The CDC states that sleeping less than seven hours each day has been linked to a host of awful health conditions, like obesity, heart disease and diabetes. And if you have trouble sleeping yourself, you know firsthand the havoc that poor sleep can wreak on your life. Whether it’s physical factors that inhibit you from falling or asleep, you simply can’t shut your brain off at night or you find yourself struggling to fall — and stay — asleep each night, there is hope. Unless you have a diagnosed medical sleep disorder, the following tips can help you consistently experience deep, high-quality slumber.
During the Day
The first area of your daily routine to examine is your activity level. Are you active every day and do you get your heart really pumping? If not, incorporating exercise into your life can help improve the quality of your sleep by leaps and bounds. Check with a doctor to figure out the best form of exercise for you, then get started! And make sure to stop all exercise three hours before bedtime so your body has time to calm down (and cool down) before bed.
Secondly, do you have a bedtime ritual? Most parents implement some sort of routine for their children as they prepare to go to sleep at night, but adults oftentimes follow nothing of the sort. Sticking to the same steps before bed each night will signal to your body that sleep is coming. This doesn’t have to be time-intensive, either. Maybe your bedtime routine includes taking a shower, changing into pajamas and brushing your teeth. That’s fine — just be consistent with it and your body will start learning that these three steps are what precede sleep.
Thirdly, what do you do in the hour or so before bed? If your mind is regularly overrun with to-do items and thoughts of what you need to get done the next day, it’s no wonder you struggle to fall asleep. Try keeping a pen and a pad of sticky notes or a notebook by your bed. Before you turn out the light, try jotting down the most pressing items running through your head. Simply getting them out of your head and onto paper can do wonders for eliminating mental noise and anxiety.
Love Your Lavender
Lavender in many forms has been shown to reduce stress and promote better sleep. Use it! About an hour before you plan to sleep, try sipping some chamomile tea that has been infused with lavender. Another idea is to start using high-quality essential oils, especially — you guessed it — lavender. Side note: Be sure to get “lavandula angustifolia” instead of other varieties, as this is the calming type. Read directions carefully before use, but some options for use include taking a whiff, mixing a few drops into a carrier oil (like coconut oil) and applying it topically; or you can use it for aromatherapy purposes in a diffuser. Then consider getting a lavender-infused eye mask to block out any light in your room and to give you a little more lavender for your senses. If this sounds like too much lavender, just try one or two of these ideas and swap in a basic eye mask instead of a lavender-infused one. The goal is to simply incorporate some lavender into your nighttime routine.
Shut Out the World with Technology
It’s pretty common knowledge that you should nix screen time in the hours before snoozing in order to promote better sleep. But if you must look at your TV, phone or computer, try getting special glasses that block the blue light that these devices emit — the blue light is what messes with your melatonin production. These glasses may look silly, but the quality of your sleep will make them well worth it!
If you have a very difficult time falling asleep (and staying asleep), give the app Pzizz a try. This app uses the science of psychoacoustics to help you calm your mind, fall into a deep sleep, remain in a deep sleep and wake up in a refreshed state. Still struggling with sleep? You might want to invest in a wearable sleep tracker to monitor where your trouble areas are and be able to pinpoint how you might fix them.
You don’t need to implement every one of these suggestions by any means. Just start small and see what combination of ideas works for you and your particular sleep needs. All the best in your quest for a deep and glorious night’s sleep!
