Nature and Boosting Sleep Quality

I’ve had trouble sleeping lately. A mixture of being too groggy to wake up and uncomfortable dreams. In preparation for the next school year, I created a routine this past week. Sleep by 11. Awake by 7. It hardly worked, the waking up part. I got my 8 hours, and generally more, but it meant waking up later than I hoped for. These past two nights, I got less than 8 hours.

One tip I read a while back is to get outside first thing in the morning. Let the sun tell your body it’s time to get going. So after reciting a set of dreams into a voice note, I strolled downstairs to the atrium. I filled my mug with two black English teabags and boiling water. Walking to the track, I relieved myself of the stressful sleep by appreciating the nature around me in the leaves and the sky.

Yet even in the boonies of western Maine, early morning traffic, including obnoxiously loud motorcycles, throttled the quiet. Difficult as it is to enjoy a quiet morning, the cold fresh air offered me inspiration. North of me, the Bigelow Mountains sliced into a low-level cloud as if warning others to keep their height. I wished I was up there.

After fifteen minutes outside, as my watch read 7:01 am, I completed my lap on the track. On the way inside, I saw the first of the maintenance guys. They’re finishing last minute to-dos in order to prepare the school for students.

This is the last weekend of summer break and my birthday too! Kaitlynn, my girlfriend, seems to have several surprises in store. Then we’re off to a roaring start.

I won’t say no to birthday gifts 😘😁