I devoted two hours before bed last night to not using any multimedia devices with bright LCD screens. The goodnight texts were sent hours earlier than usual last night.

I admit this was bizarre for me as my phone is constantly glued to my hand. I even wrote my journal on pen and paper last night just so my computer remained off. Fortunately, I don’t have a TV to tempt me.

On an average night, I stare at my computer screen for the better part of it, so instead I settled down and read Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein’s heart-wrenching critique of disaster capitalism.

Although I used to make reading before bed a regular occurrence, reading now seems to have become a thing of the past. Reading often takes second or even third place to other obligations like homework, studying and actual work.

Upon this silent evening of reading and no bright screens, I slept from a solid 12:30 p.m. – 7 a.m. I even managed to make it to my impossible 8 a.m. class on time. I’m sure I shocked my teacher as well as the rest of my class when I strolled through the door because they all looked slightly surprised.

Although I did struggle to achieve my drift into the dark for some time after closing the pages of my book, thinking about something other than the next day before I went to bed allowed me easier focus on sleeping and ultimately fall asleep faster.

From the lack of electronics I felt as though my body was able to tell it was time to sleep. It was able to naturally release melatonin at the proper time. Allowing me to be more productive the next day in the end result.