We all know that sleep is extremely important to our well-being. Our bodies and minds do so much restorative work while we’re asleep at night to keep us healthy and prepare us for the day ahead. And we all know how we feel when we don’t get enough sleep. I know that I’m certainly a bit sluggish and quick to become irritated or stressed when I don’t get enough sleep. Coffee doesn’t tend to cut it when I struggle to get a good night’s rest. That said, I know that sometimes falling asleep at night and getting a restful night’s sleep can feel like a challenge. I’m no stranger to tossing and turning at night. Which is while I’m always looking for little ways to get myself sleeping better.
Everyone deserves to have a wonderful night’s rest. And there are quite a few things that we can do to set ourselves our for a lovely night of quality sleep. That way, we can take care of such a big part of our overall wellness. Especially because we have to feel good and be well-rested as a means to truly elevate our lifestyle. Not to mention that sleeping well is quite a wonderful beauty secret. Honestly, there’s no reason not to cozy up at night and get ourselves sleeping better!
1 — Reduce or Eliminate Screentime in the Late Evening
Technology is amazing for a lot of things. But between the constant ways it keeps our minds engaged and the blue light our devices emit, it doesn’t tend to lend itself to a quality night’s rest. Honestly, our digital devices are the most obvious sleep disrupters in our lives. So, perhaps within an hour or two before bed, we should all consider disconnecting from the digital world as we begin to wind down for the evening. Or at the very least, we should heavily limit our use of them. I personally wouldn’t use them for anything more than playing relaxing content at night.
I also strongly recommend keeping your phone out of your reach when you go to bed. That way, you won’t be tempted to grab it when you’re struggling to fall asleep. If your phone is your alarm, this also provides the added bonus of forcing you to get out of bed in the morning to shut your alarm off. That said, don’t forget to silence all calls and notifications before you set your phone down for the evening. You don’t want to get woken up at 2:00 AM by a random social media notification. Or a call from someone with the audacity.
I personally love to use the Sleep Focus on my iPhone, as it automatically silences all notifications across all devices at my set bedtime. Honestly, I love the Focus Mode feature in general, but it’s specifically great for bedtime.
2 — Keep Your Evening Activities Restful and Calming
The last two to three hours before bed are not the time to start a new project or hustle on productive ventures. My lovely, by late evening, you’ve done enough for the day, it’s time to allow yourself to rest. So set your work to the side, and write down the ideas you have for your next project for later. It’s entirely up to you how you choose to spend the last few hours of your evening. As long as you’ve switched from work mode to relaxation and leisure mode.
Maybe you’re a cozy gamer, and you want to enjoy a couple of hours of your favorite game in the evening. Just be sure to close the game within an hour of bed, to start reducing your screentime. Perhaps, you might prefer to cut your screentime sooner and read a book in a relaxing bubble bath. Which is just as amazing. You can even choose to have a long meditative session, do a tarot/oracle reading, say affirmations, and connect with yourself and the universe in the last few hours of the day. Or you might just wish to watch the sunset before taking a hot shower. It’s entirely up to you, as long as you’re taking it easy.
3 — Listen to Calming Sounds or ASMR
While it’s better to avoid screentime too close to bedtime, I will always make an exception for ASMR and other calming forms of content. I have been an avid watcher and listener of ASMR since I discovered it in 2017, and I honestly listen to it more than I listen to music. Especially at bedtime, when I need something soothing to focus on to quiet my thoughts. And when you find the right ASMR creators, you quickly build a playlist of go-to ASMR videos that help you unwind and fall asleep.
The only true downside to ASMR is that most of it is intended to be listened to through headphones. Which can be uncomfortable to sleep in. Especially if you’re a side sleeper. Not to mention that their battery doesn’t always last all night. Which is where additional calming sounds and ambient noise come in. I personally love to play the rain sounds that came with my HomePod overnight. Along with also playing some brown noise through my computer’s speakers while I’m sleeping.
Don’t be afraid to play around with different ambient sounds and the volume until you get it just right to the vibe that helps you feel the most relaxed.
4 — Get Your Thoughts Out Before Bed
We’re all human, so it’s only natural for us to have a lot of thoughts swirling around in our heads. At the end of the day, we’re often thinking about our plans for the next day. We may also have a few creative ideas that we’re excited to work on, that we don’t want to forget about. Not to mention the thoughts of how our day or week has gone. Or the thoughts we’re having about our lives or the world around us. I must say, it’s a blessing to be alive and have such a vibrant stream of thoughts and ideas. But it can also feel like a curse when even our most wonderful thoughts and ideas keep us up at night.
So let’s spill them all out before we lay our head down at night. Let’s write down our to-do lists so that we don’t have to worry about remembering them the next day. While we’re at it, we can also jot down our creative ideas to come back to later. Rather than brainstorming all night when we should be quieting our minds. And, of course, let’s also journal about whatever else is on our minds. Write down the happy moments from the day you’re grateful for. Let out what’s bothering you onto the journal page. Process your tarot reading by journaling about it.
Get it all out of your head and onto paper. Not only will letting it all help have you sleeping a little bit better at night, but you’ll also have something that you can look back on as a time capsule in 5 years.
5 — Count (Forward Or Backward)
I’m going to be honest with you here. I discovered that counting is a great way to help yourself fall asleep entirely by accident. Long story short, I’m not always entirely thrilled to leave my comfortable bed in the morning. So, sometimes, I’ll tell myself that I’ll get up at the count of any number between 20 and 50. I would count slowly while taking some deep breaths to prepare myself for the day. Needless to say, I’d typically end up falling back asleep before getting to whatever number. I swear, it would happen every time. Then I remembered that one of the top tips for falling asleep that you often hear about is to count sheep.
