Sleep. Its something we are supposed to be spending roughly a third of our day doing, but often with our busy lives we do not. Whether you are an insomniac, suffering from circadian rhythm disorder, or just too busy for a solid eight hours, there are a few things you can do to prepare yourself for a good nights rest, refreshing your mind and body and perhaps also influencing you to stick to a regular sleep cycle.
1. Schedule your sleep
Now, this may seem a little odd, but the idea of scheduling your sleep time is very helpful for a few reasons. It forces you to look at your day and your plans and ask ‘what is a reasonable time for me to go to sleep and what is a reasonable time for me to wake up.’ Once we grow up and no longer have a set bedtime, we have no one but ourselves to make sure we are sleeping enough, so take a look at your day and your needs and set yourself that schedule for sleep for at least six hours, but 8-9 is best!
2. Give yourself a full day of activity
One of the reasons people do not get to bed at a reasonable time is because their bodies are simply not tired. Like a parent will wear out a child throughout the day so that they sleep well at night, so must you wear yourself out! If you find that you are still wide awake after being up for at least 16 hours, you may need to add more activity to your day or perhaps lay off the caffeine and sugar that could be keeping your body awake longer than it should be.
3. Set the mood in your bedroom
When you think of your bedroom, do you think of a place of peace and relaxation? Or, do you think of it as the place you eat, watch tv, maybe even work? If your bedroom does not give off the ambience of relaxation, you may need to give it a makeover. Make sure you have a comfortable mattress, seasonally appropriate sheets and bedding (i.e. warm flannel for winter months and light, breathable cotton for warmer months), and as few distractions in your room as possible. Experts say you shouldn’t have a tv and lots of gadgets in your bedroom, but I think as long as you have a place for everything and everything is in its place you can keep the tv and iPad in your room as long as you know to turn them off at bedtime!
4. Start a night time regimen
One of the reasons you may find it hard to get to sleep is that you do not have a nightly ritual that you follow each and every night that will mentally prepare you for sleepy time! Try creating a nightly to-do list of slow, relaxing things you can do to unwind before bed. Start by signing off the email and daily to-do lists mentally. Then, perhaps take a warm shower or bath to relax your body and quiet your mind. Then brush your teeth and wash your face, perhaps starting a nightly face regimen if you do not have one already. Make yourself some tea, slip into comfortable pj’s, pull your hair up into a top knot and get into bed with a good book. For some added aromatherapy, I highly suggest and adore Bath and Body Works Pillow Mists. I spray both the Stress Relief and Sleep Mists on my pillows before bed and the smell melts me into a slumber!
5. Lower the lights and relax
Its very important that your bedroom be dark or mostly dark in order for you to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. When we sense light, our bodies automatically think “stay awake its day time!” The same goes with darkness, if you lay down in a dark room your body is thinking “its dark, so it must be nighttime, lets sleep!” So turn off all the lights and if you have to have a nightlight, keep it in a far corner of the room and make sure its not too bright. If you cannot make your room completely dark due to a window that perhaps opens to a street where lights are present, try getting dark or thick curtains to block out the light. If that doesn’t work use an eye mask! I also suggest eye masks for those who find that they wake up often during the night. I am definitely one of those people and I find that when I wear an eye mask to bed, I stay asleep throughout the night.
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