A New Year's Resolution You'll Actually Like: More Sleep!

With the New Year here, there’s so much pressure — December had us trying to make the holidays magical for everyone, and now January not-so-quietly tells us we need to overhaul our lives and “do better.”

I’m opting out of that mindset this year. Instead, my New Year’s resolution is simple, realistic, and actually enjoyable: sleep.

Instead of more rules and resolutions, I’m choosing one simple priority to start the year: sleep.

Somewhere in middle age, sleep quietly moves from “nice if it happens” to “wow, everything feels awful without it.” Hormones are shifting, life is busy, brains don’t like to shut off at night, and suddenly we’re waking up tired even when we’ve done all the “right” things.

If you’re exercising, trying to eat well, but still feel flat, cranky, or achy, it might not be that you need to try harder. You might just need to sleep better.

This is the stuff we don’t talk about enough: sleep is when your muscles actually repair, when your blood sugar settles down, when cravings calm, and when your brain gets a reset. For women in midlife, it’s one of the most powerful (and free!) tools we have and I'm making it my number one focus right now.

Here are a few gentle, realistic sleep hygiene ideas that I’m leaning into myself:  

• Keep a “wind-down window.” Try to create 30–60 minutes before bed that signals to your nervous system that the day is done. Dim the lights. Put the phone down. Stretch, read, listen to music, or simply sit quietly.

• Take a warm bath or shower in the evening. It sounds counterintuitive, but warming your skin actually helps your core body temperature drop afterward — and that drop is one of the strongest signals to your brain that it’s time to sleep.

• Get morning light. Even on cloudy days, 5–10 minutes of natural light in the morning helps reset your internal clock and makes falling asleep at night easier.

• Keep your bedroom cool and dark. Cooler rooms support deeper sleep — and it's a simple thing to do in our Canadian winter! I’m also getting reacquainted with my silk sleep mask, and I forgot how much difference a little extra darkness makes.

• Watch the caffeine creep. If you’re sensitive, even a 1 p.m. coffee can interfere with deep sleep.

And let’s talk naps.

Naps are not a failure! A short 15–20 minute power nap before mid-afternoon can feel like hitting a reset button without messing up your nighttime sleep. On rough days, it might be the kindest thing you do for yourself. I do this several times each week on my office sofa and I refuse to feel guilty about it. 

This New Year, instead of adding more goals, what if we chose one simple intention: get a little more rest?

You don’t need to overhaul your whole routine. Just try one small change this week. Go to bed 20 minutes earlier. Leave your phone in another room. Run that warm bath.

Your body is doing a lot for you at this stage of life. Giving it decent sleep is one of the best ways to start the year strong.

Sleep well!

Shelley Turk