Happy Monday! It’s Day 1 of the Go to Bed Early Challenge and I can already tell that this going to be the perfect challenge to follow the Get Up Early Challenge!
I got home from my trip to WA around 9 pm last night and after hanging out/getting a little snuggle time in with everyone, I promptly went to bed — right around 10 pm. And then I let myself sleep in until 5:40 this morning.
Even though I didn’t get much sleep this weekend (I was with MacKenzie — how am I supposed to sleep when we can be solving the world’s problems together?!?), I feel quite rested and ready for the day today — yay!
Are you joining me for the Go to Bed Early Challenge? If so, leave a comment on this post to let me know how you did with your go to bed goal last night.
We’re in this together… And if you didn’t hit your goal, that’s okay! Give yourself grace, don’t beat yourself up, and know that you can try again tomorrow!
P.S. Read more about the Go to Bed Early here. Need some help and inspiration to go to bed early so you can get up and use your mornings well? Download Day 1 of Make Over Your Mornings for free (scroll to the bottom of this page to sign up for it!)
I’m in. My goal will be to start winding down by 9:00…in bed no later than 9:30…asleep by 10:00 Sunday through Thursday.
My goal was 10 and I was in bed by 10:15. I had to get up twice with my youngest daughter so I didn’t get to sleep until just before 11. That’s still earlier than I probably would have been in bed without the challenge, so I’ll count it as a win for now. ?
Last night I was in bed by 8:45 and I woke up at 4:30 this morning. I’m hoping for the same tonight.
I am really excited about this challenge. I struggle with a bedtime. I am interested to see what pointers you may have for us Mothers who are well, more seasoned than you. I have a preteen and 2 teens. They don’t go to bed at 8 anymore. How sad. They have activities after school and often work at homework late into the night. Maybe there is no way around this season in my life. But I can’t bring myself to go to bed until they are all home and safely in their beds.
Hi Heidi, how about a Going to bed Late challenge?
What can you do for yourself at the end of the day instead of at the beginning? How about a winding down routine that’s enlarged to include Bible Time or painting my first canvas time or similar?
I guess it’s of no use trying to wake-up super early if you haven’t slept enough. It’s simply another season of your life!
Well, I stayed up way too late looking for work at home jobs. So I also slept in too late this morning. Hoping for a better start tonight. 🙂
I’ve already been doing this as a part of the “Get up Early Challenge” – I can’t get up early if I haven’t gone to bed early! So I’ve been trying to get to bed by 9 p.m. so I can be up at 5 a.m. I’ve mostly been successful, although last night I was a little late getting to bed. I did fall asleep quickly, tho, and had no trouble (ok, maybe a *little*) getting up at 5.
I was in bed at 10:20 pm, tossed & turned until 2:00 am, got up at 2:00 am & drank a 3rd cup of chamomile tea. I then went back to bed & was STILL awake at 4:00 am, so got up & ate breakfast. I went back to bed for an hour & then gave up & got up. I’ve taken melatonin, valerian root, chamomile tea & capsules, turned the electronics off 2 hours before bed, & just purchased amber colored glasses to wear 2 hours before bed. I also wear a sleep mask & sleep with a fan on. I am TOTALLY caffeine free for years now. I also purchased night lights to use after 8 pm, but they were LEDs & I think made matters worse, so I only used them two evenings. I usually walk on the treadmill 5-6 mornings per week, but haven’t the past two weeks because I’ve been so exhausted. Four doctors have told me they don’t know why I can’t sleep. I’ve been unable to work any “real” job because of it. I could really use prayer. Thanks!
Kim,
Have you considered how many electronics are “on” or “plugged in” in your bedroom at night? Switching to a battery operated alarm clock? Sometimes electrical things can give you a subtle push in the wrong direction for sleep. Ipads, cell phones, laptops, tvs, etc….keep them out of the bedroom!
Thanks for the ideas. I’ve been trying to eliminate all of those. The only thing on in the bedroom is the alarm clock, which I cover with something at night. The tv doesn’t even get turned on unless the weather sirens are sounding. I’m working on shutting the computer down earlier & purchased amber colored lens glasses to block out the blue rays (which decrease melatonin levels in the body). I do look at the microwave to make chamomile tea before bed.
