The sleep team: To help a loved one do anything the key is support. And think of how you are enticed to do things. If people go on and on about things – does this make you think – yes a great idea – ah NO!
So, if you secretly think your loved one needs to go to bed earlier or do something else that would be advantageous personally and for the family/and or relationship and you have tried to persuade directly – try indirectly – here are 5 ways to help persuade a late sleeper to retire earlier:
1. Talk about the activity the next day and how you are excited to be doing it (hopefully this may make the late sleeper realise themselves they need to retire earlier).
2. Help the late sleeper in the evening and offer your help and this may help them finish their jobs early.
3. Stay up with the late sleeper and spend time together.
4. Make the bedroom more inviting and cosy (change the bed sheets, tidy up, put the lamp on).
5. Go to bed as you normally do and say good night sincerely and intimately and do not hint about the late sleeper going to bed at all.
Violet Rojas says
So while I was still pregnant, we trimmed the bedtime routine little by little. We announced that from now on, she would have just three books, max, and one song. Then we announced that she could read to herself as long as she needed to, but I wouldn’t sit by her bed waiting for her to sleep anymore. This met with some protests (we generally like a more collaborative method of making household rules, but this was a desperate situation) but not too bad. Today (a year later), she gets three books, a drink, and rarely asks for songs. She still stays up reading, but that’s fine. For awhile we reverted to giving her snacks in bed (healthy snacks), but I’ve put my foot down on that one again, due to the risk of tooth decay and unwanted critters in her bedroom.
Shaz Fisher says
Thanks for you comment – great to hear what works for others. Shaz :-).