Hi Reader 👋 -

Happy Tuesday. Yes its Tuesday, the new publication day for Tinkering With Ideas.

I recently took my Substack (Work Better) weekly instead of bi-weekly. I used to alternate Substack and my newsletter on Thursday mornings. So Tinkering gets a new publication day! (And who knows, maybe someday Tinkering will also be weekly...)

But in that process, somehow I managed to not send a newsletter on the new date. Whoopsie. I was so focused on the new cadence for my Substack that I... forgot. Realized it after the fact. Even with all of my tools and tracking, I still goofed. It happens.

1) Reflection:

Yesterday I went to the chiropractor for the first adjustment in four months' of treatment. PSA: Don't slouch in your work chair (or sit on your feet) or someday you'll find yourself with a messed up back.

Anyway, as I was leaving, the assistant told me to make sure I stay hydrated and get enough sleep. I replied, "Not a problem. I love sleep."

And it's true, though it hasn't always been that way. I struggled with sleep for a long time, especially if I was anxious.

Now I sleep soundly most of the time, but I'm also a "high maintenance sleeper" (as I like to call myself). I use a face mask, a body pillow, a weighted blanket, some light background noise, and take magnesium before bed. But the result? I sleep like a baby. And not those newborn babies that wake up every two hours hungry. A baby that falls asleep quickly and stays asleep.

2) Product:

In addition to the aforementioned sleeping conditions, I also use Deep Sleep Pillow Spray from This Works. I found the spray years ago through a subscription box I receive and have kept using it.

The spray has calming scents (like lavender). Does it really work or is it a placebo effect? Who knows. But I think part of sleeping well is a sleep ritual: preparing my body for the right conditions for sleep. And that includes this sleep spray.

3) Tip:

I grew up in a house without air conditioning. And Wisconsin summers are hot. So I'm used to sweating while I sleep.

Then I read that sleeping in cold temps is better — something to do with the body's internal temperature and circadian rhythm. I thought "Nahhhh... I can't do that."

But I've grown to like sleep so much that I decided to try it. I bought a window air conditioning unit to keep the bedroom cold without freezing the entire house. And... it worked. I'm still under a heavy weighted blanket but I keep the room very cold in the summer months. One more thing on the list of "find the perfect sleeping conditions."

That's it for this issue of Tinkering! See you again in two weeks.

Cheers,

Anna Burgess Yang

​LinkedIn | Medium | Substack​

Want more ideas?

→ Check out this article on Medium: Avoid the Trap of a Bad Job With a Good Boss​

→ Read this eBook: How to Create a Content Library (use code FREEBIE to get this eBook for free)

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