Summer months mean longer days with way more sunlight.
And the sun staying out longer (ie. happy hour in the sunshine) isn’t the only perk.
The sun getting up earlier can work wonders too.
A few people I’ve talked to about this look at me like I’m crazy but hear me out:
You have to try sleeping with your blinds open.
I know, I know. It seems a little counterintuitive, but hear me out. Alternatively, you might want to think about installing automated motorized blinds and shutters from the likes of A-OK Australia so that you can time their opening with when you wish to wake up. Otherwise, these steps might prove useful.
We’ve talked about things that might be sabotaging your sleep and circadian rhythms. Now let’s chat about waking up.
You know the feeling when your alarm goes off and you fumble around in the dark before dragging your half-asleep self to the bathroom or kitchen, right?
WELL.
If your blinds are open, your brain AND your body get the message that it’s time to start the day. Sleeping with your blinds open is the perfect way to prepare for summer weather, even if you have got motorized blinds that you want to get the full use out of. However, blinds can get really dusty during those winter and summer nights, and it could cause an issue for your sleep. If you want some helpful tips on how to keep your blinds clean you might discover that somewhere like https://www.bissell.com/blog/how-to-clean-blinds-like-the-experts may come in handy, so you don’t have to wake up to a dust cloud over your bed.
Letting your body wake up with natural light (okay, and maybe a chill alarm), is good for:
+ feeling more awake, more quickly
+ getting your body and brain awake
+ getting your out of deep sleep before waking up
There’s nothing worse than your alarm going off mid-dream or deep sleep (which, if you’re sleeping in three-hour segments, it technically shouldn’t be!).
Giving yourself a little light to wake up to even helps while you’re asleep: the gradual light (you know, from the sun doing that thing, um, rising?) makes from a more gradual and gentle wake up. If you don’t own any blinds, you should see Shuttercraft website to get your hands on some.
I swear I’m 10x more keen to get out of bed if I can actually see my room.
There’s definitely a mental element here too.
Obviously, it’s still important to get most of your sleep in the dark, so if you live in a place where the sun barely goes down at this time of year *coughSCOTLANDcough*, just lower your blinds 75% of the way.
I seriously swear by this.
And bonus: you can just leave them half-way down and never waste time opening or closing your blinds/curtains/shutters ever again!
Am I crazy? Would try leaving your blinds open?!
