They say a huge secret to success is getting good quality sleep. Although it does matter how much sleep you get, the quality is also seriously important and I have some tried and tested tips to ensure you get the best sleep of your life.
The best example of how important sleep is for your body is how you are after a long night of drinking. You know how you can wake up hungover and feel terrible?! It’s not just the dehydration from the alcohol but also that your body was unable to reach a deep sleep because of the way the substance affected your brain and body.
This highlights just how important getting good quality sleep is to how productive you are every day, mood regulation, energy levels and mental clarity.
In this post I have some really simple, practical and effective tips that take your night time routine from scrolling through Instagram then struggling to get to sleep for 30 minutes to blissful, relaxed LIGHTS OUT sleep.
Let's get into it...
Melatonin
This completely natural supplement increases the levels of melatonin in your body. It’s a hormone that is already naturally occurring but increasing your levels is said to lead to more regulated and restful sleep. This is best taken 30 minutes – 1 hour before bed and as the levels build up in your body, the more effective you will find this.
Phone Ban
Staying off your phone for at least 30 minutes before bed time makes a massive difference. I know it’s difficult because the urge to check you haven’t missed an email or see who commented on your latest Instagram video is a strong feeling…but not worth it. Spend those 30 minutes before bed unwinding and maybe completing the next few steps.
Reading
Reading has no many benefits and it’s even better right before bed because it allows your brain to switch off from your minds thoughts and focus on the content of a book instead. If you are an avid reader or are working on making it a habit, you will find that making some time for reading before bed kicks those goals. I love reading because it broadens my horizons to different scenarios and ways of thinking. It also subconsciously helps with my grammar and own writing abilities.
Journaling
THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. Please don’t skip over this. I know it might sound a bit stupid like “oh go write in your journal” but this part of the practice has been the most useful to my night routine! They say that reflection is the defining factor of failure or success. Successful people ask themselves questions at the end of each day to gauge how it went overall, what they learnt, what served them and didn’t serve them as well as what habits they would like to implement the next day. It’s almost like closing down all of the browser tabs on your computer just before you leave for work. You’re wrapping things up and shutting off your brain right before bed.
Aromatherapy
Throw a couple of drop of Lavender into your diffuser leading up to bed time and you will immediately start to relax and unwind from your long day. Lavender is well known for increasing slow-wave sleep which is that really restful and relaxing kind of sleep where you wake up refreshed. Man does this make a huge difference! It knocks me out cold and I wake up like “woah what happened. I feel great”. I mean, maybe that’s sleep for you already but I know a lot of people struggle to get that good quality restful kind.
Baths
Something else I find relaxes me and gets me ready for bed is a nice warm bath with some essential oils and maybe candlelight to let my eyes adjust to the darkness and ready for bed. Nothing beats being totally blissfully relaxed and clean when crawling into soft sheets. So if I’ve had a particularly long day and still feel wound up, a bath is where it’s at.
I hope that these suggestions are ones that you can gradually implement and see how they help you get abetter night sleep.
If you have any other tried and tested methods that help you get better quality sleep then please leave a comment below!
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