Lights Out with Tanya

Queen size suits me now, but I aspire for a King size bed. I toss and turn a lot and the extra space seems luxurious and promises an even more comfortable sleep experience, especially when sharing it with a partner.

Besides avoiding crankiness, a good night's sleep is crucial for my daily productivity and mental clarity. I tend to make mistakes when I’m tired and I don’t function efficiently.

I aim for at least 8 hours although for months our senior dog has been waking us up several times every night, making a solid night’s sleep really hard to come by. Ideally, uninterrupted 8 hours would be perfect.

I dream early in the morning right before I wake up, or at least those are the dreams I remember. If I could characterize my dreams, they are all usually really weird! I also tend to stress dream when big life events are happening. For weeks leading up to my wedding I had a recurring dream that I was walking down the aisle with something very important missing – hair or makeup not done, no wedding dress, etc.

A lamp with a Hue lightbulb so I can dim the light or change the colour with my phone, a coaster with water, framed vintage art that I picked up from an estate sale, my phone open to the baby monitor app, and close by is also a humidifier because our house is so incredibly dry in the winter time.

I usually tidy the house because I hate waking up to a messy house and wash my face and do my skin care. Being able to finally rub my eyes at the end of the night is the best feeling. Although both feel like such a chore when I just want to go to bed, I know each one of these things will help me wake up happier. I just had a baby in April, so now getting her ready for bed and asleep is also part of this routine. Snuggling on the couch with her until she falls asleep is my favourite part.

After 8 years of sleeping in a south facing bedroom with floor to ceiling windows, I finally sewed and installed blackout curtains. I never really felt I needed them before since I appreciated how the morning light helped me wake up gently. It wasn’t until I was up nursing the baby several times I night I realized it was harder to get back to sleep with the early morning summer sunrise. In the winter, I use a heated mattress pad for those chilly evenings. It’s such a treat to get into a pre-warmed cozy bed.

If I need a little help getting to sleep at night, I will read. It focuses my thoughts so I can start to feel sleepy, and it’s just so relaxing.   If particularly stressful thoughts or to-do’s are keeping my mind racing, I write everything down before bed. Getting that list on paper (or the notes app) really allows me to stop over-thinking and running through everything I need to take care of and rest a little.

I’ve been sleeping on a molded memory foam pillow since I was a teenager and I love it so much. I’ve tried other pillows over the years, including down, buckwheat, and always came back to the molded memory foam because it’s just the best at supporting my neck while I sleep. There’s nothing worse than waking up with a stiff neck!

Invest in good quality bedding. The right mattress, pillows, duvet and sheets that suit your comfort preferences can significantly enhance sleep quality.