Getting the best night’s sleep is something that I’m always working on. I wish I could say that my head hits the pillow, I fall into a deep sleep and wake up rested. The truth is, more often than not I struggle with my sleep routine. Some of this is from “human error” (e.g., me staring at my phone right before bed) and some is just not getting on top of the thoughts running through my head.
This is the year that I’ve gotten the closest to a perfect sleep routine.
ONE // Start Early
You know how people are either early birds or night owls? I’m kind of both. (I’m not a mid-afternoon person, that’s when I’m the most exhausted!) The minute my feet hit the ground in the morning, I’m ready to go! And I do most of my heavy lifting work after dinner. Because of this, though, I can work straight through midnight and into the early morning. Sometimes this comes in handy, but it mostly just disrupts my sleep. When I work too late, I don’t give myself enough time to “separate” myself from work. I go to bed feeling wound up and (unfortunately) stressed. Of course, this is a terrible way to fall asleep!
I try to set deadlines for myself on when I need to be wrapped up with work completely. Right now, the goal is 9 pm, although it looks more like 9:30/9:45 most nights. By setting this deadline, I’m able to give myself plenty of time to decompress, unwind, and gear up for a good night’s sleep.
TWO // Have a Routine
The brain is pretty crazy. It can sense routine. If you get a great routine in place, your brain will pick up on what you’re doing and use those cues to set you up for sleep. I try to do the same thing every single night. While I’m in the last hour of work, I’ll make a cup of tea. I’m obsessed with putting the kettle on and just holding a warm cup of steaming tea; I think I like the ritual of it more than the actual tea, ha. After I finish working, and my cup of tea, I give the dogs their final walk of the day. Once back inside, it’s time for pajamas. I wash my face, put on moisturizer, and brush my teeth. Then I crawl into bed with the dogs, a cup of water, and a book. I swear, when I put the kettle on now, I immediately start to relax… my body just knows we’re almost to the end of the night.
Figure out what’s going to work for you and commit to doing the same thing every night! (Also, I’m not perfect about this. I pretty much only do it Sunday through Thursday night, and it does get messed up if I travel.)
THREE // No screen, read instead!
Reading (a real paper book) is so much better than scrolling through my phone. Even with a book that I love, I can only read for a max of 45 minutes before I start getting really exhausted. So screens are known to be terrible for your eyes/brain, especially at night because of your circadian rhythm (*I think that’s what it is, haha). I also think that scrolling through your phone is bad for sleep because it can stir up a lot of emotion. Maybe you get sucked into videos on Youtube or find yourself feeling FOMO after seeing a friend’s Insta story! I think because I’m tired, but if I’m on social at night, I am way more inclined to feel badly about myself from seeing someone’s awesome IG feed.
Reading is a simple way to escape from everyday thoughts and worries!
FOUR // Meditate
Speaking of thoughts and worries… meditation is something that I’ve been doing DAILY for the better part of the year. (Here’s a post about why I love meditating!) Mediating is way simpler than it seems, yet has huge benefits. Even if you aren’t ready to commit to meditating during the day, I can’t recommend using Headspace to help you fall asleep. The “Sleeping” single is unbelievably good. Almost every time I do it, I fall asleep before the pack ends. I fall into a great sleep right away. And if you wake up in the middle of the night, I also like the “Falling Back to Sleep” single.
The best part of meditating is that it gives you something to focus on. If I don’t meditate, I start to do the to-do listing and stressing instead of sleeping! It’s just nice to put the app on and really tune into your body while you’re shutting everything down and off.
FIVE // Get Into Position
So I have, for my entire life, slept on my stomach without a pillow. I don’t know if it’s getting older (hello 28!) or being sore from working out every day, but sleeping on my stomach isn’t working for me anymore. Well, don’t get me wrong, I feel the best while I’m sleeping that way, but I wake up in the morning with back pain. My trainer encouraged me to sleep in a better position, and it definitely helps. While it’s harder to fall asleep for me because I’m so used to be a stomach-sleeper, I do sleep better and move around less when I’m in the right position. Using three big pillows, I sleep on my side with one under my head, one between my legs, and one folded between my arms like a hug.
