Going cold turkey (for the sake of good sleep).

I've made the decision. I've gone cold turkey. It's for my own good, of course, but it always is. It won't be the end of the world, I'm sure. (Although the end of the world may actually take place and I won't read about it on Twitter until I get up and go to the kitchen.)

Yep, I'm talking about the iPhone next to the bed at night. And I hereby announce: No Longer Happening!

I'm an avid devourer of information (ranging from extremely useful to completely useless) and the iPhone was surely invented for someone like me. I can consume breaking news, current affairs, opinions, politics, gossip, lovely blogs and cute baby photos all by a single swipe or tap. I'm sure I'm not the only one to collapse into bed and check my Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / Pinterest / news feed before nodding off to sleep. And then proceed to do the same as soon as my eyes peel open in the morning.

[You're nodding, I can see you.]

Well. Lately I've had some trouble sleeping and whilst the iPhone is a great device to occupy an insomniatic mind (is that even a word?? And - sudoko app, hello!), it actually perpetuates the sleeplessness, rather than foster sleepiness. This, I know. I have the bags under my eyes to prove it. It's that thing that happens with the light emitted from said device disrupting the melatonin secretion thing, or something like that. I read it on my iPhone while I was trying to get to sleep one night.

So. I've made some changes. I'm on a quest for good sleep and this is one thing that is easy to change.

Yesterday I picked up a clock radio with a very small, very dim-able display. In a twist of irony it also acts as an iPhone docking station, however to address this temptation I've set up my old iPhone as an iPod with music only (no apps! no wifi! no nothin' 'cept the tunes!) and so I can play soothing music for drifting off to sleep, and then wake up to the ABC news.

Other stuff I'm going to try to do is go to bed when I start to feel sleepy (instead of pushing through the tiredness to read more of something or watch something on TV), wake up at the same time every day and drink something warm and milky before bedtime. I've also got a 'cosy sleep' essential oil blend with lavender, patchouli and sweet orange, and a face towel with couple of drops of lavender oil that I slip under my pillow.

So - with all that in mind, it's time I trotted off to bed - without my iPhone.

Night night.