Are you tired of being tired? Tired of waking up to a blaring alarm clock after spending the night tossing and turning? Tired of needing insane amounts of coffee just to get out the door? We have ten tips for you to help you get a good night’s sleep. Wake up refreshed and raring to go every single day.
#10 Relax
What’s your favorite way to wind down and relax? Is it
reading a good book, listening to some soft music, taking a bubble bath, knitting? Find one or two relaxing things you like to do and make time for them before it’s time to hit the hay. Even just a few minutes of flipping through a magazine while sipping some herbal tea can do wonders for your sleep.
#9 Avoid Caffeine and Sugar Late In The Day
You don’t give your kids a big candy bar right before bedtime, right? So skip that caramel late with
the double shot of espresso on the way home from work. Yes it’s tempting to go for a sugary snack or a caffeinated beverage when you’re tired in the afternoon and still have to get through homework with the kids and making dinner. It might help for a little while, but will prolong the sleeping problem. Give it up for a few weeks and see if you don’t get a better rest and more energy throughout the day.
#8 Create A Soothing Environment
Walk into
your bedroom and take a good look around. Is it a calm and soothing environment that helps you drift off to sleep? Or is it a messy dumping ground for anything you can’t find room for elsewhere in the house? Spend a little time decluttering and cleaning your bedroom. Get out any TV and other gadgets that will keep you from sleeping. The fewer electronic devices in there the better. Instead, spruce things up with a new comforter and some pretty throw pillows. Keep your favorite book on the night
table and make sure you have some soft light to read by before dozing off.
#7 Avoid bright lights and electronics right before bed.
A little later on we’ll talk about how we can use bright lights to our advantage in the morning. At night though, you want to tone it down. Dim the lights and avoid looking at a bright screen. If you have to have your computer, iPad or phone on, consider adding a program like “Twilight” that will dim the screen and
block out some of the blue light that signals to your brain that it’s daytime.
#6 Keep It Cool, Calm and Comfortable
How comfortable is your bed? How about the pillows? It may be time to invest in a new mattress if yours has some age on it. And make sure you have decent pillows that support your neck. You can find pillows specifically designed for your sleep position. Make sure you bed is comfortable and the room is calm and soothing. We find
it also helps to turn down the temperature and open a window (depending on the season) to help us sleep. Fresh air and cool room (with a comfy blanket) will have you sleeping in no time.
#5 Skip The Nap
When you haven’t been sleeping well, it’s tempting to lay down for a quick nap in the afternoon. You get a little rest and feel better, but come bedtime you’re still wide awake. Tough it out for a few days and skip those naps to give your body a
chance to get back to its natural sleep cycle.
#4 Use Bright Light To Wake You Up
We are hard coded to be awake during the day and sleep at night. Get a little sunshine or use a bright light in the morning to help you wake up. Give it a try … it works better than that strong cup of coffee and will help your body establish a natural sleep and wake cycle.
#3 Go For A Walk
Something as simple as
a 15 minute walk will do wonders to help you sleep. Of course it doesn’t have to be walking… any exercise done regularly will do. We love walking because it gets us out in the fresh air and it’s easy to do.
#2 Create a bedtime routine
If it works well for your toddler, it’ll work for you too. Come up with your own little bedtime ritual. Put on Pjs, brush your teeth, curl up in the bed and read for 10 minutes or meditate. Keep doing the same
things night after night to signal to your brain that it’s time to go to sleep.
#1 Stick to the same bedtime
If you don’t do anything else, please give this a serious try. Sticking to roughly the same bedtime every night (even on the weekends) helps you get into a good sleep rhythm. We realize this isn’t possible for everyone, but unless you are working swing shifts or the likes, do your bed to go to bed at a certain time. You
also want to get up close to your usual wake-up time. After a few weeks your body gets the point and you’ll start feeling sleepy at 11pm and are waking up at 7 am even on a Sunday morning.
There you have it. Give any and all of these tips a try. Focus on #1 first and make sure that happens to see the biggest difference. After that mix and match the rest of our tips until you find the right mix for you to help you get the restful sleep your body needs and
deserves.
