When I started making sleep a priority, not a luxury, my body, mind and overall health responded for a turn to the positive. Our bodies heal, recover and rejuvenate when we sleep. Adequate sleep also gives our mood a lift too. Instead of burning the candle at both ends, feeling worn out most of the time and operating on 4-5 hours of sleep or less a night like in years past, I am now committed to getting 8 hours a night because after tracking the amount of sleep that makes me feel my best, 8 hours is my personal sweet spot! Sleeping well was an important step in my overall improvement in health and specifically the nervous system and migraine issues I used to experience. So here are a 3 tips on how to get the best snooze.
Schedule It
Have a consistent sleep schedule. Our bodies respond well to going to bed and waking up at the same times, especially the waking up at the same time part. Staying on schedule helps our body fall asleep faster and get to the restful, deeper sleep. I have an reminder set on my phone that alerts me to start winding down for bed each night. It is a great way to get me to stop anything else I am doing and start doing my nighttime routine so I wake up feeling my best the next day. By placing more importance on my rest and sleep, I have much more productive days on a consistent basis.
Keep Your Body Moving Every Day
Excercise, physical excertion or daily movement is a great way to improve your sleep. One of the reasons why I love morning workouts is because by the end of the day I am so ready for a good nights sleep. If I excercise to late in the day, I have a harder time falling asleep on my scheduled time but keep in mind everyone is different on that note, so for some, late day or evening excercise may help them fall asleep better. Bottom line is a lifestyle of daily exercise is going to benefit your quality of sleep.
Support yourself in ways that help you fall asleep faster.
Having a bedtime routine signals to the body and mind it is time to rest. Drinking herbal tea, using relaxing essential oils in your space or on your body such as Bergamot, Lavender, Rose, or Ylang Ylang is helpful. Your bedroom should have qualities that signal rest and relaxation. Dimming the lights before bedtime, a cooler temperature, comforting bedding to snuggle into, pillows you love and keeping electronics off can help create a sleep friendly room. Most of the time I do my bathtime ritual and which I’ve explained in more detail in another blog post. Link to that post is here: https://www.kristijones.org/health-and-wellness/tips-for-a-nourishing-bathtime-routine/
Playing relaxing spa type music during the bath and during the evening while I get ready to go to bed is my final step of preparing for a good night of rest. I also like to lay in bed and do a mental body scan spending about 15 seconds on each area of my body visualizing health and vitality in that area while doing mindful slow breathing.
Too Much On Your Mind
If when you climb in bed, you find your mind is racing or full of thought and that is what is stopping your from relaxing into a good nights sleep, do a brain dump. Yes, a brain dump, and by that I mean get a pen and paper and write down anything and everything that is filling your mind at the moment. I prefer the actual act of writing it out because something feels therapeutic about that versus typing it out. Don’t try to solve anything or schedule anything for the next day, just dump out whatever is on your mind to the paper. It feels good, you will feel a little lighter, and you can go back to your journaling or notes the next day.
Hope some of these sleeping tips help you too! Sweet Dreams!!
