Kenya Foy
September 25, 2017 1:34 pm
Vladislav Muslakov / Unsplash

Since we could always use another fancy health trend to remind us how important it is take care of ourselves, we’ve wholeheartedly embraced the newest REM-friendly nighttime activity known as “clean sleeping.”

But first things first: In case you have no idea what clean sleeping means or how to practice it, we assure you it has nothing to do with only going to bed on freshly laundered sheets (although that also sounds like something the body would *really* appreciate).

Actually, maintaining a clean sleeping regimen simply means to get an uninterrupted 7-8 hours of sleep every night. It also requires you to eat breakfast daily within 30 minutes of waking up, cutting back on caffeine, and drinking alkaline water.

In other words, clean sleeping leaves no room for waking up out of your slumber to have a midnight snack or staying up too late watching pimple-popping videos on your phone.

Ever since Gwyneth Paltrow gave clean sleeping her GOOP-y co-sign at the beginning of 2017, sleep-deprived folks everywhere have been rearranging their schedules and handing in their #TeamNoSleep cards. And hey, that’s nothing but a good thing.

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Honestly, we were never ones to skimp on the snoozing, so we’re hoping that this sleeping “trend” never ends.

If you, too, want to invite more quality sleep into your daily life, here’s how you can embrace the concept of clean sleeping.

1Focus on the health benefits sleeping provides.

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The list of benefits that come from getting the best sleep of your life include, but certainly aren’t limited to: a reduced susceptibility to disease, more energy, less brain fog, an improved mood, better weight control, and better sex. Wins all around, ya know?

2And the beauty benefits, too.

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If the prospect of being healthier doesn’t move you to do give clean sleeping a whirl, maybe we should’ve led with how gorgeous getting more sleep will make you. A good night’s rest can help reduce those under-eye bags and dark circles (your favorite concealer could never) not to mention all the wonderful things good sleep can do for your complexion.

3Set reminders for bedtime.

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Sometimes we get busy with super important stuff like scrolling Instagram until the wee hours of the morning. In those moments, we could really use a friendly reminder to shut everything down and go to bed. If you have to set a reminder to keep you on track with getting the full 7-8 hours of shuteye that the clean sleeping method requires, do whatever it takes to make it a permanent habit.

4Create a bedtime ritual that you love.

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So, we get it: You’re life is so exciting that you don’t want to go to sleep for fear of missing out on all the great stuff that might happen while you’re counting sheep. But if you become more intentional about what you do before getting in bed, it might help you go from seeing sleep as something that takes away from your life to something that adds to it.

You don’t have to dive in the deep end: Start out small with something like a commitment to stay off your phone for at least an hour before sleeping or taking a bath or reading a few pages before bed. Pretty soon you’ll find yourself looking forward to your nighttime ritual (and the satisfying sleep that follows) instead of dreading it.

5Keep a sleep journal.

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Listen, we track everything else, so embrace clean sleeping with open arms by adding it to the list of behaviors/habits/activities you keep up with.

After you’ve done it for a few days, pay attention to the positive impacts it has on your life. You’ll know clean sleeping is working for you when you no longer feel the need to binge sleep your weekends away. You might even start to wake up feeling more refreshed than ever and with a TON of energy too.

However your journey with clean sleeping goes, just know that the positives of trying it seem to far outweigh the negatives. This is definitely one health trend you should maybe embrace with open arms — and most importantly — closed eyes.