March is National Sleep Month which makes it a great time to take stock of your nighttime routine and think about adding in some healthy habits like our Nighttime Nourisher gummy. Between work, family, and all of life’s many obligations, sleep habits can fall to the bottom of our priorities list, but sleep isn’t just about resting your eyes—it’s the foundation of your overall health. The quality of your sleep can affect everything from energy levels to immune function, so it’s important to keep a solid sleep schedule that helps you feel better keeping up with your daily to-do list. Check out these three bad sleep habits and our tips for stopping them in their tracks.

1. Revenge Bedtime Procrastination

We’ve all been there. Your day was spent feeling hurried and left you without any real time for yourself, so you stayed up late on purpose to make some time for yourself. The result? You wake up burnt out and have even less energy to make the most of your day. Consider these tips the next time you’re thinking about hitting “play” on one too many Netflix episodes:

  • Prioritize self-care during your day. Even if it’s a short, scheduled break, avoiding feelings of burnout will help keep you from wanting to stay up too late.
  • If it’s stress keeping you up, journal or meditate before bed to clear your mind.
  • Schedule bedtime like an appointment you have to keep, and stick to it! The more you do, it’ll become a new habit.

2. Poor Sleep Hygiene

Bad sleep hygiene can occur in many different ways. From too much screen time, to caffeine intake too close to bedtime, it’s important to try and set yourself up for success when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. Some tips we’d recommend you try:

  • Cover any light sources with blackout curtains
  • Place phones and other electronic devices outside of the bedroom when winding down for the night—no late-night doom scrolling!
  • Create a relaxing nighttime routine rather than trying to go straight to sleep after overstimulating activity. Consider meditating, listening to calm music, or drinking a warm (caffeine free) tea before climbing into bed.

3. Social Jetlag

We’re all working for the weekend, but if you change your sleep schedule drastically throughout your week, i.e. staying out all night Friday and Saturday, it’s going to throw Sunday-Thursday off too. Instead of switching it up drastically every weekend, try to instill these habits instead:

  • Be intentional about planning social activities earlier in the day so you’re not kept up too late—brunch anyone?
  • If you do want to enjoy sleeping in, try to only keep it to about an hour longer than usual, so your circadian rhythm isn’t thrown off
  • Avoid naps too close to the evening, and try keep them short if you’re taking them at all.
  • A 30 min. power nap is less likely to throw you off than a multi-hour snooze.

If you really want to optimize your sleep and add a new MVP to your routine, stocking up on Canary’s Nighttime Nourisher is the ultimate favor you can do for your future self. It’s full of natural ingredients like tart cherry, ashwagandha, chamomile, and lemon balm extracts to help regulate your sleep-wake cycles and promote a calmer, more restful sleep. Give these tips a try and sleep well!

Nighttime Nourisher

$18