I started having sleep problems about 4 years ago because of work and self-induced stress. Some of my problems included
- Having trouble falling asleep
- Constantly waking up earlier than desired
- Having night terrors or sleep hallucinations
- Feeling very tired still after waking up
I let this drag on for like 2 years before I really did something about it. Pretty bad right? Looking back, I wish I could’ve just yelled at myself saying “HEY!! THIS ISN’T NORMAL!! YOU GOTTA FIX THIS!!!”
It wasn’t until last year that I really worked on getting better sleep. I was sick of feeling tired all the time and being fearful of going to sleep. I wanted to get some decent sleep really really bad. We all know that sleep is important for you to function during the day and for your long term health. So I started doing research and practicing tips I found online.
Today, I can honestly say my sleep has improved a lot. I can fall asleep faster, have less nightmares or night terrors, and feel more refreshed when I wake up. I’m still a work in progress though. I’m still learning and practicing new techniques for getting better sleep. I want to share some of my tips with you!
If you are looking to get better sleep, here are 4 ways that I recommend to improve your sleep game.
1. Sleep in a cooler environment
If you feel like it gets too hot when you sleep, lower the temperature of your sleep environment. According to the National Sleep Foundation, cool room temperature was an important factor for getting a good night sleep. Your body will naturally cool itself down before going to sleep; according to WebMD, our bodies can drop as much as 2 degrees in temperature. So by turning the thermostat down at night, the cool environment can help with temperature regulation. It can signal your body that it’s time to go to bed.
I was pretty shocked when I first learned about this whole temperature thing because I used to sleep with the heater set to at least 75F, which I consider to be pretty hot now. According to the Cleveland clinic, 60-67F is the best temperature range to sleep in. Note that there’s no specific temperature mentioned. Everybody’s body is different so find a temperature that works best for you. If you find yourself feeling too hot when you go to bed or when you’re sleeping, cool down your room. I’m now setting my thermostat anywhere between 68-70F, which has been a game changer for my sleep.
It should be noted that sleeping in too cold of an environment can be bad. If you start shivering when you’re sleeping, you won’t get very good sleep. Your body just starts turning on like a car engine because instead of resting, your body is working hard to keep warm.
2. Meditate before going to sleep
Meditating before going to sleep can slow down your mind and help you focus on sleeping. While this tip is universally helpful, I believe it is especially helpful for those who struggle with racing minds. I define racing mind as something you have when you just constantly have thoughts about the day or still feel stressed.
I started meditating for 10 minutes before I went to bed because it helps tune out the endless amount of thoughts in my head and helps me focus on prepping for sleep. The meditation ranges from just laying down and focusing on the breath to taking a walk out around my neighborhood in the brisk night for 10 minutes. The added bonus with meditating outside is that I feel like my body cools down faster with the cooler weather. It used to take me 20-30 minutes to fall asleep. Once I started meditating, not only do I feel less stressed falling asleep but I also fall asleep faster.
I usually have meditation as the last thing I do before I shut off the lights. This actually brings me to my next tip for getting better sleep: not looking at your phone in bed.
3. Don’t look at your phone as the last thing before going to bed
Unless you’re super disciplined and can put your phone away after a couple of minutes, don’t look at your phone as the last thing you do before going to sleep. According to sclhealth.org, the blue light that comes from your cell phone reduces the production of melatonin, which is a hormone that aids in in your circadian rhythm (fancy term for sleep-wake cycle). By reducing this hormone, this makes it more difficult to fall asleep and wake up. Now you can turn off the blue light by going into night mode on your phone, which I’ve done but then you may find yourself doomscrolling…like I’ve done myself.
Doomscrolling is when you just aimlessly or obsessively scroll through social media or apps. You can stimulate your brain with dopamine or endless thoughts, both of which delay when you go to sleep. The last thing we all need when trying to go to sleep is to get some sort of stimulation. So put that phone away! It sounds very simple but very hard. I found that reading or meditating (tip above) helps reduce your desire to look at your phone before going to sleep.
4. Stop drinking coffee by early afternoon
By cutting off your coffee or caffeine intake, you reduce how much and how long caffeine remains in your system. For anybody who drinks coffee, you know that coffee is supposed to keep you awake and alert, but after a certain period of time, the effects of coffee wear off. That’s when you might find yourself going for another cup of coffee. So there’s a time limit for how long the caffeine sticks around in your body. So the earlier you stop drinking coffee, the lower the amount of caffeine is in your body by the time you go to bed.
Everybody has a different tolerance to caffeine so when you stop drinking it will vary from person to person. Online sources vary in timing but what I’ve seen is that you should stop taking in caffeine at least 6 hours before going to bed. According to umich medicine, their guideline is to stop drinking coffee or any caffeine products 8 hours before going to bed.
Getting better sleep is almost a second job now
My sleep has been improving ever since I started doing these four things. I’m still researching and learning other ways I can get better sleep and I plan to share them with you when I’ve tried them. It’s almost like a second job for me; I want to do good and get better at it so I can be rewarded more.
Although I’ve only shared 4 ways, my hope and goal is that you start to value your sleep. I used to be the person to say “sleep is for the weak” and not really see its importance but as I get older, I am starting to see how crucial getting good sleep is. I am able to handle my stress better and focus more when I have good sleep.
What are things you do to get better sleep? I’d like to hear them because maybe I can try to incorporate them it into my habits 🙂
As always,
Be Confident. Stay Curious.
