Tell me, how do you wake up?
With difficulty. I'm dragged into reluctant semi-consciousness by my alarm clock and until 11am, I'm as effective as a chocolate teacup.
Sounds like you need some sleep hygiene.
How rude! I shower before bed. The problem is fatigue, not grime.
I'm talking about the clean sleeping movement. Everyone's waking up to the fact that sleep quality is your biggest wellness weapon.
So how do you greet the day with a smile instead of a face like Prince Harry on Oprah?
I swear by my Daylight Alarm Clock. Instead of assaulting you with a Marimba ringtone, claxon or bell, it gently bathes you in simulated dawn light.
You can set the duration of your awakening, like a personally calibrated sunrise.
Obvious question maybe, but how does this work if I have my eyes closed?
Isn't that the point of an alarm clock: to shatter the shut-eye?
Fun fact: your retina can detect light changes even when your eyes are closed. When they perceive a sufficient intensity of light, your body reduces its melatonin and wakes you up fully to start the day alert and happy.
By contrast, studies show that being jolted awake by noise can spike your cortisol, stress your heart and leave you groggy.
That's what's wrong with your mornings: you're in a melatonin-induced daze, and probably suffering from sudden-awakening shock.
Everyone's waking up to the fact that sleep quality is your biggest wellness weapon.
- Amy Cooper
So this is what you mean by clean sleeping?
It's part of the package. To truly sleep clean, you need to fix your bedtime, too.
Oh, bedtime. That's a tough one. You'll need a bottle of single malt and that bloke from Bridgerton if you're serious about getting me to hit the sack before 1am.
Bridgerton is the problem, not the solution. Netflix has no place in a clean sleeping routine.
You must banish your devices at least an hour before bed. And dim light is essential, so your body can slowly step up its melatonin.
Some of those light-adjusting alarm clocks work at both ends of the day.
Hang on. Why buy a gadget when there's a real live dawn and dusk right outside your window?
I think you just woke up to the weirdness of the wellness industry.
- Amy Cooper is a journalist who embraces wellness, but has also used kale to garnish a cocktail.
