IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP HYGIENE IN 7 SIMPLE STEPS

Don’t let insomnia kick your butt!

If you’re struggling with sleep problems, you might be feeling incredibly frustrated by how exhausted you are during the day and how difficult it is to sleep at night.

Whether your problems are caused by stress, anxiety, discomfort, injuries, pain, or some other difficulty you haven’t yet figured out, you’re probably having a hard time coping with the lack of quality sleep.

Improving your “sleep hygiene” can do wonders to put your body and mind in the right state for better sleep all night every night.

What is sleep hygiene? The word “hygiene” is defined as “conditions or practices conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease”. Sleep hygiene is just specifically pertaining to your sleep!

Here are some simple steps to help you have excellent sleep hygiene starting now:

Step 1: Follow a Schedule

Poor sleep is more often than not the fault of inconsistency.

Your body is designed to adapt to routines and patterns, which is why you have your “circadian rhythms” to regulate your sleep-wakefulness cycle. Unfortunately, when you go to bed and wake up at a different time every day, that rhythm is thrown off, and your body is unable to adapt.

The key to a healthy sleep-wakefulness cycle is to do the same thing every day. Go to bed at the same time, wake up at the same time, rinse and repeat, all seven days of the week. That means both getting up and going to sleep a bit earlier on the weekends, all for the sake of keeping your sleep consistent during the week.

A healthy, consistent sleep schedule is crucial for good quality sleep!

Step 2: Be More Active

Activity encourages better sleep!

The more energy you burn during the day (by doing exercise), the more tired your body will be when it comes time to rest. You’ll find that regular, vigorous exercise encourages much better sleep.

All you need is 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day, as many days of the week as you can fit it in.

Important: Do all your strenuous workouts (resistance training, running, etc.) in the morning or early afternoon. Keep the evenings for light exercise, such as Yoga. That way, you won’t be boosting your metabolism and charging up your energy levels right before going to bed.

Step 3: Follow a Nighttime Routine

As mentioned above, your body is designed to follow certain patterns and form habits. If you follow the same routine every night, your body will transition from your active evening activities into your sleepy bedtime state on its own over the course of that nighttime routine.

Your routine can include pretty much anything you want, but it’s always best to make sure the activities are relaxing and help to encourage sleep. For example:

1. Transition into relaxation with some quiet activity, like reading or listening to music

2. Put on your pajamas, brush your teeth, and get ready for sleep

3. Relax in your bed, reading a book, talking with your partner, or listening to relaxing music

4. Turn off the lights when you feel ready to sleep

Going through this exact same pattern night after night will train your brain to relax and go to sleep. This nighttime routine will do wonders to help you rest!

Step 4: Make Your Room a Sleep Paradise

Basically, your room should be cool, dark, quiet, and comfy.

Turn your house’s temperature down so you’re not too hot, as excessive heat can make your body work hard to cool you down and thus wake you up. Noise and light will also wake you up, so you want to make sure your room is totally dark and as quiet as possible. Finally, you need to be comfortable in your bed, with a good mattress, pillows, and blankets—discomfort will keep you tossing and turning all night long.

Turn off all lights, especially the lights on your devices. Play white noise to drown out any background sounds, or soft music to help lull you to sleep.

Step 5: Turn Everything Off

Turn off the TV, as the bright light and noise will wake you up throughout the night. The white light from your TV will also stop you from getting to sleep easily, so it’s better to avoid watching TV in your bedroom. The same goes for being on your phone, tablet, or computer!

Turn off any lights from your devices, and make sure there are no alerts or notification sounds to wake you up. Turn the alarm clock around so the clock face doesn’t wake you up. Turn off the bathroom lights, the nightlight, and any other lights that might be shining in the room.

Darkness is crucial for healthy sleep hygiene.

Step 6: Listen to Your Body

Can’t sleep? Don’t try to force it! Listen to your body and give your mind a break.

How many nights have you spent tossing and turning in bed worrying because you can’t sleep? You’ll find that worry only makes it harder to sleep, thereby compounding the problem.

If you can’t sleep, get up and do something else. Read a book, listen to music, or write in your sleep journal. Keep all the electronic devices turned off, but do something that will relax your mind and body until you feel ready to sleep.

Step 7: Try a Sleeping Aid

Have a hot mug of chamomile tea before bed, or try a glass of warm milk. Try taking melatonin supplements to encourage better sleep. Eat a few slices of turkey breast to get the tryptophan that will help you fall asleep.

Our Sleep Slim Tea is another amazing sleep aid that will both improve your sleep quality and burn fat overnight. Made with high-quality organic and natural ingredients, it’s a relaxing tea that you can sip before bed, and you’ll find it will put your mind and body in an ideal state for slipping easily into sleep!