One of the issues people often mention to me in sessions is that they struggle to get a good night’s sleep. As a good night’s sleep is so important to every part of our life, I have written my top 6 tips to getting a good night’s rest.
1. A room designed for sleep.
Make sure your bedroom is designed for sleep, by this I mean make sure it is a place that you link with sleeping. You may do this by removing all electronic devices from that room such as TV’s laptops and even your phone, and to the people who say my phone is my alarm, I say buy an alarm clock, they do still exist!
2. Background noise.
Some people (myself included) find that background noise such as relaxing music or even white noise can really aid in getting a good night’s sleep. And for those who sleep next to someone who can’t stand any background noise (myself included again) I would highly recommend ear buds of a headband that is designed to sleep in and can connect via Bluetooth to a phone (below I have included a link to the ones I use).
3. Exercise.
We all know that exercise is good for us but did you also know that it can be key to getting a good night’s sleep? However, avoid exercising too close to bedtime as this can actually keep you awake. Also, be careful not to overdo it, aching muscle and being in pain is not going to help you sleep.
4. Bedtime routine.
Build and keep a regular bedtime routine. This means going to bed at the same time most nights, I would suggest no later then 10:30pm. This will also mean not using any electronic devices at least 30 minutes before going to bed, you may wish to try an alternative such as reading or writing a journal.
5. Set a suitable temperature.
It can be hard to sleep if the room is too hot or too cold. It is best to find out what works for you and stick with this, you may also wish to keep the room reasonably well ventilated if possible.
6. Food and drink.
It is a good idea to keep your evening meal relatively light and eat at least 2½ hours before going to sleep. It is also a good idea to limit your alcohol intake as this disrupts your REM sleep pattern and even though you may be asleep you will not wake feeling refreshed due to the disruption to your sleep cycle.
I hope you have found my 6 top tips to getting a good night’s sleep helpful. If you like the top tips format please let me know as this may be something I do around other issues. Below, I have included a link to a book I highly recommend about why we sleep, I’ve also included a couple of links to other items you may find useful such has headbands for sleeping and white noise machines.
To your best life,
Tom.