How to Make Life Suck Less after a Breakup

Your bed might be emptier these days, but that’s no reason to avoid it: Sticking to a steady sleep schedule may help you cope with a breakup, suggests preliminary research from the University of Arizona.

In the study, people going through a separation who continued to hit the hay and wake up at the same time every day reported greater life satisfaction than those who didn’t follow any particular bedtime routine.

Inconsistent sleepers spend some days feeling fatigued from short sleep, and other days trying to catch up on missed shuteye, says study coauthor Spencer Dawson, Ph.D.(c).



That puts your body in a perpetual state of jet lag, where the times you feel sleepy and awake fall out of sync with your internal clock. This disconnect can take a toll on both your physical and mental wellbeing, Dawson says.

But people who sleep well at night and are more alert during the day are better at regulating difficult emotions—like dealing with the pain of a split—rather than being consumed by them, says Dawson.

Can’t stick to a strict sleep schedule? Even taking baby steps can help, Dawson says. If you can only manage a small change, try to get up at the same time every day, including on the weekends, he suggests. This strategy could even help make Monday morning easier. That’s because a Australian study found that sleeping late on Saturday and Sunday leaves you more tired on Monday and Tuesday than rising at the same time you do during the work week.

“To make this easier, plan an enjoyable activity that makes getting out of bed more appealing than sleeping in.”  9 a.m. tee time, anyone?

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Article source: http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/recover-from-a-breakup