If you are like me and have been having issues sleeping this past year, you are NOT ALONE!  Simply staying to specific places have an effect on the brain and body as well.  Here are a few tips I’ve been given along the way.

  1. Sleep routine.  Have a pre-bedtime routine every night.  It triggers the brain to start calming down.
  2. Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol.  All interrupt quality of sleep.
  3. Use the bed only for sleeping.  Keep work and T.V. off of it. This one is a tough one for me!
  4. Having a hot bath 1-2 hours before bed will raise your body temperature, causing you to feel sleepy as your body temperature drops again.
  5. Exercise, stretch & eat light before bed.
  6. Darker and cooler space work best for relaxing.
  7. Try to get some Vitamin D from sunlight every day!  This effect can be seen in toddlers as soon as they have a couple hours in the sun how quickly they nap afterwards.  It’s the same for adults!
  8. Affirmations and not thinking about stressful items in the middle of sleep. There is a “5 second hack” I recently learned about.  Once the stressful or distracting thoughts come into the forefront of your mind, count out loud “1,2,3,4,5” and refocus on what you need to think about, i.e., sleep, comforting thoughts, affirmations, etc. It really does work!  Thinking about how to positively uplift your day or week in order to create or meet your affirmations is a great last thought of the day.
  9. Using white noise or guided meditation without looking at a blue screen can help.  Some of my kids rely on this to calm down quicker for the night.  This is also a great way to encourage closing the eyes and resting them.
  10. Journal or talk to someone.  Having an outlet about your thoughts and feelings to a third party with no judgement is super important.  Can’t get a person? Start journaling.  It’s a great way to re-prioritize your wants versus needs and helps you realize your sleep is way more important than you think.

~Hope this helps you get some re-energizing Z’s tonight!~