How To Get A Better Nights Sleep

I used to hate sleep as a child, I would sit under my blanket reading books when I was supposed to be fast asleep. But now I’m an adult I want to be best friends with sleep, oh boy do I. But sleep wants nothing to do with me.  I suffer from moderate to severe insomnia which is something I didn’t know for sure until recently. I mean I knew it was an issue, I just didn’t want to put a label on it myself.  I started to see someone professionally about my sleep issues because I was struggling so badly and it had started to affect my daily life. She’s helped me a lot and now I want to share this information with you!

Everything is better with a good nights sleep, I’m more productive, I feel better, I concentrate easier. LIFE is better when you’re well rested. And I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, so here’s my tips on how to get a better nights sleep!

Give yourself time to relax

Our minds and bodies do not just switch off when we decide to(unfortunately). So an hour before you decide to sleep, give yourself time to relax. Whether it’s taking a nice warm bath or reading a book. Or just snuggle up in a blanket on the sofa watching some TV. I am a very ‘go go go’ person and often joke that I wish I had an ‘off’ button. So this is especially relevant if you’re similar to me.

Don’t lay in bed for hours

Some of us (me included up until now) will go to bed when its ‘bed time’ even though we aren’t all that sleepy. But we think ‘Oh if i go now I’m more likely to fall asleep earlier’. Unfortunately this theory is wrong, it will only lead to you rolling around getting irritated. So if you are struggling with your sleep lately try to only go when you think you have a chance of drifting off. No matter how late that may be.

Limit technology

The problem with technology is, we are often looking at stuff that engages our brain and gets our thought processes going. This is the opposite of what we want if we’re trying to get our brain to relax and rest. It’s a habit many people have, If i couldn’t sleep I would scroll through Facebook or Instagram. Read other peoples blog posts or play games on my ipad. Sound familiar? But the other problem with this other than it engaging your though processes are the screens. They’re bright and on the blue shade of the colour spectrum. Subconsciously these lights are telling your brain ‘HEY! It’s time to be awake and do all the things!!’. So try to limit your technology an hour before bed and resist scrolling when you can’t sleep.

Get up

You’ve tried everything and yet you’re still there, watching the clock thinking ‘I have to be up in X hours!’. Get up, when my therapist said this I said “what….but if I get up how will I even have a chance to sleep”. But trust me, have a cup of tea or read some more of your book etc. Just get out of bed and don’t go back until you think you’re ready to sleep. This is hard in the winter when it’s much colder, and when you’re snug it’s the last thing you want but it really does help. You don’t want to use your bed as a place to mull over your thoughts.

Leave anxiety Out Of The Bedroom

This ties in with my last point but I wanted to put it separate because not everyone reading this will relate. If you have anxiety like me you’ll know there is nothing worse than laying in bed all anxious. The thing is if you stay in bed when you’re anxious, your lovely brain will start to associate your bed with anxiety. So get up, get a warm comforting drink. Create a ‘safe place’ for yourself on the sofa or wherever you feel relaxed. Snuggle up in a blanket or do whatever puts you at ease and helps it pass. And wait until you’ve calmed down to try and sleep again. I made the mistake of laying in bed night after night plagued by my anxiety and it’s taken me a while to stop getting anxious in my bed. But after a while those times have definitely become less frequent.

Try to get up the same time every day

But what if I’ve had 3 hours sleep I hear you cry! Oh I’ve been there. But if you ever want to help fix your sleep pattern or at the least improve it. You’re going to have to try your best to get up at the same time every day. The idea is you will be much more tired by the time it’s bed time from your lack of sleep so you’re more likely to actually sleep earlier than you are if you choose to just get those few extra hours and sleep in. So avoid napping in the day too.

These steps may seem a little absurd, some are probably obvious but only once someone has pointed it out. But they’re all designed to help over the long term. Eventually your brain will start to associate your bed/bedroom with just sleep and it will become much easier to drift off. And by getting up at the same time every day we can form a routine which will lead to becoming a habit you don’t even realise you’re doing.

I hope these tips help some of you get a better rest. Often we don’t need more sleep, just a better quality of sleep. Do you have insomnia? If so I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post!

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