NATCHITA

It really sucks when you follow all the right steps before bed to be left stuck starting at the ceiling until 2 AM. Or 3 AM. Or 4 AM— if you can manage to fall asleep by this time, you won’t wake up until super late in the day and the day might as well be shot at that point. Sleep advice on the internet says to detach your mind from believing you have to sleep. That seems to not be an issue for me. My insomnia doesn’t stem from a fear of not sleeping. I can easily coffee through a sleepless night. It’s simply the product of overactivity as my mind wrestles with the boredom of lying there. Every time I find myself not standardly employed, I am forced to battle with these restless nights since employment did enough compensating work to make me want to be asleep.

I have become a little obsessed with cleanliness and system optimization as of lately. I have a tiny multi-use room with a full sized bed. Naturally, my bed piles up with active-use *stuff* throughout the day. I would put a lot of that stuff on The Chair and sleep around some of what was left (since stacking things this well on a single chair actually takes quite a bit of effort):

When I began analyzing my room from a professional cleaning perspective (I recently became a professional cleaner), the implementation a multiple catch-all systems was a no-brainer. I placed a designated catch-all laundry basket next to my bed for the hoodies, not-yet-dirty shirts, small blankets, sketchbooks, and headphones that were clogging up my space. The vision entailed my bed being cleared every single night; no matter what. Needless to say, this very low-effort clearing method was extremely successful.

As I became more aware of the additional space I had, I also became very aware of how the additional space was not being used. And I DON’T have extra room to spare in my tiny space. I also like hanging out on my bed with my iPad during the day, but I came to realize I subconsciously did not feel very invited. 

Then I made the million-dollar observation:

I’ve been lounging in the same exact spot I sleep in. 

It became so clear. This spot was conflicted in my mind. I’ve been telling my brain that this location means drawing and sleeping. Of course it struggles to differentiate the two states of mind!

My heavy comforter was silently guiding how I used the space. So I got rid of it and exchanged it for a series of blankets of different weights. Then, I rearranged my pillows to be aligned perpendicularly. 

What I effectively have now is TWO spaces: a daytime lounge and a nighttime sleeping arrangement. And it’s mostly the difference of me hanging out horizontally on my bed vs vertically. The outcome so far has genuinely reflected this. When my bed is in the lounge state, I’m engaged and focused. When it’s in the sleep state, I’m out within minutes. 

My next brilliant idea was to replace my nightstand with an open, three-tiered rolling cart equipped with designated in-reach pockets for my most commonly used night-time items. It houses catch-all items too delicate for the big catch-all basket. 

So far, I’ve only talked about the psychology of why my sleep has improved and haven’t touched the tip of the iceberg about the mechanical temperature regulation elements of my setup. 

Bodily temperature fluctuates throughout the sleep cycles and when you’re fixed in with a heavy comforter, you’re locked into one temperature setting. Movement is also restricted.

The blankets I have on my bed are not random. They serve different temperature needs. It’s much less overall weight, but it’s optimized. So much so, that I used to not sleep with the fan very often because I got too cold and now my entire upper body can often be directly underneath the fan and I still feel warm. 

I also can’t sleep without the fan anymore. Air circulation is essential. 

One of the strangest parts of all is that I am experiencing awakenings more during the night than I ever have to adjust temperature. Sometimes, I almost cease to feel awakened although I am asleep. I used to recall going to sleep and then violà! There I am, next day. 

I recently have been able to recall almost the entire night in a physical way, similar to how I am able to recall the entire morning right now sitting at my desk. I kind of feel like a ghost… but in a good way. I am waking up earlier and more-well rested throughout the day.

I used to go to sleep at 1 or 2 AM and wake up at 9 AM. I am now falling asleep before 11PM and waking up naturally at 6:30 AM. Other variables (screen time, eating before bed) have not been consciously changed, but my new sleep patterns are influencing me to naturally make optimal decisions before bed. Dream vividness and recall have remained mostly the same (but I trained this a long time ago). 

About a month or two before I made this switch, I got really into yoga, massage, and aroma therapy. But this is a heavy topic for a separate post. I engage in these spa sessions every night, which plays a big part in my ease to be at rest. 

The key lesson I’ve learned that system optimization should revolve around functionality. I think too often, we set up set up our systems around aspiration. Our spaces are designed for for who we want to be instead of who we already are. And who we already are is never enough. We put the nice clothes we want to want to wear in eyeshot and then have to go digging for the clothes we actually wear day-to-day, which means we are in a perpetual state of digging and ignoring the systems in front of us. Might as well reverse this. 

The best part is that this has all been free. It’s just the process of moving stuff to cater for how your particular person naturally wants to behave. 

That’s all for today. Thanks for reading and sleep well!