Dormez Vous?

A sleep mask that I repaired after I broken the original band.

Over the past month, I've had a difficult time staying asleep. There is nothing that is bothering me that would cause me to wake, early in the morning. For some strange reason, I wake up at 3 am and I can't seem to get back to sleep until sunrise. This was really beginning to be problematic, in that it messed up my schedule for the remainder of the day. Then, I began to think about what was going on, and I remembered that this same thing happened to me last Spring. I decided that there must be some issues with the transition of the seasons.

I then decided to consider slight changes that I could make in my bedtime ritual that could aid in an easier sleep. Here are some things that I've done which have made a big difference in my sleep quality: 1) I shut the tv off when I am done watching tv for the night. I had gotten into the habit of falling asleep to the sound of a television, I ended that.
2) I don't eat any food at least an hour before bed time.
3) I don't concern myself with the things that I need to get done the next day. I save that for the morning when it actually matters.
4) Lastly, I sleep with a sleep mask. I know this seems weird, maybe even high maintenance. However, the mask cancels out light, which relaxes me. Also, I found that I had been waking up with terrible headaches. This was because, once the sun rose, I'd squint my eyes to block out the sun. The strain on my facial muscles was causing the headaches. Not to mention that it could have led to premature aging, no thank you!

A sleep mask that I made with reversible fabric.

Yesterday, I broke the elastic band on a sleep mask that I use. I actually have several on hand. I used the mask to make a stencil to make another sleep mask. Then I repaired the mask. The sleep mask above, I made with soft fleece and flannel fabric and I reused on old elastic band from another craft project. The sleep mask at the top is velvet on one side and satin on the other side. Soft fabric is key, because you don't want to irritate the delicate skin around your eyes. Also, a soft fabric that isn't itchy won't wake you in the middle of the night. 

Sleep masks can often be found at department stores, in the spa section, for very little money. It has been tremendously helpful in increasing the quality of my sleep. I now wake refreshed and full of energy for my day. Until next time~ Toodahloo!