If you’re like me, a good night’s sleep can be hard to find these days when we are all feeling a bit restless. I keep rolling over, tossing and turning, chasing my pillow until I finally fall asleep. Does it sound familiar to you too? Confession: I could sleep 10 hours straight on the weekend, then wake up super energetic and full ideas so I’m looking for ways to make that happen again.
Everyone is different and has different habits so there is not one method but I wanted to share with you 5 tips that worked for me in the past. I’m positive that if I stick to following them, good night’s sleep will be back in no time. Try them out, mix and match and let me know if you have anything else to add to the list.
1. Bedroom atmosphere
Mental health can have a big effect on our sleep. When we feel relaxed, good time sleep come much easier than when we are stressed. What can help is creating a minimal and airy bedroom design which can help calm our mind. Our bedroom is currently waiting for a little makeover: I already planned repainting the walls, changing nightstands, adding Art and perhaps some soft rugs but it will all have to wait until life goes back to normal. In the meantime I making the most of how it looks right now, keeping it minimal – natural, calming colors, candles and atmosphere lighting. Physical declutter leads to mental declutter so ‘less is more’ mantra in the bedroom is a win.
2. Stick to your bedtime
In the current situation our daily routines changed a lot, so did the bed time. “One more episode” on Netflix, 1 more chapter of our favourite book, 1 more hour of sleep in the morning (or 2!) doesn’t really change anything but it can affect our good night sleep. Keeping sleep cycle is important for healthy functioning. When we sleep, our brain catalogues the previous day’s experiences, primes your memory, and triggers the release of hormones regulating energy, mood, and mental acuity. Those seem like good reasons to make sure we get enough sleep, right? We used to have alarm set for 11 pm each evening to remind us – it is time to get ready for bed, read few chapters of the book and fall asleep around midnight (or at least try!)
3. Cosy bed and comfy mattress
Soft sheets, comfortable pillow and mattress are important parts of a good night’s sleep. All those things support us from the time we lay down to the time we wake up. There are many things in life it’s not wise to splurge on, but cosy bed and comfy mattress are not one of those. We spend almost a third of every day (now perhaps even more) on our mattress, so it’s better if it’s quality.
During the planned bedroom renovation we most likely going to replace mattress as well. There are few different level of softness: firm, soft or medium in different options to consider.
- Memory foam
- Internal spring
- Hybrid mattress
What mattress do you have?
4. Good bedtime habits
If the last thing we do before turning over to lay our head on a pillow is scroll through a few social media feeds or watch a few YouTube videos – we are not starting well our good night sleep.
It’s simple science. Our phones emit a lot of high-frequency blue light. The other time we’re exposed to this kind of light is during the day. That means that by dousing our eyes in blue light before bed, we’re partially tricking our brains into thinking it’s daytime. Definitely not ideal for sleep. I’ve tried putting my phone away about an hour before bed. If you can’t avoid it, perhaps it be useful to have blue light filtering glasses which may help.
5. Pasta and chocolate before bedtime?
Probably not the best idea but I’m guilty of all of them! Too many sugars in our diet over-excite your digestive system, making it harder to fall asleep so I guess it might be good time to cut down on carbs and sweets before bedtime, or at least have them few hours before we hit the pillow. One thing that always helped me get into relaxed mood is chamomile tea. Do you ever drink it before going to sleep?
6. Supplements
If all else fails, it may be worth looking into sleep supplements for example melatonin, which our body also produces naturally but can often be lacking in those who suffer from insomnia. Of course, it’s smart to talk to our doctor first, before including them in the diet.
Those are few tips that have worked for me in the past to ensure good night’s sleep. Hopefully they will be able to help you find that sleep you’re after!
Sweet dreams 🙂
Photos: Agata Dimmich / PASSIONSHAKE
That’s good information. Thank you. What brand is your black floor lamp? 🙂