New Year, New You

You could say that 2021 has been interesting. This year has brought change to our lives, good or bad. As we ring in the new year, it is the perfect time to refresh and restart. Picking up new habits and kicking out old ones is the best way to do this.

In 2020, many of us, myself included, picked up bad habits that have stuck with us throughout this year. If you are like me, you probably stayed up all hours of the night binge-watching old and new shows. Since you stayed up so late the night before, you woke up the next day at, let's say around, 2 p.m. and repeated it all over again. Who knows, maybe you also developed the habit of staying in bed all day. #quarantinelife  

Whatever it was, we shouldn't look back and think about all the bad. Instead, we should look forward to this upcoming year full of new possibilities. In my time of contemplation, I have constructed a list of positive changes that you can include in your New Year's resolution. So, here is my New Year, New You list.

1. Create a sleep routine: A sleep routine is everything you do to prepare for bed. This can include turning off electronics in the evening, dimming the lights an hour before bed, reading before going to sleep, and so forth. Although this isn't a specific sleep routine, it gives you a few ideas you can include in yours.
2. Go to bed at the same time every night: Research indicates that it is beneficial to your body to go to bed at the same time every night.  
3. Wake up at the same time every morning: Now, I know this can be hard on the weekends, but like the previous point, our bodies thrive when on a strict schedule.  
4. Only lay in bed when sleeping: This one is hard, even for me. I find myself in bed all the time when I'm at my house. In bed watching TV, doing work, or whatever else is not recommended by sleep experts. They say we should only lay in our beds when we are sleeping.  
5. Make your bed in the morning: Start your day off feeling accomplished. When you wake up and make your bed, this action makes you feel accomplished and ready to take on the day ahead of you.  

I could go on and on listing positive habits to add to your New Year but, then we'd be here until 2023! So instead, I will leave you with a short sweet list to start. If you create a list for the New Year, make sure to share it and tag us @svenandson!   

And with that, happy holidays. My wish for you is that this year is the best one yet!  

Sarah is the resident fall marketing intern at Sven & Son. When she isn’t becoming a master of all things sleep-related, she enjoys staying active and traveling. Sarah one day hopes to visit every place on her bucket list, which is a VERY long list!

Reference: Blone, V. (Sept. 2, 2020). 10 Things You Must Never Do in the Morning. VishakaBlone.com. https://vishakablone.com/10-things-you-must-never-do-in-the-morning/