I’m always trying to be better about sleep… so I’d love to hear your best tips!
Uh oh, seems like I don’t follow any of these tips right now, especially the first one, since I went to bed at 4am last night! I’ve really got to sleep early and settle into a routine if I want a good night’s sleep…
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thanks for these tips Carly! I definitely struggle every now and again with my sleep routine, and it can be so infuriating when you are genuinely tired but for some reason you just can’t fall asleep!
I hope you have a great weekend!
Michael
https://www.mileinmyglasses.com
I try to follow this same type of routine and it makes such a big difference! The only thing I do differently is diffuse a calming essential oil in my room. I fall asleep faster when using the oil (giving my mind less time to wander) and I am less restless throughout the night too!
Taylor | http://www.livingtaylored.com
I had been doing so good about going to sleep at a good time every night & waking up early. lately my routine has been off & I’ve been staying up way too late on my computer or phone & waking up way too late. I’m going to try to fix it with a new routine!
xoxo, SS
Southern and Style
I’m trying to be better about my sleep routine too! Ever since I heard Ariana Huffington speak a couple of years ago about her book, The Sleep Revolution (http://amzn.to/2AC5tES), I realized I need to really be prioritizing my sleep routine! Something she said that really resonated with me, is that we have to have a bedtime routine. Just like you have a routine to put a baby or toddler to sleep, we need to give ourselves a bedtime routine so that our bodies know it’s time to wind down for bed. And mine includes many of the same steps as yours, but the key is consistency!
I love these tips! I struggle so much with getting a good night’s sleep, because I am on my phone, and I watch TV. I just feel like there’s always more to learn and I am always reading new articles, and don’t just relax and enjoy
the evening. Thanks for this advice, I’ll start using it tonight!
I have a lot of trouble falling asleep as well and often for the same reasons. Celestial seasonings has a peach chamomile tea that really helps. When all else fails, I put on Lord of the Rings the Two Towers in the background because I know it so well my brain focuses just enough on it to distract from the anxiety thoughts and I go right to sleep! And when all else fails, a benadryl now and then won’t cause any
problems. About the sleeping on your stomach issue. I have the same problem and my aunt told me the cause. Unfortunately, it’s that your chest puts your spine out of alignment so your lower back is too curved, thus causing the pain. Sucks, I know.
I just started diffusing oils in my bedroom right before sleep time. I need to get better about screen time right before I get to sleep. Are you using the premium headspace app? I’m on the fence about the price tag, heheh
I slept my entire life like you did– on my belly! However, I started dealing with bad back and neck pain, too, and the doctor said to sleep on my back with a pillow under my knees. It has helped a ton!
xxoo
Mary
http://www.BelleOnTrend.com
Young Living essential oils have improved my sleep SO much! I started using them a little over two years ago and have never looked back. Whereas it used to sometimes take me hours to fall asleep, I’m now out within 20 minutes.
it’s so true that having a screen time before bed time is the biggest obstacle to get some sleep. I wish I could be an early bird, but I find myself more productive during the night.
These tips are great! I really need to get better at getting into an actual routine so that I can start waking up earlier!
Pink Champagne Problems
I can have such a hard time getting to sleep! Thanks for sharing your tips Carly! https://stateofloblog.wordpress.com/
I like to read books about nature before bed. It’s calming, gets me out of my head, inspires me, and lulls me to sleep!
The times in my life when I really struggled falling asleep was when I worked at a job with a toxic atmosphere. Turning off my worries was no small task then. During those times, it’s good to remember all the days you function well on low sleep so you don’t panic and keep yourself awake even longer.
I have slept on my stomach for most of my life, and it wasn’t till last year that I found out that that’s the worst sleeping position! (Oops) So I’ve been trying to sleep on my side more often, too! Also, I’ve been starting to read before midnight and it’s really helped me fall alseep earlier than usual. Awesome tips!
http://www.madisontaylor.co
Love this! I definitely love a good nighttime routine but need to improve on no technology before bedtime!
xoxo,
Katie
chicincarolina.blogspot.com
nice content….!
I still can’t completely quit Netflix before bed. I’m working on it, but there are days when I just can’t resist.