used to be rad at sleeping but in the last few years I’ve fallen off the wagon a bit. It’s become a bit of a hobby of mine to research and play around with different methods for assisting sleep. Here a few things I’ve been doing over the past few years that have really helped. They may seem a bit obvious but sometimes I need to remind myself of the things that always help me sleep better…
1. Avoid over indulging in alcohol
Having a big night on the booze is a sure fire way to get a fairly decent nights sleep but it will destroy your sleep schedule for the rest of the week. Stick to two standard drinks per sitting and 4 to 5 alcohol free nights per week. Also make sure that you leave a few hours between your last drink and bedtime. Better yet, try not drinking for a full month. I have several alcohol free months every year I honestly never sleep better than when I’m going easy on the wine. Give it a try.
2. Go to bed and get out of bed at roughly the same time every day
You don’t have to go to sleep, just be in bed. It’s pretty hard to fall asleep if you’re watching TV on the couch or wandering around the house chatting on the phone. If you’re in bed at the time that you wish to fall asleep the odds of that actually happening are much higher. The same applies to getting out of bed in the morning, especially on weekends. I love a sleep in but if I wake up after an extra hour or two of sleep on a Saturday morning and I don’t get out of bed immediately, that extra hour or two can easily turn into a lunch time affair. If you should be asleep, be in bed. If you shouldn’t be asleep, don’t be in bed. Simple.
3. Make sure you’ve burned enough energy through out the day
I’ve been using a FitBit pedometer religiously for two years which I’ve just replaced with an Apple Watch. Step tracking has been a life changing health hack for me. If I don’t make it to my 10,000 steps during the day I will not sleep well that night. Make sure you move every day. Enough to make yourself tired enough to have a decent night’s sleep. This is particularly important for people who work desk jobs who might not do enough incidental exercise. You may have to make an extra effort to walk more but it’s totally worth it.
4. Consider your environment
Make sure it’s dark and quiet in your bedroom. I live in an inner city, one bedroom apartment with my partner who runs an international business. This means he’s awake until at least 2am every night. He tries his best to be quiet but there’s generally too much light and noise for me to fall asleep. I use an eye mask and ear plugs to help me sleep and it’s made the biggest difference. My partner also sleeps with an eye mask so that he’s not disturbed in the morning when I get up before him.
5. Consider your temperature
If your core body temperature is too high you won’t be able to fall asleep. Conversely if your feet are cold you also won’t be able to sleep. Read 5 Proven Tips To Help You Fall Asleep for more information.
6. Keep your bedroom screen free
That means your phone as well. Unless you work on call there’s no reason why your phone should be anywhere near your bed. Get an old-fashioned alarm clock to wake you up in the morning and keep your phone out of the bedroom. This will stop you tweeting in the middle of the night when you should be concentrating on sleeping.
7. Make your bed every day
With sheets that you love in natural fibres. 100% cotton sheets with a season appropriate blanket (lighter for summer, warmer for winter) and a duck down pillow will make the world of difference. I’m serious about making your bed too. It takes 2 minutes and makes your bed ridiculously seductive. Do it.
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Are you a good sleeper or an average sleeper? How do you keep your sleep hygiene in check?
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