How To Adopt A Better Sleep Hygiene?

Are you the type of person who finds it difficult to fall asleep? Then, this blog post might be somewhat useful to you. I’ve been approached by many with the same type of question. Some even think that I don’t really sleep and even worst, I am an insomniac. In actual, I have a distinctive sleeping pattern that I’ve been following for years now. It has been working for me so far and I sure don’t wake up groggy the next day. With the ongoing lockdown, I know a lot of you are still struggling to get your beauty sleep in order. I had some sort of glitch too recently but then I had to pull myself back so I don’t look after everyone’s needs and forget all about mine.

“Let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world.” – Napolean Bonaparte

Getting your sleep in order is as important as your workouts and your healthy eating habits. Sleep hygiene is not that difficult once you cultivate habits that can help you have a good night’s sleep. When you have a sleep routine, your brain will start to realize that it is time to sleep. Unless when you are stressed or when you have anxieties, you’ll tend to stay awake longer and this could eventually turn into insomnia if you don’t do something about it. Just like kids, if you follow a consistent sleeping patterns, you’ll start dozing off in no time. Say no to the cranky old you and say yes to the new well rested you.

Who doesn’t want to feel energetic and productive during the day? But first, we need to fix our night routine. Once you’ve learned how to separate the day from the night, you’ll be much more calmer and also relax more. I’ve been sleeping like a sleeping beauty for years now and I am excited to share some of the things that I do to keep me snoozing without a problem. You’ve been asking on how to adopt a better sleep hygiene and it is finally here. Let’s try them today, shall we?

1. Set your own bedtime routine.

First things first. Find what works for you. Do not listen to others when it comes to your personal sleep hygiene. You decide when and how long you should sleep for the night. Try to stick to it. It is okay if you go off a little sometimes. But set an alarm if you think you are having a problem keeping up with the wake up time. Even on weekends, try not to sleep in. It is fine to sleep in 30 minutes or one hour extra but try not to overdo it. Even naps during the day can ruin your night sleep so if you have to, do it mindfully. I usually try to wash my face and do my night time skin care routine to prep myself to bed. For some, even a shower before bed might help to snooze better.

2. Switch or put away your gadgets.

Talking about our electronic devices and gadgets, we have been enslaved by our need to keep up with our friends and family so much that we even take them to bed with us. Watching tv late in the night or scrolling through your Instagram until you doze off, don’t really help. These gadgets emit a strong blue light that can keep you awake longer and making it harder for you to sleep. Instead, try putting it away a few minutes before you go to bed. I usually switch off my gadgets so I don’t have to keep looking at it and prepare mentally to fall asleep. Also, two weeks ago, I was feeling overwhelmed just because I didn’t get much sleep. Fix it right away while you can.

3. Start reading or journalling.

If you haven’t start incorporating this habit into your life, then maybe you should at least consider it any time soon. During childhood, reading bed time stories can help kids to fall asleep faster. The same simple logic. It doesn’t only help kids but also adults. Reading a book before bed can help to reduce stress and take your mind off of your own troubles. Journaling too can help to channel your thoughts and feelings so your brain don’t get flooded right before bed. Spend a few minutes a few hours before you to bed thinking or writing about something positive that happened during the day. You will thank me later for this.

4. Snooze to music.

Music heals. Even if it doesn’t cure anything, it would definitely put you to sleep. Music offers a calming effect that would reduce your breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. Research shows that 62% of people listen to music to help them with their sleeping pattern and improved their sleep quality. It doesn’t matter what genre you are attracted to but whatever that can sooth you and put you to bed, works. So when you have a busy mind that needs to be calmed down, turn up to your favorite music and get your groove in. It doesn’t matter what kind of mood I am in, I find music relaxing even throughout the crazy lockdown.

5. Stretch way before bed.

If nothing works, this might work. Try to alleviate your physical and mental stress with some stretching exercises. Sometimes, a simple yoga, stretching or breathing exercises are all that you need. Meditation might help too to keep your thoughts and feelings in check. A few low impact stretching in the evening might put your body and mind at ease so you’ll doze off easily at night. Also, try not to eat late at night or binging way past midnight so your body doesn’t have to work extra hard to keep you awake. Make sure you wind everything down a few hours before you decide to go to bed so you can fall asleep like a baby.