Mamabee

10 Tips for A Restful Night’s Sleep

We’ve all been there: after a seemingly endless night of tossing and turning, rolling over, flipping your pillow, and desperately trying to fall asleep, you are filled with dread as you see the sun begin to rise. Having a poor night of sleep can lead to a weakened immune system, poorer mental health, lowered mental acuity, and even heart problems over the long term. Don’t let your lack of sleep get you down. If you often struggle with finding sleep at night, it’s worth checking out these 10 quick and easy tips for falling asleep quickly and sleeping through the night.

  1. Read a book before bed. The relaxing activity of reading peacefully in bed every night will get your body used to the routine, and soon, every time you read in bed in the evening your body will automatically enter into its natural sleep mode.
  2. Do yoga before bed. Similar to reading a book, having a routine to rely on before bed is one of the best ways to naturally induce a consistent sleep pattern. Try some gentle stretches or guided breathing exercises every night so you get into bed mindful and relaxed.
  3. Try a fan or white noise machine. Many people find sleeping with the fan on, or a white noise machine playing natural sounds like ocean waves or a rainstorm, the easiest way to get to sleep. The white noise lulls your brain into a restful state, and the consistent pattern helps your body understand when it’s time to get sleepy.
  4. Rethink your pillow. It’s easy to forget about, but your pillow is one of the stars of the show at bedtime. You want a pillow that’s soft, supportive, and cool through the night. We recommend a copper pillow especially for those who struggle with sweating too much while they sleep.
  5. Get the perfect duvet. Your duvet or comforter is the other star of the show. Finding the right one can be tricky, but it’s important that you comfortable, cool, and secure under your bedspread. While a thick blanket may seem sufficient, we recommend you find a fluffy comforter than allows your skin to breathe as you sleep through the night.

  6. Exercise during the day. It could be that, if you spend all day seated at the office, your body simply isn’t tired enough to fall asleep. One way to help with this is to incorporate an exercise routine into your day. Try an evening run or morning hot yoga session as a way to get the blood pumping. That way, at the end of the day, your body knows it’s time to sleep and reward you for the day’s hard exercise.
  7. Turn off screens an hour before bed. The harsh blue light that comes from phone, TV, and computer screens can trick your brain into thinking that it’s daytime – after all, most blue light comes from the sun during the day. By shutting off your electronics an hour before bed, you give yourself time to enter into a more restful evening state so you can get whisked off to dreamland faster.
  8. Try a gentle sleep aid. Of course, if you have a medical issue keeping you from sleeping, you should talk to your doctor. However, in many cases a non-habit-forming sleep aid can be a great way to get to sleep if you’re really struggling. Short of medicine, calming chamomile or peppermint tea can be a good way to soothe yourself into a sleep-ready state.
  9. Keep a sleep journal. If you can’t seem to remember how often you’re having trouble sleeping, but you think you may want to talk to your doctor about it, you should keep a sleep journal. Every morning, after you wake up, write down how well you slept, for how long, whether you woke up during the night at all, and any other details you doctor may want to know to best help you sleep better.
  10. Destress other parts of your life. Are you awake at 3 am worrying about work, finances, or your relationships? Sleep is affected by many parts of our waking lives. By finding ways to relieve stress from those areas, you may find that you sleep much better at night.

Those are our tried-and-true methods of improving sleep! Do you have something that works well for you? Let us and our readers know by dropping it in the comments section below.

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