Set Your Bedroom Up for Sleep

I talked in one of my previous posts about using the bedroom only for sleep. One of the things that goes along with that is setting your bedroom up to be a relaxing, calming, sleep inducing environment. If you feel relaxed, if you feel calm, it's going to make it easier for you to fall asleep.

Your bedroom should be dark for you to sleep. We've talked about this before about darkening the windows, keeping something over them to keep out the sunlight in the morning. To go along with that is temperature. Your bedroom should be cool, but not too cold. One of the things that cause you to fall asleep is a cooler body temperature, and this is often why it's really hard to fall asleep when it's hot outside or hot in your bedroom.

Something that certainly affects how well you sleep is your mattress. Is it soft enough for you, or does it sag in the middle and cause you to sink in? Contrary to what you might think, your mattress being too soft is a problem. It needs to be firm enough to support you, and of course not having lumps or sags in it helps. Also, it needs to be the right size for you and your partner. You both need ample room to move around if you need to. Being cramped in together sounds nice, but after a little while you're probably going to want to stretch out and move around some.

Consider changing up your bedroom environment some if your current one is not working for you. Move furniture around, get softer lights, bring in some candles, try some scented oils. Experiment to find what works for you, but creating a relaxing peaceful bedroom will help you out if you need help to fall asleep.

Get a Better Night's Sleep by Clearing Your Mind

It's late at night, you've had a long day, and you just want to lay down and get some sleep so you can wake up refreshed and ready for the day tomorrow. The problem is, when you actually do lay down and close your eyes, you're thinking about everything you did that day, and all the things you have to do tomorrow. You're focusing on something bad that happened at work, or something a stranger said to you, and it's keeping you awake.

There is a great solution to this, and it's to keep a notepad and pen next to your bed in the nightstand drawer. Writing things down release them from your brain, and then it can be free to relax and drift off to sleep. Are you proud of something you did today? Write it down! "I'm so happy that I ______". There, it's on paper, you've released it and now you don't need to think about it anymore! Are you thinking about all the things you need to do tomorrow and it's keeping you awake? Rather than fight it and just try to forget about it and lay there wondering "why can't I sleep?" take a few moments to write them down. List out the things you need to get done tomorrow, and any pertinent information that will help you do those tasks (and help you release the thoughts about that thing from your head) and when you're done you'll feel better.

Part of why we toss and turn at night trying to get to sleep is that we have all these thoughts in our head and we don't want to forget them. So, we try to make some "mental note" of what it is, but this really engages our brain.. sort of "spins it up" if you will. That's obviously not something we want to do, so taking a few moments to write your thoughts out will allow you to relax and sleep better. You might think that turning the light on to write your thoughts out will wake you up so you just lay there and do nothing. If that's the case, get a small, soft hand held blue light. Blue light isn't that bright and shouldn't disturb you if a regular one does.

Try doing this, clear your mind, and get a better night's sleep for it!

How to Sleep Better - Watch Your Intake

Many people often ask the question how to sleep better, and the answer is different for all of us, because we are all different! There are some common "sleep tips" we can all use to get better sleep though. If no one has pointed it out to you before, take a look at what you are putting into your body on a daily basis. The human body is one absolutely incredible system, and everything interacts with each other. What you may not think is a contributing factor to you have sleep problems, could be the reason you're not getting a good night's sleep.

One of the most obvious things to take a look at is coffee and other sources of caffeine. The caffeine from coffee, teas and sodas stays in your system for anywhere from six to twelve hours! This of course all depends on the individual, and that's why I said the answer is different for all of us. There are people who can drink a cup of coffee an hour before laying down and then sleep through the night with no problems. Others are completely affected by one cup of coffee that they had mid-morning.

Think a heavy meal is the answer? For some it is, but others it totally interferes with the ability to fall asleep. A light snack is usually a better choice. Dairy products such as some cheese or a glass of milk, or a turkey sandwich are good choices. Both of these contain an amino acid that helps you to fall sleep. Just think to last Thanksgiving, did you eat a lot of turkey and then get all sleepy?

Lastly, watch your alcohol intake. You may be tempted to think that drinking alcohol will cause you to "pass out" and go to sleep, and while that may be true, you won't get good sleep. Drinking alcohol really messes with your body and your sleep significantly. It will disrupt your sleep pattern, and often times actually make you wake up as you need to go to the bathroom and releave yourself - which can then leave you awake for hours. If that's the case, did you really get better sleep at all?