Easy ways to get a better night’s sleep – Tonight!
We all know how important it is to sleep well. It affects almost every aspect of our lives – from health, to concentration, to appearance, and certainly our mood. But if it’s so important, why don’t we place more value on it?
Especially in America, where according to this Gallup poll from 2013, we average just 6.8 hours a night! Come on y’all, we can do better! That’s why I’m putting together this list to help you get better sleep and improve your life as a result. It’s simpler than you think.
Sleep Tip #1: Wake Up Every Day at the Same Time
This is the key, that’s why it’s first on the list. You see, you can’t always control when you go to sleep (laying there for 30 minutes, anyone??) But you can control when you wake up. I know, I know, setting an alarm for 6 am on a Saturday sounds super unappealing but hear me out.
If you need to wake up that early during the week but then sleep in to “catch up” on the weekends, your body has trouble adjusting back and forth so rapidly. I was guilty of this for years, sometimes sleeping just 5 hours during week nights and 12 (!) on the weekends. Not only were my days off totally wasted, but I also felt awful during the day.
If you can establish the simple routine of waking up at the same time every day, you will jump start your internal clock and give it somewhere to ground itself every day. This means you’ll be more on schedule at other times during the day i.e. getting hungry and sleepy around the same times. Which brings me to the next item on the list…
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Go to Bed When You’re Sleepy
Groundbreaking stuff, I know. But the point here is to distinguish between when you are sleepy vs. just tired. Most adults I know go through life constantly tired, meaning they feel sluggish or are fatigued.
However, usually if you are tired at a time that’s not during your normal sleeping hours, you won’t be able to fall asleep and you probably won’t sleep well. This is different from being sleepy in that it’s just a constant state of low energy.
When you are sleepy, your eyes want to close, your heart rate slows down, and if you were to just sit still a few moments you’d be asleep. Pay attention to how your body feels just before you fall asleep and you’ll recognize the difference.
Laying down around the same time each night if you can is ideal, though I know that’s sometimes out of the question. But for goodness’ sake get off your phone at the very least 30 minutes before you try to fall asleep. More on that below.
Eat Your First Meal of the Day Around the Same Time
Even if it’s not “breakfast time” (I personally skip breakfast and just go for coffee until around noon) you should try to be consistent with when you eat for the first time each day. This is another signal to your body to stay on a schedule.
Just like wake up time, eating time is what your body uses to benchmark it’s day. We are simple machines and use relatively simple outside mechanics to function optimally.
All of these tips, you may notice, revolve around timing. That’s because it’s what holds the biggest impact. If you haven’t already guessed, your body is all about routines! However, there are other factors that can improve your sleep…
Your Environment Helps You Get Better Sleep
Cool and dark are signals to your body that it’s time to get sleepy. As I mentioned before and you can see in this article from Psychology Today the light from your phone affects your sleep in many negative ways. So it’s best to cut that out before bed if you want to get to sleep anytime soon.
Quiet is important too, but the real key is a consistent noise level. Something like a fan without sharp peaks or abrupt changes in volume can help to keep the noise at a steady level.
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Try Adding Relaxing Music
Something that helps many people get to sleep and/or stay asleep is to try and use some background ambient sounds or music. YouTube has a practically endless supply of free videos that you can just set to play for hours on end. Try it, they may be exactly what you need.
Comfortable pillows and a bed are also a must here. And one secret to a long happy marriage (at least for us) is separate comforters! I know it’s a little ridiculous but there is just something about having one all to yourself. No dealing with middle of the night tug-o-wars anymore!
We also bought a new mattress about 6 months ago from a company called Lucid. Let me tell you, it is the most comfortable mattress we have ever slept on! Doesn’t hurt that it was relatively inexpensive either.
You can find it here on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2MTxm1J, and I did a review post which you can check out here: Lucid Mattress Review.
Conclusions about getting better sleep
There’s so much more advice out there on how to sleep well that I could probably go on forever. But, the most important thing I’ll leave you with is this: Find out what works for you and put it in practice! Everyone is different!
I’ve tried to give some general advice here, but at the end of the day it only matters if it works for you and you actually do it. Sleep should be one of our number one priorities in life. It affects everything else and I hope that you’ll begin to see it that way too.
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