The Wind Down: A Beauty and Sleep Routine that Will Leave You Feeling Dreamy
Beauty and Fashion Secrets A Psychiatrist's Guide to Falling Asleep Fast, Even with Anxiety
A Psychiatrist’s Trick for Falling Asleep Quickly, Even with Anxiety
Image by Oleksandr Shcherban Uk / Stocksy
November 8, 2023
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Hello, fellow fashionistas! Welcome to The Wind Down, your one-stop-shop for all things beauty and sleep. Today, we have the pleasure of peeping into the bedtime routine of none other than David Rosmarin, Ph.D., a psychiatrist and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. He’s cracked the code on how to fall asleep fast, even when stress and anxiety try to ruin his slumber party.
Let’s face it, my darlings. Without a good night’s sleep, we’re not exactly the stars of the runway. And with David’s jam-packed schedule (he’s an academic at Harvard, an author, the founder of an anxiety clinic with over 1,000 patients, and a father to six awesome kids), he needs all the beauty sleep he can get. So how does he do it? Let’s dive in!
Priority Bedtime: Sweet Dreams Start Here
“To put it mildly, unless I consistently get a high quality and reasonable quantity of sleep, I’m not the best version of myself,” says David. And we couldn’t agree more, darling! His secret? Prioritizing bedtime like it’s the VIP section of a fabulous party. With a strict 6:15 a.m. wake-up call, David knows he needs to be in bed between 10:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. to rock his well-rested glow.
But what happens when Mr. Anxiety rears its ugly head at bedtime? Don’t panic, my lovelies! David has not one, not two, but three fail-safe strategies to combat restlessness.
Strategy #1: The Bookish Diversion
If sleep seems to be playing hard to get, David doesn’t stick around to beg. No, no, no! He knows that spending more than 20 minutes tossing and turning won’t do him any favors. So, he gracefully retreats from the battlefield and grabs a light book. And no, we’re not talking about a Kindle or any electronic device. We’re talking about an actual book, with pages you can touch and smell. Within the span of half an hour, David transforms from an insomniac to a sleeping beauty, ready to conquer dreamland.
Strategy #2: A Date With the Pen and Paper
Ah, nothing quite like a good old-fashioned pen and paper to get those worries out of your head, right? David couldn’t agree more! After a few minutes of reading, he takes a break to jot down his concerns on good old-fashioned paper. Writing them out helps him feel confident that he can tackle them the next day.
Strategy #3: From Restless to Rampaging
After a less-than-restful night, David doesn’t let fatigue defeat him. Oh no, darling! He pushes himself a notch harder the next day. With an energetic aerobic workout in the morning and a day filled with physical, social, and cognitive activity, he exhausts his body and ensures an early bedtime the following night. And talking it out with his lovely wife adds that extra sprinkle of magic to his journey to dreamland.
The ABCs of Beauty Sleep
Enough about strategies, my dear fashion aficionados. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of David’s sleep routine. Here’s a little peek into his nightly rituals:
| Average hours I sleep a night | Seven |
|---|---|
| Ideal bedtime | 10:30 p.m. |
| Ideal wake-up time | 6:15 a.m. |
| Nightstand essentials | Alarm clock, box of tissues, and that’s all. No distractions! |
| Favorite place I’ve ever slept | Anywhere as long as my wonderful wife Miri is with me. |
| Sleep bad habit | Getting to bed too late because of work. |
| Caffeine consumption | I have one caffeinated coffee each weekday morning but avoid it in the afternoons and usually take a break on weekends. In addition, I’m a distance runner and have caffeine as a performance enhancer for long runs (> 90 minutes). Aside from that, I don’t have more than 160 mg of caffeine per day. |
| How I track my sleep | For about a decade, from age 30-40, I kept careful logs of my sleep using a spreadsheet. This showed me that I need 7-7.5 hours of sleep on average per night. By this point, I’ve honed a good habit, so I no longer track my sleep in a methodical way, but it’s certainly something that I am aware of and stay on top of managing (otherwise, I’d be a total mess!) |
| The last product or habit that changed my sleep for the better | A pad of paper and a pen. Low-tech is the way to go when it comes to sleep! |
| The first thing I do when I wake up | Say a quick prayer of thanks to express my gratitude for a new day ahead. |
A Nightly Tango with the Sandman
So, my style aficionados, here’s a sneak peek into David’s nightly routine:
10 p.m.: This is David’s goal time to start the beauty and bed prep. He slips into his favorite PJs, brushes his pearly whites with an electronic toothbrush, and leaves his iPhone far away at his office (not next to his bed, dahling!). David takes a moment for some nighttime prayers, contemplating the meaning of life. If he gets caught up in glamourous distractions, he might slide into bed around 10:30 p.m. or even 10:45 p.m. But anything later might ruin his beauty sleep.
10:30 p.m.: Ah, the sweet hour of bedtime bliss! David checks that his trusty alarm (a low-tech device with batteries, because who needs power outages?) is set. And before tucking in, he says a few prayers and perhaps even has a cozy chat with his lovely wife, Miri. Because as we all know, a little pillow talk can go a long way in settling the restless mind.
11 p.m.: Realistically, this is David’s actual bedtime about 50% of the time on weekdays. But fear not, my fashion mavens! Having a goal bedtime of 10:30 p.m. helps him stay on track for his magical seven hours of beauty sleep. With a 45-minute buffer, David keeps his sleep game strong.
6:15 a.m.: Rise and shine, my darlings! David’s trusty alarm wakes him up. But sometimes, if he manages to hit the hay early (10:30 p.m., we’re looking at you), he might even wake up on his own. After a brief moment of gratitude, he freshens up and dives into some stretches to keep his runner’s physique in tip-top shape. With a killer outfit on and his heart full of dreams, David conquers the day, no time to waste!
Fashionistas, we hope this beautiful journey into David Rosmarin’s sleep routine has left you feeling inspired. Remember, a well-rested soul is a fashionable soul. So, prioritize your beauty sleep, embrace your nights with charm, and wake up ready to conquer the world with style!
How do you wind down, my lovely friends? Share your sleep secrets in the comments below!
