Two weeks ago I talked about some terrible sleep habits (check out that post HERE). And from that post I tried to make some changes in my sleep habits, mostly having a consistent bed time and wake up time. And I'm happy to report that setting a sleep schedule seems to be helping ALOT. What I have noticed if I try and lay down too early I just end up tossing and turning. I think for me the biggest help has been realizing my natural bed time. I am not a morning person I am much more of a night owl so going to bed a little later at 11pm and waking up at 7/7:30 am works for me. But I know not everyone has the joy of waking up at 7 or a touch later. I'm here to give you some more healthy sleep habits and hopefully correct the bad sleeping habits I talked about last week.
Turn your bedroom into a the perfect sleeping environment- The first step to a good nights sleep is having a quiet, dark, and cool environment to help promote sound sleep. There are a few things you can do to help create this type of environment such as using a white noise machine, getting blackout shades and keep the temperature comfortably cool, I like to sleep at 68 degrees.
Establish a pre-sleep routine- I am still working on this, but the past week I have figured out a little routine. First I turn on my defuser and defuse lavender oil, then I do some stretching for my bad neck, then I try and reading for a little bit. I then turn the lights off and turn on an audio book for 15 minutes. I set the sleep timer to 15 minutes so I won't be tempted to listen any longer.
From what I read it is best to start doing relaxing activities an hour or so before bed. Other people said they liked taking a bath, reading a book, I also read that TV is ok. I don't know how I feel about this one. Mostly just avoid anything that is stressful or stimulating that will increase your stress hormone cortisol. The other good idea I am trying to implement is putting a notepad and a pen by my bed. So if I do have an idea or a thought I can jot it down and go back to bed.
Don't look at your phone- Try to avoid looking at your phone before bedtime. Also a big no no is pulling out your phone if you can't fall asleep or wake up and can't go back to sleep. The best suggestion if you can't fall asleep within 20 minutes is to get out of bed, go into another room and do something relaxing like reading, just don't turn the lights on full blast try and leave them dim. Easier said than done right? I have my audio book cued up so I can easily turn it on and go back to sleep.
Remove your bedroom clock- Don’t be a clock-watcher. Staring at the clock in your bedroom, when you are trying to fall asleep or when you wake in the middle of the night, will actually increase stress, making it harder to fall asleep.
Keep a consistent sleep schedule- This is the one thing I have been doing since I posted about terrible sleep habits. I make sure I try and go to bed by 11pm and wake up between 7-7:30. Having a regular sleep schedule seems to have helped me significantly with better quality and consistent sleep.
Try and exercise early- Before Leo I was a evening worker-outer (I don't think that is a word but I like it anyways) but since having him I've learned that if exercise is going to happen it has to happen in the morning. Exercise helps promote restful sleep if it is done several hours before you go to bed. Exercise stimulates the body to secrete the stress hormone cortisol, which helps activate the alerting mechanism in the brain. This is great..... unless you're trying to fall asleep. So try and finish exercising at least three hours before bed.
Establish a pre-sleep routine- I am still working on this, but the past week I have figured out a little routine. First I turn on my defuser and defuse lavender oil, then I do some stretching for my bad neck, then I try and reading for a little bit. I then turn the lights off and turn on an audio book for 15 minutes. I set the sleep timer to 15 minutes so I won't be tempted to listen any longer.
From what I read it is best to start doing relaxing activities an hour or so before bed. Other people said they liked taking a bath, reading a book, I also read that TV is ok. I don't know how I feel about this one. Mostly just avoid anything that is stressful or stimulating that will increase your stress hormone cortisol. The other good idea I am trying to implement is putting a notepad and a pen by my bed. So if I do have an idea or a thought I can jot it down and go back to bed.
Don't look at your phone- Try to avoid looking at your phone before bedtime. Also a big no no is pulling out your phone if you can't fall asleep or wake up and can't go back to sleep. The best suggestion if you can't fall asleep within 20 minutes is to get out of bed, go into another room and do something relaxing like reading, just don't turn the lights on full blast try and leave them dim. Easier said than done right? I have my audio book cued up so I can easily turn it on and go back to sleep.
Remove your bedroom clock- Don’t be a clock-watcher. Staring at the clock in your bedroom, when you are trying to fall asleep or when you wake in the middle of the night, will actually increase stress, making it harder to fall asleep.
Keep a consistent sleep schedule- This is the one thing I have been doing since I posted about terrible sleep habits. I make sure I try and go to bed by 11pm and wake up between 7-7:30. Having a regular sleep schedule seems to have helped me significantly with better quality and consistent sleep.
Try and exercise early- Before Leo I was a evening worker-outer (I don't think that is a word but I like it anyways) but since having him I've learned that if exercise is going to happen it has to happen in the morning. Exercise helps promote restful sleep if it is done several hours before you go to bed. Exercise stimulates the body to secrete the stress hormone cortisol, which helps activate the alerting mechanism in the brain. This is great..... unless you're trying to fall asleep. So try and finish exercising at least three hours before bed.
If all else fails.... here are a few natural sleep aids you can use:
- Melatonin
- Sleepy Time Tea
- Lavender Oil
- Valerian Herb
I know making some little changes, like taking my phone away an hour before bedtime and also going to bed and waking up at a set time has REALLY helped me. I just commented to my husband this week that it is only taking me about 10 minutes or less to fall asleep. It used to take me almost an hour sometimes longer. So if you are a bad sleeper like me I hope you can make some of these changes.
Cheers,
Jess
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