Don’t Shake the Snow Globe

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Imagine that it’s almost bedtime.

Your workday is done.

You’re winding down.

You’re getting sleepy.

But then, you think, I’ll just check email one more time.

Or you think, I’ll just take one more look at the news.

It’s so tempting.

It doesn’t seem like a big deal.

It’ll only take a minute, you think.

And maybe it does only take a minute.

But then, your mind, which was all settled down, ready to go to bed, is shaken up again, like the fake snow inside a snow globe.¹

Your cortisol level will go up, which inhibits melatonin production.²

And it will take far longer than a minute for your mind to settle down again.

It will take some time for you to stop thinking about the work emails you just reexamined or the news stories you just glanced at.

And that means it will take longer for you to fall asleep, or you’ll spend less time in deep sleep, or both.

And that means you’ll wake up tomorrow either a little later, or less well-rested, or both.

And that means your day won’t go as well.

Your intelligence, creativity, and energy will be reduced, at least a little.

Your capacities for willpower and mindfulness will be diminished.

You won’t be your best self.

So as bedtime approaches, turn off your computer, and put your phone in airplane mode.

And no matter how tempting it is, don’t shake the snow globe.

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¹ Johnson, Brian. “The Snow Globe In Your Brain (Quit Shaking It!)” Optimize.me. +1 #1170.

² Hefferon, Kate, Ph.D. Positive Psychology and the Body: The Somatopsychic Side to Flourishing. Open University Press, 2013.