I wish... I went to bed earlier (part 1)

On the whole, I sleep well. I feel tired when I go to bed, I fall asleep fairly quickly and I usually don't wake up again until my alarm goes off in the morning. 

I'm lucky, I know. Some people struggle to sleep every night of their life (hopefully they're bankers).

Sometimes I don't sleep well. I'll lie awake, rolling from my left side to my right and back again, and flipping my pillows over to find the sweet spot. Normally wedged between my knees!

I know what causes me to sleep badly:

• staying up late the night before and sleeping in too long
• working late into the evening, especially on my computer
• watching TV before bedtime (just one more episode of Peep Show!)
• worrying about something that's going to happen in the next few days
• a strenuous cycle late in the evening (combined with high sugar energy foods)
• being too hot or too cold
• sharing a bed with someone who snores or fidgets (I'm a total hypocrite, of course)
• too much noise outside my bedroom (I said form an orderly queue...)
• an uncomfortable mattress or bedding.

Knowing these things means that I'm quite good at avoiding them. Except for one...

I stay up too late.

I am a total sucker for squeezing in a little bit more work or a bit more tidying up or more TV whilst I make a sandwich for tomorrow (and, while I'm at it, a late night snack).

Even when I do go to bed at a reasonable hour, I can't resist picking up a book and reading to the end of the chapter. And then peeking at the start of the next chapter. And then reading half of that until my eyes can't stay open any longer.

It's not unusual for me to go to sleep well after midnight.

Every time that happens, I know what will happen the next day. I'll struggle to wake up, press the snooze button too many times, and I'll be grumpy because my head aches and everything feels like an effort. Heaven forbid there's a quiet spell during the day. That's when the eyes start to droop...

Commence the most boring battle in the world; the battle to stay awake.

I don't always win. Occasionally I'll have a 'little lie down' after dinner, which accidentally turns into a two- or three-hour slumber. I'll wake up feeling wobbly and woozy and then, a few hours later, when it's time to go to bed again, PING! - I'm wide awake.

So, this month, I will go to bed by 11pm as often as I can. And when I say 'bed' I mean lights out for sleepy time, not sexy time, or reading-in-bed time. Sleepy time.

How will a regular early-to-bed sleeping pattern affect me? Hopefully I'll feel more awake during the day and have more energy. Fingers crossed I'll get more quality work done. You never know, I might even feel happier. Anything is possible. :-)

Do you have a regular sleeping pattern? What tips can you give me for a good night's sleep?