Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to get a real alarm clock. This
Speaker 1: one little change can help set you up for all
Speaker 1: sorts of better habits. If you're like most modern sorts,
Speaker 1: you probably use your smartphone as your alarm clock. It's
Speaker 1: easy to set, and let's face it, you always have
Speaker 1: your phone with you. But most of us also know
Speaker 1: that maybe we should spend a bit less time on
Speaker 1: our phones. And here's the issue. Using your smartphone as
Speaker 1: your alarm clock means you are welcoming your phone with
Speaker 1: all of its functions into your bedroom. It's easy to
Speaker 1: serve social media or headlines, or check work email right
Speaker 1: before bed. You know it would be better to read
Speaker 1: and relax, but there's your phone. Or you might get
Speaker 1: jostled out of sleep by an errant text, or feel
Speaker 1: like checking email if you're up to use the bathroom
Speaker 1: in the middle of the night. All of these can
Speaker 1: interfere with sleep, either directly or by inviting anxious thoughts
Speaker 1: into your brain. And all of this can be stopped
Speaker 1: with a simple switch using a real alarm clock. A
Speaker 1: real dumb traditional alarm clock says the time. It will
Speaker 1: wake you up when you want to get up, but
Speaker 1: it won't tempt you to stay awake for an extra
Speaker 1: forty five minutes as you're looking at photos of perfectly
Speaker 1: organized pantries. Get a real alarm clock and you'll get
Speaker 1: more sleep. Now I realized that some people really want
Speaker 1: their phones in their rooms. Maybe worry that if you
Speaker 1: have to leave the house suddenly, you won't be able
Speaker 1: to find your phone. I get it fine enough, but
Speaker 1: if you are going to use your phone as an
Speaker 1: alarm clock, promise me a few things. First, you'll put
Speaker 1: it in airplane mode thirty minutes before you plan to
Speaker 1: go to sleep. You can still use your e reader
Speaker 1: app to read books, but no more surfing. Second, you'll
Speaker 1: put it somewhere at least a few feet away from
Speaker 1: your bed. That way, it's not right there tempting you
Speaker 1: as you try to fall asleep or if you happen
Speaker 1: to wake up for a bit. And finally, keep it
Speaker 1: in airplane mode all night. No texts or calls, no
Speaker 1: web surfing capability unless you make a conscious choice to
Speaker 1: check such things. You can if you feel you absolutely
Speaker 1: need to, but doing so requires an active choice. Most
Speaker 1: likely you won't bother, or you'll decide that a regular
Speaker 1: old alarm clock might work for you. After all, we
Speaker 1: have our phones all day long, taking the nights off
Speaker 1: seems like a reasonable compromise. In the meantime, This is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast pod. That's b E the number four, then
Speaker 1: Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an
Speaker 1: email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot
Speaker 1: com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For
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Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
Speaker 1: favorite shows.