5 Game-Changing Tips to Sleep Better at Night
It’s 12:44am. 2 hours have gone by since I turned the lights off and my head hit the pillow. I am still tossing and turning and haven’t slept at all. My mind is racing. I am exhausted, but yet I still can’t fall asleep. I am already dreading my alarm going off at 6:30am because I know I am going to be grumpy and miserable. Resembling a walking zombie awaits me for the day to come. Now all of a sudden I look over at my clock and it’s somehow 1:17am. Please fall asleep!
Does any of the above sound familiar? This scenario was a common occurrence for me years ago before I began fine-tuning my sleeping habits. Learning how to get high-quality sleep is one of the most important things I have done to improve my health, my mood, my energy levels and my overall satisfaction of life.
Below are 5 tips that have made a significant impact on my quality of sleep.
1. Utilize the 3-2-1 Protocol.
3+ hours before bed, stop eating.
2+ hours before bed, stop working.
1+ hour before bed, turn off electronics.
It is important to start signaling to your body and mind that the time for sleep is near. Confusing your body with bright lights from your devices or intense exercise will make it more difficult for your body to produce the biological chemicals needed to go to sleep. Following the above as a general guideline has proven very useful and effective for me.
2. Develop a Nightly Routine for the 1 hour before lights out.
A nightly routine is a routine that helps you wind down from the stresses of the day and prepares you for sleep. An effective nightly routine will vary from individual to individual, but for me, I like to include:
Decluttering my bedroom
Listening to relaxing music
Journaling or light reading
Gentle stretching and/or deep breathing
Getting my clothes picked out and ready for the next day
3. Optimize your sleep environment.
Having a sleep environment that works for you rather than against you is crucial. Do the best you can to make your bedroom
Cold
Dark
Cozy
To make the room colder, I like to turn down the thermostat to roughly 65-67 degrees F.
To make it darker, I use blackout shades and wear a sleep mask.
To make it cozy, I make sure my room is de-cluttered, my sheets and blankets are soft, and the items in my room bring me comfort and joy.
4. Go to bed and wake up at consistent times.
A lot of sleep experts talk about this tip being the most important for being able to fall asleep in a short amount of time. Our bodies enjoy being in a consistent rhythm, and when it can expect to go to bed and wake up at a similar time (yes, even on weekends!) it will start to become a lot easier to fall asleep.
I like to pick a time to go to bed that I can commit to, which is around 10:30-11:00pm.
5. Wake up at the lightest stage of your sleep cycle.
This tip alone has been a game-changer for me. I use a sleep app on my phone that wakes me up at my lightest stage of sleep. A big reason why people may wake up feeling groggy is not because they didn’t sleep enough hours, but because their alarm clock buzzed at the wrong time in their sleep cycle.
I personally use the app “Sleep Cycle”, but do your own research and pick any app that works best for you.
There you have it. These are my 5 tips that have helped me sleep 100x better in the last few years. If what you have been trying hasn’t been working, feel free to give one or all of these 5 a try. I know first-hand the pain and suffering of poor quality sleep, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. My journey from chronic sleeping problems to falling asleep most nights in less than 15 minutes did not happen overnight, so be patient and kind with yourself and the process.
I wish you nothing but the best on your journey to better sleep!
It truly is a game-changer.
