10 Tips To Sleep Better

Trouble Sleeping? You’re not alone!

Millions of people struggle with getting a good night’s sleep. The issues range widely. From not being able to fall asleep to waking up in the middle of the night, and sometimes even feeling awake while you’re asleep. Whatever your issue might be getting a good night’s sleep can be game-changing, and I want to help you achieve that. There are lots of things you can do, but here are ten of my best tips to sleep better.

tips sleep better

1.) Cut down on caffeine

Now, this should be a no-brainer, but for some people, it’s not. Stop drinking caffeine by mid-morning. Lunch at the very latest. If you feel like you need that late afternoon pick me up, try drinking water with electrolytes or something tasty that’s caffeine free. Often when we have that dip in every it’s either due to poor blood sugar regulation or dehydration. You don’t need caffeine to fix either of those issues. Dry drinking a large glass of water and maybe a handful of raw almonds. Learn more about the benefits of almonds here.

2.) Set a bedtime alarm

Set an alarm to remind yourself it’s time to start getting ready for bed. I have one set for 7:30 pm so I can start getting my daughter ready for bed, which I also use to start to wind down for the night (about 8:30 pm), and the second I set for 9 pm, where I do my nightly tasks (brush teeth, wash face, etc.).

This routine will help your body and brain understand that it’s time to go to sleep, and over time it’ll be easier to fall asleep fast. Building in triggers to support healthy habits is key to successfully making them a part of your normal routine. A great book to learn more about changing habits is Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones.

3.) Keep your bedroom cool

It can be hard to sleep when you’re too hot. Keeping your bedroom cold will help you rest more soundly throughout the night. In the winter I have my thermostat set for 65 at night and then set to heat back up to 72 about 30 minutes before I wake up, so the house is warm when I’m getting ready in the morning. During the summer I’ll keep my thermostat at around 74 during the day/evening and then use my ceiling fan above my bed at night while I sleep. This keeps the air in my bedroom fresh and cool. On really hot days I’ll turn the thermostat down to 68 so the AC runs more often at night.

This is really based on your temperature preferences and desired energy usage, but just try to keep your room cool at night and warmer in the mornings.

4.) Wear socks

While you want to keep the room cool, you also want to regulate your body temperature. You don’t want to get too cold. Wearing socks (especially in the winter) will help your body maintain its normal body temperature by restricting the amount of body heat that is lost through bare feet. Body temperature regulation can use a lot of energy, and cause you to be restless or even wake up altogether.

5.) Keep your room dark

Too much light can mess with your body’s ability to create melatonin, a hormone that helps with sleep. Close your windows, shut off your TV, cover up small glowing lights, and if you have to, consider sleeping with an eye mask.

Blue lights are the worst kind of lights to use at night as they signal to your brain that it is daytime and lowers your body’s levels of melatonin. Amber or yellow lights are slightly better, but will still impact your melatonin levels. The least amount of light the better.

Also, if you’re a nighttime bathroom user, try not to turn the bathroom light on. If you have a dim reading light or flashlight use that instead.

6.) Keep a consistent sleep schedule

This is a big one, and probably one of the hardest to do, going from weeknight to weekend, but it’s important to stick to a consistent sleep schedule. Try to keep to within an hour on any given day of wake-up and sleep times. This includes the weekends!

7.) Don’t take stress and anger into the bedroom

Work through your problems from that day, before you head to bed. If you can’t solve everything that night, try meditating for 5-10 minutes before bed. This will help you consider possible solutions, organize your thoughts, and allow your body to mellow out. Here is a link to a great meditation app. Perfect for first-timers to established meditators.

8.) Try journaling

Try spending 5-10 minutes before bed writing down the good and bad of the day. Your successes and things you wish could have gone better. Be honest here. Let your real feelings out. This will help you place those thoughts in the right areas as they get processed while you sleep. This also gives you the opportunity to reflect and set your intention for the next day. Don’t forget to end it with something you’re grateful for.

tips sleep better

9.) Find the right bedding, pillow, and mattress

Considering that we spend nearly a third of our lives sleeping in bed, having a comfortable bed and bedding is sometimes worth spending just a little extra. Shop around and find the items that make you feel like you’re somewhere that’s like heaven on earth. Be very aware here that not all bedding and beds are made the same. Many are made with toxic materials that can off-gas for long periods of time. These gasses can impact your health (and sleep) so look for natural materials like 100% cotton and other organic fabrics.

10.) Don’t stress

Sleep should be enjoyable and something you look forward to. The more you stress about sleep, the harder it will be to get to sleep. Consider making other small changes to your daily routine before you simply stress about sleep. The key to relaxing is to relax.

Bonus Tip: 

Last but not least, get some natural light in the morning. As soon as you can when you wake up, walk outside and get some sunlight on your face/skin. This provides both important vitamins like D, and signals to your body that it’s time to wake up-which also impacts your body’s ability to fall asleep at night.

Conclusion

The key to all of these tips to sleep better is making them part of your daily routine. The more you do them, the easier they become, and the better sleep you’ll receive.

Xx

~Nika

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