So, let’s put this highly well-known tip for sleeping better to good use. Without necessarily counting sheep. You can count anything you want, or just count with nothing specific in mind. Although I would breathe deeply alongside your counting, to further help your body relax. It’s up to you whether you count forward or backward, and don’t worry about stumbling over a few numbers in your head. Numbers may be an extremely bland thing to think about, but that’s the point. It’s just enough thought to quiet any other thoughts that you might be having. While also being boring enough of a thought that it isn’t too intriguing.
6 — Sleepy Time and Calming Herbal Tea
As I begin my wind-down routine for the evening, I like to brew up a warm cup of calming herbal tea to sip on as I prepare for bedtime. With a little bit of honey, these teas are perfect to sip on as I’m doing my evening tarot readings, journaling, and laying out my to-do list for the next day. Oftentimes, by the time I finish my cup of tea, I’m ready to climb into bed, have a meditative stretch session, and go to sleep. So if you’re a tea lover, it is most certainly worth trying out some sleepytime and calming teas if you need a little extra something in the evening.
Personally, I’ve found that herbal teas marketed as stress relief teas tend to be the most effective for me. I would often drink them after a long day at work, and I’d be wanting to go to bed hours before bedtime. That said, I would certainly be mindful of sipping on calming teas hours before you want to go to bed. And do keep in mind that these teas are technically an herbal supplement. So be on the lookout for potential side effects.
7 — Do Some Gentle Stretches Before Bed
One of the very last things that I do before I get under the covers for the night is take about 10 to 20 minutes to gently stretch my muscles. Taking the time to have a meditative stretch session before bed not only helps with releasing the built-up tension in my muscles, but it also helps to release some of the mental and emotional tension of the day. Especially when I also implement deep breathing into my stretching session, and take it slowly with gentle poses. I don’t try to challenge myself with my bedtime stretches to see what poses I can get into. Rather, I simply do what feels good. After all, I want to fall asleep, not push myself to my limits.
And not only does my yogic stretching session help me feel good and sleepy, but I’m also sleeping better with less likelihood of getting woken up by a leg cramp in the night. It also gently helps to increase blood flow to my muscles as they work to repair themselves in the night. And even the most gentle stretches lead to better flexibility over time.
8 — Make Your Room Smell Good
Being in an environment that smells lovely is truly calming and inviting. As I’m taking my deep breaths during my nightly yoga sessions and counting myself to sleep, it’s wonderful to have a delightful aroma to elevate the sensory experience. On many nights, I love to spritz on a little bit of body spray or perfume after my evening shower. That way, I have something to enjoy as I prepare to fall asleep. I also love to have a reed diffuser close to my bed with a fresh floral scent. That way, my room smells wonderful throughout the day.
Personally, I like to use calming floral scents such as lavender, chamomile, jasmine, or rose. But fragrance is all about preference, so be sure to choose something that you find calming and delightful.
For obvious safety reasons, I would also choose flameless options over candles when you’re setting up your sleep environment. You don’t want to inadvertently fall asleep with a candle burning. Or defeat the purpose by making your room smell like smoke after blowing the candle out. Reed diffusers, essential oil diffusers, pillow sprays, and even wearing a little perfume are the best way to go here.
9 — Keep Your Bedroom Neat and Comfortable
Being in a cluttered space can be stressful. And the last thing that we want is to be in a stressful or chaotic environment as we’re trying to fall asleep at night. We want our sleeping environment to be as zen and as comfortable as possible. We don’t want to be fighting against twisted sheets and blankets to get comfortable. Or feeling the gritty sensation of crumbs from a snack we had in bed. Or be smelling sheets that are less-than-fresh while noticing the pile of unfolded laundry on the chair in the moonlight that’s peaking through the curtains.
Our bedroom should be a sanctuary for sleep, and we should be extra adamant to keep it neat, organized, and comfortable. Be sure to make your bed in the morning so that it’s ready for you at bedtime. And please, don’t eat or snack in bed, so that there’s no chance for crumbs or spills onto your sheets. Wash your bedding weekly to keep it smelling fresh and to keep your skin and hair healthy. Properly put away anything that you use, and always tidy up before you turn out your light for the night. This includes tidying up your desk if you also use your bedroom as an office or gaming room. Or tidying the entire apartment if you live in a studio.
10 — Have a Consistent Bedtime Routine
Perhaps the best way to signal to your mind and body that it’s time to sleep is to have a good bedtime routine and to be consistent with it. At the very least, you should be aiming to go to bed around the same time every night. That way, your circadian rhythm can get on board with when it’s time to go to sleep. Ideally, you should also be beginning your wind-down around the same time every night, within 2 to 3 hours of bedtime. Remember to set up your bedtime routine to work for you, based on your own wants and needs in the evening.
Your evening routine should put an emphasis on decompressing and preparing for sleep. As well as preparing for the day ahead, so you don’t have to try to remember anything overnight. Nor do you have to think about the next day once the lights for out for the night.
Conclusion
A wonderful night’s rest is such a wonderful thing. And regularly getting a wonderful night’s rest is also vital to our well-being. So anything that we can do to get us sleeping better at night is certainly worth trying. Let’s all give ourselves permission to get cozy and allow ourselves to mindfully tune out for the night. Everyone is deserving of a wonderful night’s rest. The projects, emails, and texts can wait until tomorrow.
What are some of the things that you like to do to help yourself sleep at night? Are there any specific stretches that you like to do in the evening? Do you have a favorite sleepy-time tea or calming tea? I’d love to hear from you!
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