Practice a meditation before bed 4 nights this week. I can use a free app as guided meditation and try a new one each night. My life is full of juicy possibilities.

Plug my phone into a charger that’s out of reach before bed every night this week.

Keeping lights on during sleep appears to affect circadian regulation of metabolism, increasing the risk of weight gain even if sleep itself is not disrupted. In one study over a five year period, women who slept with a light or TV on were considerably more likely to gain 10 pounds or more, even after controlling for factors relating to their diet and exercise habits.

Source: Park, Y. M., White, A. J., Jackson, C. L., Weinberg, C. R., & Sandler, D. P. (2019). Association of Exposure to Artificial Light at Night While Sleeping With Risk of Obesity in Women. JAMA internal medicine, 179(8), 1061–1071. Advance online publication

Track when I go to bed and wake up each day this week. Look for patterns. This includes weekends. The goal isn't just to track how many hours I slept, but more to look at what time I got into bed and what time I awoke each morning. I can also make note of how often I awoke in the middle of the night, but I shouldn't know what time I awoke since my clocks are now covered :)

While not conclusive, a study in people with depression showed some indicators of enhanced mood and sleep when they inhaled rose-scented air during sleep. In a study conducted in a hospital’s coronary care unit, aromatherapy with scents from a damask rose showed significant improvement in sleep quality

SourceS:
Vitinius, F., Hellmich, M., Matthies, A. et al. Feasibility of an interval, inspiration-triggered nocturnal odorant application by a novel device: A patient-blinded, randomised crossover, pilot trial on mood and sleep quality of depressed female inpatients. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol, 271, 2443–2454 (2014).

Hajibagheri, A., Babaii, A., & Adib-Hajbaghery, M. (2014). Effect of Rosa damascene aromatherapy on sleep quality in cardiac patients: A randomized controlled trial. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 20(3), 159–163.

Baby Yourself. Adjust the lighting and play calming music to make my bedroom feel soothing and sleep-inducing. Dim those lights and make sleep feel inviting, not punishing.

Setting alarm 1 hr. before bed to remind myself to disconnect from all electronics.

Cover the clock in my bedroom, so if I roll over in the middle of the night and open my eye for a second, I won’t see what time it is and start doing the countdown of how many hours I have left until I need to awake. The thought will be to assume I've only been asleep for 10 minutes, and I have all night ahead of me to drift back to sleep. Ahhh.

Before I go to sleep, I will write a J.BALDS blueprint for the following day. I do this because my food doesn't need to be spontaneous. I want my life to feel juicy and delicious, which means making decisions ahead of time, to quiet the chatter of "What am I eating for dinner?"

Leave a sleep mask on my nightstand and remember to sleep with it. Closing your eyes is not enough.

Source: Figueiro, M. G., & Rea, M. S. (2012). Preliminary evidence that light through the eyelids can suppress melatonin and phase shift dim light melatonin onset. BMC research notes, 5, 221.