Here’s my top tips to get a good night sleep. I want you to spend less time tossing and turning, and more time getting truly restful sleep.
How often would you say you are getting a good night sleep? Not often is alas the most common answer I hear from my readers. No matter how exhausted you may feel, you frequently just lie there in bed, desperate to sleep but unable to do so.
Why we need sleep
Sleeping well directly affects your mental and physical health and the quality of your waking life. Falling short can take a serious toll on your daytime energy, productivity, emotional balance, and even your weight. Yet many of us regularly toss and turn at night, struggling to get the sleep we need.
Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Lack of sleep can lead to premature aging, high blood pressure, and increased stress. Getting enough quality sleep can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety. Sleep allows our bodies to repair themselves, recharge and restore.
For optimal health, it is imperative that you get at least eight hours of sleep a night.
To determine whether you are getting enough sleep, ask yourself:
- Am I often tired?
- Am I using caffeine to get through the day?
- Do I sleep well?
- Do I wake up feeling refreshed?
- Do I get drowsy while driving or watching TV?
There is a distinction between people who jump out of bed early every morning and fling themselves straight into their challenging schedule and those who have to haul themselves slowly into consciousness, who lie there for ages before struggling to the kitchen to make themselves their first caffeine kick of the day.
Let’s try and bring about an improvement in the quality of your sleep. Let me provide you with some tips to get you better prepared for a good night sleep and give you a better chance of getting a longer uninterrupted deep sleep each night.
Have a sleep wind down routine
Start a healthy sleep wind down routine that starts long before your head hits the pillow. Stop working or watching TV at least an hour before you retire to bed. The light most screens give off make your brain think that it is still daytime and wakes you up minimizing melatonin – a hormone in our brain that comes out in darkness and makes us sleepy. Don’t eat or drink in this period either. Avoid or limit caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant, and it can keep you awake. Coffee, tea, colas and other sodas, and chocolate all contain caffeine. Allow the last hour before you go to bed to simply relax, begin your bodies slow down. Maybe read a little, while listening to relaxing music, or just sit comfortably and meditate. Really just calm your mind and body. Meditation is a great way to wind down, calm the mind, and prepare for sleep.
Empty your mind, relax your body by meditation
Just empty your mind before sleep. Many of you suffer from too many thoughts going around in your head, your mind racing with thoughts about all the difficulties you’re facing or all the things you need to do. A busy mind isn’t going to allow you to sleep. So simply do the total opposite, think about nothing, pay attention to your body – and nothing else so you’re allowing your mind to rest. You might become more aware of the sound of your breath or the feeling of the bed underneath you, which is fine as long as any other thoughts are just allowed to go.
For example, if your thoughts keep wandering to your work, just steer yourself back to being mindful without judging yourself, let all other thoughts go. This is mindfulness meditation, and a great way to induce a good night sleep.
Keep a constant sleep schedule
Maintain a regular rest and sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning. Even though you may feel tired on some mornings, getting up at the same time each day helps your body maintain its natural sleep cycle.
A step further than counting sheep
When much younger if I struggled to sleep, I was told to lie in bed and count sheep. An improvement on this would be to visualise a peaceful, restful place, like a beach or beautiful countryside as a great way to relax yourself into sleep. Close your eyes and imagine a place that’s calming and peaceful. Concentrate on how relaxed this place makes you feel. Again this relaxing way of distracting your mind makes for an inviting door to sleep.
In total darkness
When it’s time to sleep, make sure the room is dark. Use heavy curtains or shades to block light from windows, or try a sleep mask.
Set up the right environment for sleep
Pay attention to the comfort of your bedroom. Don’t just keep your bedroom dark, but also quiet, and at a comfortable temperature. Make sure your mattress and pillows are comfortable. Your bed should allow for ease of movement and provide good body support. This usually means a good-quality, firm mattress that supports the spine and does not allow the body to sink in the middle of the bed. More than 9 out of 10 respondents on a survey from the National Sleep Foundation said their mattress was the most important factor to their sleep experience.
Exercise daily
People who exercise regularly sleep better at night and feel less sleepy during the day. Regular exercise helps you to achieve better night sleep. The more vigorously you exercise, the more powerful the sleep benefits. But even light exercise – such as walking for just 10 minutes a day – improves sleep quality. Specifically, morning or afternoon exercise helps you fall asleep faster with less trouble. Just be sure not to exercise right before bed, as that had the opposite effect.
These are simple lifestyle changes you need to make if you’re going to bring about improvements and help yourself to get a good night sleep, every night. The change probably won’t happen immediately. You will have to do these things consistently for up to 14 days, but if you do you will experience a far better night sleep.
Sweet Dreams!
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