The Battle Plan for a Good Night Sleep and How to train yourself to be a sleeping machine – the DO’s and DON’T’S
Insomnia can quite literally drain you from living and performing at your best. Restless nights, constant tossing and turning, reaching over to check the time on your phone can cause a lot of anxiety. WHY CAN’T I SLEEP! Although this frustrating affair may, or may not be entirely our fault, there are a few non-medical tips that we suggest out Slumberrs to try. These simple changes into your routine, such as prioritizing sleep hygiene, can create incredible benefits — so you can fine-tune what works best for you so you can finally get your best night’s sleep.
What to do for the best night sleep
Sleep Tip #1
Going to bed at the same time each day. Being consistent in your bedtime routine has been shown to have a similar, consistent effect on our body winding down and getting ready to Slumber.
Sleep Tip #2
Get up from bed at the same time each day. Including weekends as close as possible. These daily patterns can get us up and ready for success.
Sleep Tip #3
Get regular exercise each day, preferably in the morning. This includes stretching and aerobic exercise.
Sleep Tip #4
Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine. Relaxing rituals prior to bedtime may include a warm bath or shower, aromatherapy, reading, or listening to soothing music.
Sleep Tip #5
Soke up that Vitamin D, by getting exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D production is extremely important for our overall health, energy, skin complexion and so much more.
Sleep Tip #6
Think cool ❄️, The optimal temperature in your bedroom needs to be comfortable and cool. Many researchers have found that 67-69 degrees is the optimal temperature of our body to get into deep, restorative sleep.
Sleep Tip #6
Keep the bedroom quiet and dark. Although this point is not as easy in all circumstances, especially if you are traveling or live in a busy city. Try some blackout shades or noise-canceling headphones. For obvious reasons, light and noises can through off our ability to power down.
Sleep Tip #7
Use your bed only for sleep Your bedroom should be your escape. Don’t let yourself get into the habit of using your bedroom to watch your TV shows, or scroll mindlessly through Instagram and TickTock. These habits can sneak up on you when you are struggling to get to sleep.
Sleep Tip #8
Designate another time to write down problems & possible solutions in the late afternoon or early evening, not close to bedtime. Many people sometimes find themselves thinking and creating to-do lists in their heads. Creating additional “problems” for themselves that can wait until the morning. Do not dwell on any one thought or idea- if something pops up just jot something down on a piece of paper and put the idea aside.
Sleep Tip #9
Use a relaxing breathing exercise just before going to sleep. Deep breath in, hold for a few seconds, then release all of the tension in your body. Expel all the air from the lungs, in a slow meditated manner. Focus on the breath and the tension that is being released from the body. Repeat for 1-3 minutes as needed.
Although it may be fun to look into the new sleep tips, it may be equally important to do an audit of some things that you are currently doing… that need to stop.
Things to avoid, that may be impacting your sleep.
- Try not to exercise before going to bed. Try to keep it no closer than 3-4 hrs before bed.
- Nothing exciting before going to sleep, except intimacy. It is proven to help sleep.
- Have caffeine in the evening (coffee, many teas, chocolate, sodas, etc.)
- No Alcohol, it disrupts your sleep cycle.
- No reading or TV watching, beds are for sleeping.
- Avoid being hungry or too full
- No prescription medication not specifically prescribed for you
- Avoid diphenhydramine sleep aids without your doctor’s knowledge. Tolerance can develop rapidly with these medications.
- Take daytime naps. If you do, keep them to no more than 20 minutes, 8 hrs before bedtime.
- Try to control or demand your mind to go to sleep, this has the opposite effect.
- Watch the clock or count minutes; this usually causes more anxiety, which keeps you up. REMEMBER, you are getting rest even though you are not sleeping, just relax.
- Lie in bed awake for more than 20-30 minutes. Instead, get up, go to a different room (or a different part of the bedroom), participate in a quiet activity (e.g. non-excitable reading), and then return to bed when you feel sleepy.
- Don’t stress over NOT sleeping. No bad thoughts like: never get to sleep or “I must have eight hours of sleep each night.
- Keep a normal daytime schedule the next day if you didn’t sleep well. Don’t lay around in bed, it will not help or be productive.
- Don’t overstimulate the next day, not extra energy drinks or 4 Venti Coffees… this can keep you up again the following night.
You can win the battle against sleep issues! Just be patient and honest with yourself. Many people with insomnia get frustrated and always look for the latest and greatest sleep products. It can be exhausting, we get it. Stay in control of the things that can be fixed (diet, routines, and natural sleep products).