What will help you sleep better at night? Clear Your Mind and Boost Your Mood!
Do you want to sleep better at night?
What a silly question—of course you do!
Everyone in the world could stand a better night of deeper, more restful sleep. We all suffer from some sort of sleep problems that need remedying in order to improve the quality of our sleep.
In other posts on our site, we focus a lot on things you can do to address the physical aspects of sleep problems—your comfort, the noise or light in your room, evening habits, etc.
In this post, however, I want to talk about another factor that will help you sleep better at night: your mental health.
Sleep Better At Night By Improving Your Mental Health
Anxiety can turn your brain into hyperactivity mode when you’re trying to sleep, keeping you awake for hours worrying over problems from the day you’ve just finished and in the days to come.
Stress can active your nervous system and flood your body with energy, making it impossible to shut down and relax for the night.
Depression can seriously interfere with your sleep quality, leaving you both exhausted and unable to fall asleep.
Your mental health and sleep quality are directly linked! This makes it so important that you take care of your mental health so you can sleep better at night.
What can you do to combat anxiety, stress, and depression for better sleep?
Make your bedroom a place of peace. Turning your bedroom into a “sleep sanctuary” will help you to relax, unwind, and manage stress. When you feel at peace, you’ll find the worries and cares slip away, and your mood will improve.
Make your room dark, quiet, and cool. Use an oil diffuser to fill the room with a beautiful, relaxing smell. Consider using sleep music or a white noise generator to help shut down anxious or over-active thoughts. Leave your devices outside, and avoid any activities that would stop you from calming down.
Don’t force it. If you can’t sleep, don’t stress about it. Worrying about losing sleep will just raise your stress and anxiety levels, making it even harder to get to sleep.
If you’re having a hard time sleeping, accept it and do something else. Get out of bed and go somewhere to read or listen to relaxing music. DO NOT switch on the TV or your phone—the blue light will wake you up even more. Instead, grab a book or switch on your sound system. Sit somewhere comfortable and warm, and engage in an activity you enjoy. You’ll find you can relax more easily and get in a sleepy state of mind without the stress of tossing and turning in bed.
Have a relaxing bedtime routine. A lot of us are prone to nighttime stress, so it’s important to have a relaxing routine that will help us wind down at night.
What can you do to relax?
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Do a relaxing Yoga workout to calm your mind and body.
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Spend 5-15 minutes meditating.
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Practice breathing exercises and clear your thoughts.
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Read by soft light until you feel your eyes getting heavy.
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Have sex.
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Listen to relaxing music that lifts your mood.
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Drink a cup of chamomile or lavender tea.