A good night’s sleep is essential for your physical and mental wellbeing, but few people regularly get high-quality sleep. Everything from work stress, busy schedules, and hormonal changes to money worries and relationship issues can affect your mind’s ability to switch off. Of course, lack of sleep only makes it more difficult to deal with everything else that’s going on in your life, not the least of which is your health. If you’re fed up with just lying awake at night and feeling exhausted by mid-afternoon the next day, look at these top tips to supercharge your sleep now.
Identify the cause
If something specific is affecting your ability to nod off, it’s important to identify it so that you can address it fully. Think about when your sleep problems started and check your schedule to see what was happening around that time.
You might not have made the link but there could be a clear cause of your interrupted sleep. Once you know what triggered your insomnia, you’ll can focus on how to resolve the issue. Then look forward to getting a full night’s rest once again.
Promote natural sleep
Eating right can have a major impact on how well you sleep, so take a look at your diet and see if it could be contributing to your sleep problems. Although lots of caffeine in the evening is bound to keep you awake, it isn’t the only stimulant that could be affecting your sleep.
Processed foods with lots of E numbers are known for exacerbating sleep problems, for example. Even natural foods can prevent you from getting to sleep if they’re high in sugar. The spicy foods you have at night might give you uncomfortable heartburn too.
As well as checking your nutritional intake to improve sleep quality, consider whether natural supplements might be right for you. Some people take melatonin to help them nod off earlier than they might otherwise, while others favor a cup of chamomile tea or warm milk. Alternatively, a trip to Harvest’s shops might provide you with a natural way to relax.
You may also find that a burst of exercise in the early evening produces enough endorphins to help you get a restful night’s sleep. Providing you seek medical advice before starting a new natural healthcare regime, you could find that this form of supplementation is what you’ve been lacking.
Introduce a sleep routine
If you regularly fall asleep on the couch or you fall into bed exhausted at the end of a long day, you probably aren’t prioritizing sleep. It can take time for your mind and body to wind down, so don’t expect to fall asleep straight after you’ve been using your laptop or chatting with friends.
Instead, create a sleep routine that allows you to relax and unwind slowly. A warm bath, reading a book, or listening to relaxing music is a great way to prepare yourself for sleep. Once your body becomes accustomed to the routine, you’ll likely find it’s easier to fall asleep than ever before.
Becoming a great sleeper
Once you begin to experience sleep problems on a regular basis, you expect to have a disturbed night every night. Of course, this quickly becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Instead of worrying about having a bad night’s sleep, focus on how beneficial it will feel to get an uninterrupted night of sleep. By retraining your body and expecting to have a full night’s sleep, you can re-learn how to let your body succumb to its need for rest.
Part of a good sleep routine is to make sure you go to bed and get up in the morning and roughly the same time each day. So one’s sleep times at the weekend should not be much different than during the week. Of course, at the weekend you don’t have to necessarily set the alarm clock (unless you work at the weekend) but don’t go to bed much later than you do at the week.
Also make sure your house/bedroom is not too warm, or too cold, and there is little in the way of light. Buy a black out blind if you have problems with light getting into the room, which is especially an issue in the summer when daylight can start very early (e.g. before 5am at the moment where I live… grrrr!)
Great tips, Andrea. I used to have a blackout blind when I worked nights and it really helped me as it was daylight while I slept and the light kept waking me up. I hope you get to sleep a bit later in the mornings soon xx
Sleep with cats! they purr, cozy up and are warm!
True. Our Layla demands cuddles, lol! She is so cute we can’t help but give them to her ;)
I rest my case! 😻😻
Haha yes ;)
Great blog!
Followed!
And… you made my Friday!
Awesome post, Christy!
Sleep health is a critical topic that we really can’t get enough awareness around. Not getting restorative sleep affects every single area of our lives from our relationships to our physical and mental health. A good night’s sleep can even make BIG problems feel much less overwhelming. Our creative brains turn on during that REM stage and help us find solutions to all those nagging situations we don’t know how to solve. Isn’t the brain amazing?
Anxiety is a big reason we struggle. I’ve found that walking/exercise has been my #1 go-to in helping with this issue. When I need to up the workout, it’s easy to do. Doing something productive with the ‘nervous energy’ benefits us in so many ways! Writing is also highly therapeutic. When troubling thoughts keep us awake – it’s nice to write out what we’re thinking and then just let it go the best we can. Say a prayer and leave it to God. It’s as healing as it gets!
So glad you shared this my friend. I hope everyone will take your tips and run with them. Melatonin is a God-send but consistently good sleep habits is a real life-saver. 🤗
Hi Holly, like you I’m a big fan of walking. I enjoy the fresh air, stretching my legs (especially after time sitting at the computer), and recharging my brain. If only we could walk together! I love what you say about prayer too. Sending you much love. Wonderful comment, my friend!
Good post Christy.
Another one is .. get off your phone/tablet/laptop an hour before bed!!
Blue light doesn’t help your brain late at night.
Oh yes, that dang blue light. It can keep you awake for sure. Thanks for adding the extra info here, Pete! Great to see you.