We all know that eating healthy and exercising consistently are two keys to maintaining a healthy weight. But a third key, sleep, is often overlooked. In fact, it should be added as the 9th habit to help you make the most of your life. Here’s a little help on how to sleep better and faster.
I’m a fairly good sleeper. I can usually fall asleep easily, and I wake up around the same time every day. At my age, though, I get hot flashes and find myself awake and not able to fall back to sleep. I stare at the clock, twist, and turn, try to relax, and count sheep, and often I get a song stuck in my head that I can’t stop singing over and over. It drives me nuts. Sometimes it takes hours to get back to sleep.
I have friends who have it a lot worse. Not being able to fall asleep at all or getting up several times a night to go to the bathroom and then not falling back to sleep.
Here are a few other reasons you might not be able to sleep –
- Stress
- Jet lag
- Health condition
- Medications
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
Obviously, if your inability to sleep is affecting your everyday life, you should see your doctor. But, if you are looking for a few natural ways to sleep better and faster, I did a little research for you!
According to the National Sleep Foundation, there are two main reasons we need long periods of slumber.
- We need sleep to help us solidify and consolidate memories. As we go about our day, our brains take in an incredible amount of information. However, rather than being directly logged and recorded, these facts and experiences first need to be processed and stored, and many of these steps happen while we sleep.
- Our bodies all require long sleep periods to restore and rejuvenate, grow muscle, repair tissue and synthesize hormones.
It has also been said that good sleep can help you eat less, exercise better, and be healthier.
I don’t know about you, but to me, all those things sound necessary to make the most of our lives and live marvelously!
So, if you find yourself in a phase of not getting enough sleep, try these tips.
9 Natural Ways to Get Better Sleep
Expose yourself to bright light during the day
Our bodies work on a circadian rhythm. This means that we have a natural internal process regulating the sleep-wake cycle, which repeats roughly every 24 hours. It tells your body when to stay awake and when it needs to sleep. By making sure you see bright light during the day, you help your body’s awareness that this is the time to be awake.
Reduce blue light exposure in the evening
This comes from electronic devices like smartphones and computers. Stop using them 2 hours before bedtime. The blue light in the evening tricks your body into thinking it’s daytime. If that doesn’t feel like an option for you, try using glasses that block blue light or download an app that reduces the blue light on your device.
Reduce caffeine in the late afternoon through the evening
This seems pretty obvious, but caffeine can stay elevated in your blood for 6-8 hours, so plan accordingly.
Be consistent with your sleep and wake times
If possible, try sleeping at roughly the same time every night and waking up at roughly the same time every morning. This includes weekends. When you sleep in on weekends, it alters your circadian rhythm, and it will take longer to get back on schedule.
Don’t drink alcohol
Alcohol alters your nighttime melatonin production. Melatonin helps regulate your internal body clock. It is your body’s natural sleep hormone. Alcohol slows that down. Plus, if you are drinking caffeinated soda, that is a double whammy. If you like to wind down with a glass of wine or a beer after work, do it with your supper and give yourself a few hours before bedtime for your body to adjust.
Relax and clear your mind in the evening
As mentioned earlier, turn off all electronic devices at least one hour before bedtime. Use that time to do some relaxation techniques.
- Read a book
- Take a hot bath
- Meditate
- Relaxing music
- Deep breathing
- Visualization
- Drink chamomile tea
Recite Mantras
A form of meditation is reciting mantras. Mantras help you to relax your mind and get to sleep more easily. They will help you focus your mind and keep your thoughts from racing. The next time you are having trouble falling asleep, repeat a mantra to yourself repeatedly with each breath. Here are a few you can try.
- I am calm and still
- All is well with the world
- I release all worries
- Sleep comes easily for me
- I welcome sleep into my being
- Nothing is left undone
- I am relaxed
- My mind and body are ready for sleep
- I am well
- Let it be
Exercise regularly during daylight
Consider this, “In people with severe insomnia, exercise offered more benefits than most drugs. Exercise reduced time to fall asleep by 55%, total night wakefulness by 30%, and anxiety by 15% while increasing total sleep time by 18%.” (Healthline)
Make your bedroom comfortable
Make sure you have a comfortable mattress and pillow. Keep your room dark, quiet, and not too warm or cold. Do not work from your bedroom; that may add stress by thinking about what needs to be done.
If you still have trouble falling asleep after trying these natural ways to get better sleep, here are a few tips for falling asleep faster.
9 Ways to Fall Asleep Faster
- Lower room temperature
- Use earplugs or a fan to drown out the noise
- Try the 4-7-8 breathing method. Inhale, count to 4, hold your breath for 7 and exhale or 8.
- Use your essential oil diffuser. Three of the best essential oils for sleep are lavender, frankincense, and cedarwood.
- Keep a notebook by your bed to write down any thoughts that keep you awake. Tell yourself to deal with them in the morning.
- Trick yourself by telling yourself to stay awake.
- Hide your clock.
- Set an intention before you close your eyes to sleep.
Finally, if you are like me and find yourself awake in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep, you should get up. Research says that if you lay there longer than 20 minutes, you should get up and read, meditate, or color in an adult coloring book until you get sleepy again. Do not take out your phone or iPad. That is too much stimulation.
I love all of these ideas. I especially love how easy and natural they are; they do not cost you anything.
70 million Americans have sleep problems that keep them awake when they want to sleep. If you are one of them, see if some of these ideas will help. Sleep is just as important to your health as nutrition and exercise. Don’t overlook it!
Have you tried other ways to sleep better and faster?
“True silence is the rest of the mind and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment, and refreshment.” William Penn