We’re ten days into the New Year, and hopefully everyone has gotten that whole “new year, new me” who-ha out of their system. If not, please do so immediately. Sure, we are in a new year, but let’s be realistic, are you really going to become a whole new person? Chances are the answer is no; you are going to make some changes, but at the end of the day you are going to be the same person, so … thank you, next.
Being that most of America is sleep deprived, and that a lack of sleep can lead to a plethora of health problems, I think that one thing most, if not all, American’s should work towards bettering in the upcoming year is their sleeping habits. That being said, let’s discuss the Sleep Better Program designed by Total Wellness.
Total Wellness is a nationwide organization that began in the late 90’s and employs well over 6,000 medical professionals. They work with different organizations and business to incorporate healthier lifestyles for all. Some of their better known clientele include Wells Fargo, United Healthcare, Google, eBay, Target and Yahoo. Their sleep better campaign launched in 2016 and was immediately successful, but you will find that it is still widely used today in 2019.
The Sleep Better program is broken down into six weeks, each with a specific goal in mind. Along with trying to accomplish the set goal, you will maintain sleep logs that will monitor your sleeping patterns, notating when you went to bed, at what time you fell asleep, when you woke up, what time you got out of bed, how many time you woke up throughout the night, how well you slept on a scale of one to ten, if any naps were taken throughout the day and for how long, and finally, how much energy did you have throughout the day on a scale of one to ten.
Through week one, you are going to tell your story – what are your reasons for adopting a healthier lifestyle, how do you think sleeping better will add value to your life, you will identity barriers you face in trying to obtain a “healthy” amount of sleep, and, finally, summarize your emotions about getting better sleep. At the end of the first week you are supposed to have a discussion with someone who has already incorporated healthy sleep habits (a sleep coach, if you will) into their lifestyle. During this discussion, it is important that you pay attention to what really worked and what challenges your sleep coach encountered.
Week two is titled ‘Take Action’ as you will learn about the each stage of the sleep cycle, and start thinking about what changes you can incorporate into your sleep routine for a healthier sleep pattern. At this time, you should also start thinking about what you want your SMART goals to be. Use the following guidelines in order to create some easy, attainable goals: Specific (easy and clear to understand), Measurable (your goal should be measurable, this means there should be a specific number involved), Attainable (know your limits, but don’t set a goal that is too easy), Relevant (set a goal that is important to you and you alone, Time-bound (set a timeline for yourself). Create your goal based on these guidelines!
Week three is all about preparing for success. What makes for a sleep friendly bedroom, what your sleep schedule will look like – if you need to make a schedule in the first place, make commitments and stick to them! Week four is where we get to the nitty-gritty. You are going to get down to business and really implement the schedule and plans that you have worked on. At this point, you will want to notate if you are waking up throughout the night more than usual and what step you take in order to get back to sleep. Week five will be spent analyzing your mistakes and triumphs – review your sleep logs to see what patterns appear, have your sleeping habits improved or worsen? Week six is about celebrating how far you have come. You will continue to analyze your sleep logs, but this time you will want to think about creating new goals to meet and how you will go about doing do.
So what do you think? Are you up for this SMART goal challenge in the new year?
You can find the link to the all sleep logs and more information here: