s rapid-paced world, stress management should be a part of everyone’s day-to-day life, not the least because consequences like sleepless nights can cause even more detriments to your health. Sometimes stressors are unavoidable, but the symptoms of anxiety can be dealt with. If you can’t seem to catch a wink of sleep, here’s how to manage insomnia within a busy lifestyle.
Surrender the Screens
We’re not ones to beat a dead horse, so we won’t get too far into establishing a work-life balance. That’s an issue every individual needs to work out for their own unique needs and wants. But it’s crucial for everyone to maintain healthy sleeping habits– coffee can not, in fact, replace the health benefits of legitimate rest.
Since you’re reading this, you probably experience periods of insomnia, keeping you tossing and turning even when you’ve committed to getting a good night’s sleep. It can be hard, but make sure to turn off all sources of blue light– yes, that means your phone– at least thirty minutes before you attempt to sleep. Keep devices silenced and preferably stored out of the room so temptation is out of sight and out of mind. Any and all emails can wait until the morning. If you use your phone as an alarm clock, consider investing in a (non-smart) watch or bedside clock instead– there’s no way to doom scroll on social media with those.
Train Your Brain
Screens aren’t the only things that should be kept away from the bed. Psychologists suggest that the simplest solution to many cases of insomnia is simply keeping resting activities– i.e. getting a good night’s sleep– and everything else separate. If you wind down before bed by reading, great! Just make sure to put that book down before climbing beneath the covers. Addicted to catching up on emails before turning off the light? That’s a double no. If you actively engage your brain while inhabiting the same space you intend to sleep in, your mind gets confused and will not associate the environment with rest. It’s a lot more difficult to shut your brain down than clicking a button. Make the transition more instinctive by separating work and entertainment from your sleeping space. This makes it easier to step away from stressful thought processes, too.
Establish a Routine
As with many things, consistency is key. The other way to train your brain into healthy sleep habits is to establish a routine before you go to bed. This includes everything mentioned above, such as planning to put away all screens at least half an hour beforehand. Just as sleep affects the brain in cycles, so does the body grow used to circuitous routines. There’s a reason why kids used to napping from twelve to two each day get grumpy when those limits are pushed, and that reason extends to adults, too. Try to eat a healthy meal a couple hours before going to sleep at roughly the same time each night. Build in time at the end of the evening to wind down and create a schedule for yourself. Consider setting reminders on your phone and take this routine as seriously as you would your work schedule for the day. You can’t be productive if you aren’t healthy.
We hope these tips help you avoid insomnia and stay well-rested for the brilliant work you do in your field!
Need a Business Advisor?
At Lodestar Advisors, we chart a custom growth path for each of our clients because we understand each individual, each business, has their own path. Ultimately, our success is driven by your success– we want to see your business flourish. If you’re interested in working with a top-notch business advisor, give us a call at 443-280-0890 or send us a message through the online form at the bottom of our webpage. We can’t wait to start this journey with you!