Kim,
The other thing I can think of that I used to re-set my circadian rhythms is to get outside for 15 minutes in the morning before 9 and at sunset to look in the direction of (but not directly at) the sun. It reset my rhythms and I slept like a rock. Also, the usual things like stress management, belly breathing..etc.
Maybe that will help? Good luck!
Thanks!
We are getting over lots of illnesses in our house, so this challenge came at a great time to make sure I get enough sleep each night to get back to a healthy state. My goal is to read at 9 and turn the lights out at 9:30.
I got to bed on time last night (headed upstairs at 10 pm and asleep by 10:30 pm). It helps that my husband and I have the same schedule; we hold each other accountable! I actually woke up before my alarm went off at 6 am.
I knew the alarm would be set for 4:00 this morning, so I was in bed by 8:00 last night and read a book on my phone for about 20 minutes. Unfortunately I didn’t sleep well. I think tonight will go better. My biggest goal is to have an evening routine before going to bed. I hate when I get up in the morning and realize that I forgot to do something at night.
Went to bed at 9! We are trying to be sure my husband and I stop all our chores, etc. by 8 pm so we can enjoy an hour of TV or winding down or whatever. Not sure this will happen on nights my husband goes to the gym, but worked last night!
I was in bed by 10:30 but didn’t sleep till 11 pm. Just couldn’t get to sleep …. but I was up by 5:45 am. So a good start!!
I need to do this consistently because it makes a huge difference on how I feel the following day. I suffer from insomnia, so some nights I struggle to fall asleep. But last night I went to bed an hour early and woke up so refreshed. Thanks for sharing about the challenge!
Day 1 was a success for me as well. I was in bed by 9:45 and asleep by 10!! Woohoo! After a few nights of the baby waking to nurse, she slept through the night and momma slept in until 6:15am. It was glorious! Hoping to be in bed by 10 again tonight and up at 6am tomorrow!
I was a little late..i got into bed at 10 and probably fell asleep about 1030. Want to try to be in bed by 9:45 so I am asleep by 10ish
Great start!
My goal was bed by 10:30. I turned out lights at 10:45 and fell right asleep – so I feel pretty good about the first night on that goal. However, I slept WAY too late. My goal is to be up by 5:30 but I hit the snooze button until about 7:45. 🙁 Tomorrow is another day and I’m hoping that if I can keep up a good ritual of getting to bed early it will become easier to wake up at my desired time. Thanks for doing this challenge!
You can try again tonight — and you’ll have a good night’s sleep under your belt to start with!
I’ve been working on this since you posted last week, and even getting up with a baby at night, having a few extra hours makes such a difference! And the one morning I actually made it up before everyone, we had the best day (homeschooling, house, everything!) such good motivation!
Woohoo!!!
My goal bedtime is 9:00. However, when I set that goal I forgot about “Downton Abbey”! So, I was in bed by 10 instead. Since that is the only television show that I regularly watch, it shouldn’t be an issue for the rest of the week. I still was up by 5:45, though! 🙂
Love Downton Abbey!
I had this problem too!!!
Last week I shifted my wakeup time back 20 minutes . Shouldn’t be a big deal but it is! Especially since I haven’ t been able to get to bed when I need to. I love the extra time I get from revamping my morning routine but I’m starting to question how realistic this is since I’m having so much trouble getting to bed earlier.
I LOVE Downton Abbey! We are waiting until the season is done so we can binge watch on a weekend! 😉
It’s the only show I ever watch on TV without streaming!
The only time we ever watch regular TV is the handful of Packers games my husband watches and DA. Which is kind of bad because every winter it reminds us we need to fix the antenna on our roof!
So glad to hear your first night went well!
I have to say my first night was an epic fail for me 🙁
I was in bed by 10 and lights were out by 10:45, but then I tossed and turned and could NOT get to sleep! I want able to get to sleep until about midnight. Needless to say that meant I woke up around 6:45 when my alarm went off and then proceeded to turn it off and sleep until 8.
Not giving up! I am trying again tonight!
I’m sorry it was a rough night! Tonight is a great time to try again!