Are you on apps when you can't sleep? Me Too! I am kicking my Cell Phone out of Bed with me!

Like the rest of modern society I too have a level of addiction with technology my phone is glued to me even during a time when I am suppose to be winding down and preparing for bed. At night as I finish brushing my teeth, before I turn the light out I make sure I have my cell phone and my Ipod in the bed with me. For many years at least ten, I have awakened throughout the night, every night around 2am and I've been unable to go back to bed for at least another couple of hours or so. What is weird, sometimes if I have had a really long day and I am extremely tired, I wake up at 2am, use the restroom and fall right back to sleep but if I didn't have a long day I usually can't go back to sleep and I give myself options such as I catch up on my favorite Podcast or I watch YouTube videos on my cell phone until I get sleepy again or I seldom catch up on Instagram Posts. I could do all of these things from just my Ipod luckily enough I blocked YouTube from my Ipod and I can't remember the password for the app on my device. I know I can override that by simply deleting the app or going to my email and resetting the password but I know that it will take a little time so I just don't even bother doing it, besides, I still plan on kicking the YouTube habit so I prefer to keep the block on that device.

My cell phone accompanies my Ipod because it is the only device in which YouTube isn't blocked, so with that being said when I can't sleep I just catch up on some of my favorite video's. However, the initial reason I began placing the phone in the bed with me was so that I could check the time I had awaken and when I fell back to sleep. It allowed me to know how many hours I am unable to sleep and how many hours I was able to sleep. I am almost certain that going for bright devices for hours on end didn't allow my mind to rest and currently does not help with my sleep patterns as well. When I can't go back to sleep, going on YouTube watching video's or listening to audio Podcast on my Ipod fully awakens my mind because this is something that usually is capturing my attention so nothing is screaming relaxation in a place in which I am suppose to be relaxing. All of these post as of late are about me taking back my life swallowed by technology and our subconscious need to be engaged with them all of the time. 

I came up with a solution for the situation, I have decided to go old school and purchase a digital clock. From now own, I will keep my technical devices out of my bed. In order for me to relax my mind and train myself to go back to sleep I will go old school and do what my grandmother use to tell me when I was younger, 'just lay there until you go back to sleep'. I know this sounds harsh but I notice we tend to cater and babysit our every desire in this updated generation. I will not die of boredom because I am laying in the dark waiting on time to fell sleepy again so that my body and mind can rest. I am taking a tough stance with myself. I will not have a meltdown like a toddler at 2am because I am unable to fill that slot with technology, whether its watching YouTube videos, listening to Podcast, strolling through Facebook or Instagram. I have to take my life back, find a balance and engage with these apps during my active hours not my rest and relaxation time of the day. So my cellphone and Ipod are being officially kicked out of my bed and labeled by me as a distraction during my supposed time of rest. If you suffer from broken rest or the inability to sleep throughout the night and you too reach for your gadgets I hope that you too find a way to get your rest back. I am certain that the inability to sleep is less about technology and more about whatever is on your mind but distractions and fillers can easily become habits if we're not mindful.