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Have you always been one of those people that can never sleep?
You might lay in bed for hours, attempting to fall asleep each night, or maybe you toss and turn all night. You envy your well-rested friends, and you wonder what life would be like if you could just get a full night’s sleep.
Sleep can be the difference between a productive and positive day and a bad day.
Listen up! You CAN get more sleep.
How You Can Create a Better Sleep Routine
Get into a Routine that Works for You, Your Body, and Your Life
Consistency is key when it comes to your sleep routine.
You are going to confuse your body if you are going to bed at 10 PM one day and 2 AM the next day.
Keep your schedule consistent!
You should try to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day. Then, your body will know when it should start feeling tired. You may even start to wake up on your own in the mornings without an alarm!
You should aim to get around 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
Your sleep routine has to make sense for you, your body, and your life. If you work late, then maybe going to bed at 9 PM is not realistic for you.
Do what works best for you!
If you are more productive in the mornings, then perhaps you should not binge Grey’s Anatomy late at night and sleep right through your most productive hours. Trust me, I have been there.
Shut Off Electronics a Half Hour Before Bed
This is easier said than done.
I mean, who doesn’t like scrolling through social media until they are ready to fall asleep?
It is tempting, but eliminating electronics is a powerful way to shut your mind down before going to sleep.
Scrolling on social media leads to the comparison game and lots of overthinking, so it is best to give yourself a break from it before bed.
Looking at electronics is also bad for your eyes and your head before bed, and it can result in headaches.
Limit Caffeine Late in the Day
I am an avid coffee drinker so trust me—I KNOW this can be a challenge.
I always crave coffee around 3-4 PM, and that is starting to get to the point where it is a little too late in the day to be drinking coffee. Although the caffeine buzz only lasts a few hours, you may still notice the effects of the caffeine later at night.
You should try to stop drinking caffeine early in the afternoon, and if you really need it, switch to black tea or matcha or something with a lower caffeine quantity.
Instead of a caffeinated beverage, drinking some sort of decaffeinated herbal tea before bed is a good habit to get into.
Many different herbal teas promote relaxation and help you sleep. My personal favorites are chamomile, lavender, and ginger teas.
You can also diffuse essential oils in your bedroom using these various scents.
Do Something Relaxing Before Bed to Slow Down Your Mind
Since you are going to avoid electronics before bed, you can fill that time with another hobby that helps you relax.
- Take a bubble bath.
- Read a book.
- Write in a journal.
- Do a guided meditation.
- Paint on a canvas.
- Draw in a sketchbook.
- Listen to relaxing music and focus on your breathing.
There are so many different options here, so you should choose something that is best for you.
Avoid Exercising or Eating a Large Meal Right Before Bed
Both exercising and eating a large meal before bed can lead to restlessness.
Exercising gives you an endorphin rush that is meant to energize you, and you don’t really want energy right before bed!
Eating a large meal, although it can make you feel quite sluggish and sleepy, it can make you feel too full to sleep.
Related Reads:
- 10 Things to Consider Buying If You Want to Sleep Better
- 50 Positive Nighttime Affirmations for Sleep and Anxiety
Listen to Rain Sounds or White Noise
Babies listen to white noise when they are trying to fall asleep for a reason—it works!! It might sound silly for an adult to do this, but it’s a lot less silly when you get a good night’s rest.
Some people just have trouble falling asleep in complete silence.
Instead of trying to fall asleep with the television on (we are avoiding electronics, remember), try to fall asleep listening to rain sounds or white noise.
There are many playlists on Spotify and Youtube available!
Keep the Temperature Down
I don’t want your electricity bill to skyrocket, but if you can, lowering the temperature at night is extremely effective in helping you sleep.
The optimal temperature for sleeping is actually somewhere between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit…crazy right?! I have a feeling the temperature in your house is not usually set that low.
Even if you lower it a few degrees at night, you will notice a difference. It is hard to sleep when you are hot and uncomfortable.
Make Your Life Easier for the Morning
Do you sometimes have trouble falling asleep because you are anxious for the next day?
If so, that is completely normal, but what are you actually DOING about it?
Recognize what makes you anxious and try to mitigate the problem.
If you are dreading working out first thing in the morning, then lay your workout clothes out and have your water ready. If you are worried about having to take the dogs out, make breakfast, and pack lunches in the morning before you have to leave for work, prep your breakfast and lunches and wake up five minutes earlier so you have time to take the dogs out.
Little changes yield big results, and you have more control over your life and your emotions than you might think you do.
Final Thoughts
These are some tips that have helped me and some friends of mine get better sleep. Experiment with a few of these options and see how you feel.
The main keys are determining what keeps you awake at night and figuring out how you can eliminate the issue. Noticing what factors affect you and working to mitigate them is huge, and that could be your personal secret to a better sleep routine.
What is your sleep routine like? Tell me all about it in the comments below!
