1. Mind The Thermostat
Sleep experts swear by cooling or warming your bedroom temperature to a comfortable setting between 65° and 75°F for the best quality sleep. If you love sleeping with sheets, your body’s temperature adapts to being in between the covers. The temperature shift signals to the body that it’s time for shut eye, luring you into slumber quicker!
2. Sort Your Worries
At the end of the day, many people are left with busy minds, worrying about that day’s troubles, or whatever tomorrow has in store. In order to hush those rampant thoughts and concerns, sleep experts suggest noting your concerns in a journal. The trick? Write down ways to solve your worries, you will be relieved to realize that solutions are often easy to come by, and so will sleep with this tip!
3. Take a Shower
There are two types of people, morning showerers and evening showerers. If you’re looking to get the best quality of sleep, make the switch to post sunset showers, Taking a warm bath or shower before tucking yourself in helps raise your body’s temperature. As it cools when you’re out and headed to bed it signals to your brain that sleep is just around the corner. You will feel cozy and fresh wrapped in your sheets and fall asleep in a matter of minutes!
4. Caffiene Cut
Everyone needs a little caffeine to get them through long days. To ensure that your downtime and sleepytime is the best it can be, sleep experts suggest caffeine intake should stop around 2 in the afternoon. As an energy stimulant giving you boosts for over 6 hours, it takes a long time for the effects of caffeine to fully wear off. Come bedtime, your brain on caffeine will not be able to cross over into deep sleep, causing you to wake up frequently and compromise a good night’s rest.
5. Chamomile Tea
Better known as ‘sleepytime tea’ chamomile tea is an essential tool for those who have trouble sleeping. Boil some water and pour yourself a cup an hour before bedtime to ensure you fall asleep soundly. Not only does chamomile bring on the drowsiness, it can relieve an upset stomach!
6. Drink Milk
A bottle of warm milk might be the trick moms and dads use to get their baby to sleep, but it’s also perfect for fully grown adults! Sleep experts have found that milk’s high calcium content and it’s richness in tryptophan causes the body to grow sleepy. Skip the bottle though, unless you’re feeling nostalgic!
7. Exercise
Studies have been done to survey the quality of an active person versus an inactive person. Results showed that those who maintained regular 30 minute exercise routines reported to have more sound sleep than those who did not. Why? After exercise, the body’s temperature is raise for around 4 hours, so once you begin to cool off, the temperature change signals to the brain that you should be heading to bed soon!
8. Turn Those Light Down Low
If you have trouble falling asleep and find yourself with the TV on or playing on your phone until you become drowsy, you are the only thing in the way of a good night’s rest! Any form of light is a powerful signal to your brain to stay awake. Whether it’s the sun, a TV or even a night light, any light shining in your bedroom can prevent you from falling asleep quickly. The darker the better!
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9. Slow Transition
Many people rush to get to sleep when they realize how late it has gotten. Rather than rush through the motions, getting ready for bed should be carefully executed. Giving yourself a full hour to shower, set out clothing, and brush your teeth is a surefire way to ease yourself into sleep mode. Not only will you feel more energized in the morning, you’ll be grateful you were so organized!
10. Halt Drinking
It is always important to drink enough hydrating liquids throughout the day, but as the sun goes down, holding off on that extra glass of water is a good idea. Early morning bathroom runs can ruin your sleep pattern and cause you to wake feeling less than rested. Rather than trying to hold it in, or dragging yourself to the bathroom at 3 in the morning, we suggest to cut of your liquid intake an hour before you catch some z’s!
11. Set a sleep schedule
Acquiring a regular sleep schedule can make a world of a difference in your sleep quality. Going to sleep at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every morning allows you to keep your biological clock in shape. Normalcy in sleep patterns allows you to wake up feeling like you don’t need to hit the snooze!
12. Eat Lightly
After dinner time, you should not consume any large amounts of food. If you love some late night delivery pizza, you will never be able to get proper rest. Your body will continue to digest late into the night and wee hours of the morning. If you’re really craving a meal before bed, salads are a great option, light and full of water, easy for your body to digest.
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13. Aromatherapy
Smelling lovely scents is more than just a nice bonus of candles and oils, they can also provide you with a form of aromatherapy! Lavender in particular has been found to help induce sleepier moods. A 2008 study even revealed that the scent of lavender helped those with insomnia fall asleep easily! Burn a candle an hour before bed and blow it out just before you slip into bed to guarantee your entrance into dreamland!
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14. Audiobooks
If you’re the type of person who loves background noise before bed, uploading an audiobook is the perfect noise! As long as you’ve uploaded a book that is familiar, you will drift easily. New books will distract you with their adventure and mystery, ultimately keeping you up longer!
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15. Experiment With A New Pillow
Sleep experts have found that pillows should be replaced every 12-18 months, so if yours has been feeling less than supportive, it’s time for a new one! Depending on your most frequented sleeping position, the thickness of your pillow is essential to your sleep quality. Tummy sleepers should have thinner and flatter pillows whereas side sleepers require firmer cushioning! Exploration is key!
