Yoga Medicine Founder Tiffany Cruikshank Dims the Lights 3 Hours Before Bed
Welcome to Sleep Diaries, where interesting people share a week’s worth of late-night habits. They’ll tell you, the reader, how they wrap up their day, how they get to sleep, stay asleep or fall back asleep, and how they feel when they wake up in the morning. Why? Because sleep is America’s Most Wanted thing. We chase after it like an elusive elixir that'll make us look younger and feel less stressed. (Maybe because it will.) We thought by getting people to share what works for them—and doesn’t—it might help you find better ZZZs. Or at least give you something entertaining to read. This week, we have Tiffany Cruikshank, founder of Yoga Medicine, a community of teachers who are trained to work more effectively with healthcare practitioners.
I travel more than 150,000 miles a year for work, so sleep is essential. I’m usually a good sleeper, but I also believe it’s because I value my sleep rituals. My husband knows they're no joke! Rather than overwhelm you, I’ll point out different parts of my routine so you can take it one day at a time if you choose.
Sunday: No wine after 5 p.m.
After a leisurely day spent outside staining the deck, I enjoyed some sparkling wine but stopped at 5 p.m. so I could get a good night's sleep for my video shoot tomorrow. I made an amazing salad with lots of kale, spinach, romaine and my favorite homemade Meyer lemon dressing recipe (Meyer lemon juice, honey, champagne vinegar, olive oil, and chopped fresh herbs; this time I used mint). I also ate some strawberries from our garden. I began preparing for bed after dinner by washing my face, brushing my teeth, and turning the lights down. I actually went to bed around 10:30 or 11 p.m.—a little later than I would’ve liked, but I got some much needed time with my hubby so it was worth it.
Monday: Dim the lights early
I had to get up at 5:30 a.m. to take my husband to the airport, but I love driving him because he works in San Francisco Monday through Thursday. For me, it's a full day of video, photos, and interviews for a 24-Hour Fitness spotlight. I’m very careful (every day, travel or not) to prepare for sleep by slowly dimming the lights before bed. We’ve put dimmer switches on pretty much all the lights in our house for this reason. I start dimming them 2-3 hours before bed, then an hour before bed they are as low as they go if not turned off. I took tryptophan to help with jet lag after traveling overseas last week, then fell asleep around 10 p.m.
Tuesday: Always wear a sleep mask
Tonight I had a nice, simple meal of salmon and asparagus with sea salt and olive oil on the BBQ. I did my nightly skin ritual with some amazing products by Goop: I use the luminous melting cleanser and my favorite hydrating cream and oil set. I have dry skin and this is by far the best combination I’ve come by and I love that it’s made with such incredible ingredients. I happily went to bed at 9:45 p.m., wearing my sleep mask with my sound machine on as always.
Wednesday: Use a Recovery Round
I've been sitting a lot this week, so tonight I took 10 minutes to roll out my glutes with my Rad Roller Recovery Rounds. I designed them with athletes and people who sit a lot in mind. These rollers put demands on the tissue, though in very different ways, that require rehydration to avoid injury or pain. The goal is for connective tissues to become more resilient, which fascia research now recommends. With all the travel and schedule changes in my day-to-day, I really relish this part of my evening routine. I was in bed by 10 p.m.
Thursday: Get it done for the weekend
Today I taught a public yoga class and then saw patients (acupuncture and sports medicine). I'm always a little more tired when I see patients, so I cooked a nice meal, relaxed a bit, then had some deadlines looming so I worked until almost 10 p.m. to get everything done before my hubby came home. He doesn’t get in until late and I love to pick him up if I’m not totally jet lagged and asleep. I picked him up at 10:30 p.m. and we were asleep by 11:30 p.m..
Friday: Cook a nice dinner
I got a lot of work done today and walked our dog Lulu with my husband, which was a treat. I really relish our time together since we’re apart so much. We cooked a nice Sun Basket meal together; we love their stuff! The ingredients are top quality and the spices and flavorings are incredible and often unique. We enjoyed a movie at home to end the week!
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