Michelle Gagliani
Owner & Founder
Michelle is the Founder of The Balanced CEO and a Holistic Nutritionist + Health Coach. She was born and raised in St.Thomas, U.S.V.I., and is currently living in Austin, TX. When she’s not running this blog and online business, she is cozied up at home watching TV, taking long walks in nature, or trying out new healthy recipes.
A good nights rest is so important! All of these are great tips. I agree its always easier for me to fall asleep when the temperature is down š
Glad you enjoyed these tips! Thanks Leeandra!!
Thanks for sharing! I find that writing in my gratitude journal while listening to relaxing music helps me get a good night’s rest!
That sounds wonderful Kathleen! ?
Love your suggestion to limit the caffeine! Also, turning off the electronics..who knew!
Thanks for the great suggestions
Glad you loved it Carla! Thank you!
Great suggestions I do some of them but not all of them and admittedly, the electronics is a tough one that I think most people struggle with. Same routine is soooo important. Thanks for your post.
I agree it is hard to get away from electronics. I am glad you enjoyed this post. Thanks, Beth!
My sleep has been so wonky lately and itās not wonder, I donāt do most of these things! Haha thank you for sharing!
lol. hope these tips help. Thanks for reading Alexis!
Love these tips. All are so doable! I do them myself, yet it’s so good to be reminded to stay on track. Thank you!
That is awesome Yvette!! ?
I am trying to instill all these tips for my kids – we have high school boys and with the change in routine the last few months its a free for all sometimes!
Oh boy I can imagine Tiffany! I hope this helps!
These are all great. I’m trying to get my teenage son in the habit of establishing a consistent bedtime (he often complains of disrupted sleep), but he is less than cooperative, lol.
LOL. One day he will realize you were just helping him ?
Thank you for the tips. I am very fortunate that I get to sleep easily but there are some tips here I will try to see if it helps me sleep even better.
Thanks for reading Douglas!!
These are all great ideas to help get calm and get some sleep!
Thanks Lisa! ?
Great tips and advice! My biggest problem is pain.. I have even tried the PM medication and only sleep for about 3 hours.. I will give cutting out caffeine.. see if it helps!
Oh no ? Hope you feel better Holly. I know sleeping when you have constant pain is the worse!
Great tips! I’ve been using Benadryl to quiet my mind since the world went crazy, and that is probably not the best solution. I did buy some tea that I want to try right before bed. Reading helps, too.
Hey Stacey!! What kind of tea did you buy?
Great ideas! I had always been able to sleep easily but lately it’s been harder..not sure why, but I’m going to try some of your ideas. Thanks!
Glad you liked it and going to try them. Thanks Cathy!!
Good tips. Worst for me is having too much on my mind ?
? I know the feeling Debbie. Glad you liked the tips!
Theses are obvious GREAT tips. I appreciate being reminded of what I already know and yet somehow overlook! Thanks for reminding me!
? That made my day. Thanks Barbara!
I’ve noticed that if I read a book before bed I sleep a lot better than if I’m on my phone right before going to bed. Even though I know this, I still tend to be on my phone more nights than I am reading books. I need to work on that.
It is a tempting habit. But, you are on the right path with the books. You got this Sara ?
Thanks for these suggestions. I tend to sleep pretty well, but sometimes I have a hard time, so will try to implement these.
Awesome Kirsten!
All great tips. Since working from home due to the pandemic, my good sleep habits have gone out the damn window. I need to get back to them. I feel my best when I get 7 or more hours of sleep a night.
Sorry to hear that Heather. It definitely made things out of wack. Hope you can get back to a good sleep schedule soon!
Sounds wonderful, wish I could do them all. Getting into a routine is my first goal :). Thanks for all the great tips.
That is a great start Sandi ? Thanks for reading!
Great tips! I love listening to the sound of rain before bed.
Yes! Me too Kendra! So relaxing.
Ahhhh… if only I could do this! As a shift worker, my sleep habits can be summarized by one word – CHAOS! Lol… but I will be showing my Hubby the bit about sleeping better in cooler rooms!! Lol… I sleep with the windows open in winter, and he freaks out!
LOL ? your comment made me laugh Marianne. Now he can see the reason behind your madness lol
Great tips! I rarely have problems getting to sleep. I bought a new mattress in April and it’s been wonderful for my sleep. It helps with my chronic pain to which also can interfere with sleep.
Oh yes, chronic pain is the worse when you are trying to sleep. What kind of mattress did you buy Alice?
These are such good tips. I definitely need to work on some of these.
Glad you liked them, Heather. ? Thank you!!
These are excellent tips! Getting to bed at about the same time each evening and lowering the temperature helps me sleep better!
That is great Cindy!! Thanks for reading! ?
I think I’m really good about doing this on my own, but my husband just throws it all off. I have to have a good sleep schedule or I get headaches and I need to sleep anywhere from 8 1/2 to 10 hours to be rested, but my husband wants to stay up all night and then he’ll set alarms before 7 am and not even get up. Then he just snoozes them so they keep going off, so no matter what I do, other people really make it so much more difficult than it needs to be!
Haha, men are something else. Hopefully, he hops on your sleep schedule soon and makes things easier for you!