When you have a million and one things to think about, falling asleep can seem almost impossible. For your brain to function properly, it is essential that you get enough sleep. Although you may believe that your ability to sleep is out of your control, you actually have a lot more control over it than you realise.
Following healthy sleep habits and getting into a regular sleep schedule is the best way to ensure that you get enough sleep.
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For our five-step guide to improving your sleep, have a read of this.
Step 1 – Avoid chemicals that interfere with sleep
Avoid any chemicals that can interfere with your sleep cycle, such as caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.
Any regular coffee drinker knows that caffeine is a stimulant that can keep you awake for long periods of time. Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, painkillers, and even in chocolate. If you can’t cut caffeine out of your diet completely, make sure to avoid it for around six hours before going to bed.
Smokers should also avoid smoking too close to bedtime as nicotine can also keep you awake.
Although alcohol may initially send you to sleep, after a couple of hours, it will start acting as a stimulant and will wake you up, decreasing the quality of your sleep.
Step 2 – Make your bedroom into a sleep-friendly environment
For the ultimate sleep-friendly area, create a calm, quiet, dark environment where you can relax in, before dozing off.
To do this, make sure that there are no outside sounds coming in and disturbing you. If there are, invest in a pair of sound-blocking earplugs. Keep the room as dark as possible by investing in a blackout blind or pair of curtains. Alternatively, you could try a blackout sleep mask. Make the environment calming by spritzing your pillows with a lavender sleep spray.
To make your bed as comfortable as possible, it might be worth considering investing in new luxury mattresses and bed linen. The more comfortable and cosy you are, the easier you will find it to fall asleep.
Step 3 – Get rid of any distractions
To make your bedroom a more relaxed and calming place, it is a good idea to banish all phones, tablets, televisions and computers from it.
If you have a pet that regularly wakes you up each night, it might be a good idea to consider shutting it out of your bedroom.
Step 4 – Set up a bedtime schedule
Get your body into a sleep routine by establishing a sleep schedule. Set a time each night that you will go to bed and a time each morning you will get up.
To keep your sleep consistent, you should also stick to your schedule on weekends. Otherwise, you will mess up your body clock and make it even harder for yourself to get to sleep.
If you struggle to get to sleep one night, make sure to get up at your regular time the next morning. Don’t be tempted to nap – by the time, the evening comes you will be exhausted and should get a good night’s sleep.
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