Nathaniel Fried
Sleeping directly influences your overall wellbeing. It can have an impact on your physical and mental health during your waking hours. It is so influential that we can easily tell when someone has not slept well.
Despite the huge influence it has on us, many of us still struggle with sleeping. I know I certainly do. Here are some simple and easy to put into practice tips and tricks for getting a better nights sleep.
#1 Avoid caffeine later in the day
Caffeine has a long half-life, approximately 6-8 hours, which can have a drastic effect on sleep if you are someone who drinks caffeine later in the day. Finish your caffeine at least 6 hours before bed, but the longer that time frame is the better off you will be.
Contributor: Adam Son from achievefitllc.com
#2 Exercise, especially earlier in the day
This will help balance hormones and set you up to sleep well at the end of the night. If you exercise later in the day, keep the exercise lighter in intensity so you can still wind down and fall asleep when the time comes.
Contributor: Adam Son from achievefitllc.com
#3 Take a warm shower or bath before bed
For some people, taking a warm shower or bath before bed helps them to relax and sleep much better, but if showers tend to have the opposite effect on you, there's no harm in waiting until the morning to bathe. Find whatever works for you and stick to that.
Contributor: Altina Kamara from Nvmediainc.com
#4 Meditate to relax before bed-time
Sit in a comfortable chair. Close your eyes. Take 9 deep breaths. On the tenth breath, hold it for ten seconds. Sigh it out and hold it for ten more seconds. Take several normal breaths.
Contributor: Milana Perepyolkina from gypsyenergysecrets.com
#5 Chamomile tea is extraordinary for relaxation and deep sleep
A cup of chamomile tea with a teaspoon of honey before bed is excellent if you have trouble sleeping. 100% safe.
Contributor: Milana Perepyolkina from gypsyenergysecrets.com
#6 Trick your mind into relaxation right before sleep
Lay down. Look at the ceiling for twenty seconds. You will notice that your eyelids are getting heavy. Close your eyes. Take a couple of slow deep breaths. Now breathe in and focus on the pause for a second before breathing out. Breathe out. Again, focus on the pause for a second before breathing in. Repeat for ten breaths.
Contributor: Milana Perepyolkina from gypsyenergysecrets.com
#7 Use alcohol cautiously
Alcohol depresses the nervous system, so a nightcap may help some people fall asleep. But this effect disappears after a few hours and may lead to waking up throughout the night. Alcohol can also worsen snoring and other sleep breathing problems.
Contributor: Morton Tavel, MD. from mortontavel.com
#8 Get the best pillow you can afford
My personal preference is a really nice, medium density down pillow or down imitation pillow. This allows you to “custom“ mold the pillow around your face. You want a pillow that supports your neck and shoulder, but keeps your face free so you can breathe! Pre-molded memory foam pillows don’t always conform to YOUR face and body.
Contributor: Barbara Bergin, MDa from drbarbarabergin.com
#9 If your legs cramp or your feet hurt at night, try keeping them warm with a small-sized electric blanket
Most of us like a little coolness in our sheets, so using a full-sized electric blanket might not work. Just get a smaller-sized one so that you can just warm up the bottom of your bed. Turn it on before you actually go to sleep, so it’s ready for you when you climb into bed.
Contributor: Barbara Bergin, MDa from drbarbarabergin.com
#10 Have a glass of water before bed
Dehydration is an absolute sleep killer, a glass of water helps you drift off and stay asleep for the whole night.
Contributor: Kieran MacRae from thedozyowl.co.uk
#11 Consider reading before bed
Reading is one of the best ways to relax your eyes away from screens so they start to feel heavy and you can fall asleep. I recommend fiction over non-fiction because you can relax a bit more into it.
Contributor: Kieran MacRae from thedozyowl.co.uk
#12 Consider journaling before bed
If you're prone to having your mind racing before you go to bed then a journal is a good way to clear out all your thoughts so your mind can settle and you can fall asleep.
Contributor: Kieran MacRae from thedozyowl.co.uk
#13 Make sure it's quiet
Even if that means getting earplugs or a white noise machine it has to be quiet so you can sleep through the night without being woken up or disturbed.
Contributor: Kieran MacRae from thedozyowl.co.uk
#14 Eat raw honey before bed
If you find you tend to wake up around the same time every night it could be when your body starts to get hungry again, check and see if it's around 8 hours after your last meal. To solve this eat some raw honey before bed, it digests nice and slowly and gives your stomach enough to see you through to the morning.
Contributor: Kieran MacRae from thedozyowl.co.uk
#15 Consider listening to white noise
There are white noise machines you can get on Amazon, but you can also get a white noise app.
Contributor: Barbara Bergin, MDa from drbarbarabergin.com
#16 Consider using an eye mask
Block out all the extraneous light that comes in through your partially opened eyes (yard lights, street lights, neighbor’s security lights, cell phone charger lights, telephone battery lights, fire alarm battery signal, etc.). I specifically recommend Bucky’s eye mask, because if it’s unique padding around the eye which holds it off your eyelids.
Contributor: Barbara Bergin, MDa from drbarbarabergin.com
#17 Get the best, most comfortable mattress you can afford
It should have a soft topper on it. If you can’t afford an expensive mattress, then at least get a 2-3 inch memory foam mattress topper. This cushions the hard parts of your body, like your elbows, hip and knees.
Contributor: Barbara Bergin, MDa from drbarbarabergin.com
#18 Stay off computers and phones at night
Put your phone to bed and leave it there until you have arisen and taken care of yourself first. This will signal to your body that your body has top priority, which it will appreciate.
Contributor: Kathryn Hall from kathrynhallpublicist.com
#19 Limit daytime naps
Prolonged napping can disrupt your natural sleep cycle and prevent you from feeling tired enough to fall asleep.
Contributor: Morton Tavel, MD. from mortontavel.com
#20 If you use tobacco in any form, quit
Nicotine makes it harder to fall asleep, although this is the lesser of all its evils.
Contributor: Morton Tavel, MD. from mortontavel.com
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