7 Simple Ways to Improve Your Sleep
Do you belong to the 3am club? You know, the one where you wake up at 3am every night, and you just lay there, staring at the ceiling? If yes, this post is for you.
Difficulty “turning off”, falling asleep, and staying asleep are some of the top signs that you’re heading towards burnout. You’re likely experiencing a hormone imbalance due to stress, and no amount of xanax or other sleep aid is going to solve that. Read on to understand better why prioritizing sleep is crucial for your health, and 7 solutions to help you get better sleep naturally.
Why sleep is important
If I were to list the most important aspects of good health, sleep would be near the top (maybe at the top). Without rest, your body can’t repair itself, and multiple more serious health problems can result. Still, roughly 70 million Americans report experiencing insomnia, and sleep disorders remain one of the most common health problems today.
Women, in particular, are running ourselves ragged. Between balancing work, family, and other responsibilities, we have little time to rest and de-stress, and our sleep suffers! Running our lives on little sleep has even become a bragging point in some circles:
“I did it all on 4 hours of sleep! I don’t need any more than that!”
Nope. Trust me, you do.
Poor sleep leads to all kinds of problems common to women:
Weight gain- poor sleep messes with your metabolism, and when you’re sleep deprived, you’ll end up eating more (and likely make poor food choices).
Increased risk of chronic disease like diabetes.
Increased risk of accidents and injuries,
Brain fog and a decline in your cognitive function.
Anxiety and depression. In fact, if you’re so stressed that you can’t sleep, chances are a lack of sleep will make that stress even worse.
On the flip side, quality sleep carries multiple benefits. It can give you much needed energy to make good choices when it comes to diet and self-care. Sleep can improve your immune system, your mood, your sex drive, and make you more alert, focused and creative. Remember that old saying to “sleep on it” when you’re trying to solve a problem? It’s true! After a good night’s sleep, you’ll be able to see that puzzle in a whole new light.
Basically, it’s a no-brainer. You need your sleep, around 7 to 9 hours for most adults.
But before we get into what works to help you sleep, let’s quickly review a Couple things that don’t work so well
Prescription sleep aids and other sleeping pills, including melatonin- they can give you a temporary fix, but do not address the root causes of your sleep problems. And you can become dependent on these drugs.
Alcohol- you might fall asleep more easily, but it will be poor sleep and you’re likely to wake up in the middle of the night.
Herbal teas close to bedtime- many herbal teas can help you to relax, but if you drink liquid too close to bedtime, you’ll likely wake in the middle of the night, your bladder full.
So what can you do to improve your sleep? Glad you asked.
7 Simple Ways to Get More (and Better) Sleep
#1 Reset your circadian rhythm with Morning sunshine
When you wake up in the morning, as soon as you can, get outside for 15 minutes. You could take a quick walk or just sit outside with your morning beverage. The UV rays (even on cloudy days) will send a message to your brain that it’s time to be awake, and they’ll set off your internal body clock so that 12-15 hours later you will naturally start to feel tired and ready for bed. What you’re doing is resetting your circadian rhythm. This is the number one thing you can do to improve your sleep.
#2 Move daily
One of the main factors that impacts your ability to sleep well is how much energy you’ve exerted during the day. So get in some exercise, whether an easy walk, a trip to the gym, or anything in between.
#3 Calm your monkey mind
Stress tends to make your mind run, and puts your brain and body on high alert. If you can’t relax your mind, you’ll have a hard time falling (and staying) asleep. Try experimenting with strategies to manage stress and calm your thoughts. Some possibilities: yoga, meditation, deep breathing, journaling, or an aromatherapy bath before bedtime.
You could even try keeping a notebook and pen by your bedside. When you can’t calm your racing thoughts, write them down to get them out of your head. It works for many people.
#4 Limit screens
Good sleep requires you to rest and relax at night in the couple hours before bed. And unfortunately screens don’t allow you to rest. You may feel like you’re resting when you’re watching Netflix on your phone in bed, but your eyes and brain are wide awake. Plus, the blue light that electronic devices give off suppresses melatonin and tricks your body into thinking it’s daytime.
A good rule of thumb is to avoid screens for at least 1 hour before bedtime.
#5 Create a peaceful sleep environment
This is often referred to as “sleep hygiene”. The goal is to make your bedroom a place for sleeping, intimacy, and virtually nothing else. Practically, this means:
Remove all electronics.
Clean up clutter- put clothes away, make your bed.
Paint the room a soothing color.
Keep the temperature at around 68F.
Create darkness- blackout curtains or even a sleep mask will work.
Quiet outside sounds- and if you can’t eliminate sounds, create white noise. In the summer, a fan or air conditioner works. But you can also earplugs or headphones.
#6 Cut down on caffeine
I know you don’t want to hear it! You love your morning cup of joe, your mid-afternoon lattes. Maybe you’re even drinking coffee at night and then falling fast asleep (only to wake a few hours later). The thing is, if you’re having problems sleeping, and you want to sleep better, then cutting your caffeine consumption needs to be on your to-do list.
Even if you don’t think that caffeine could be causing your sleep problems, the truth is that a substance that artificially speeds you up or slows you down will have some kind of impact on your sleep. And you’ll never know whether caffeine is impacting you until you cut down, or possibly eliminate it all together. I
#7 Stick to a consistent bedtime and wake time
Your body likes to be in a rhythm, and it especially likes to be in rhythm with nature- a circadian rhythm. So first, choose a bedtime and a wake time and stick to those times as much as possible. And second, try to match your bedtime and wake time as closely as possible to sunrise and sunset. This can be difficult depending on the time of year or where you live, of course. But the closer you can get to that rhythm, the better your sleep will be- and the better you will feel throughout the day!
Lastly: Food matters, too!
Diet matters for just about everything that goes on in your body, and it’s no different with sleep. What you eat and drink, and when you eat and drink, can either improve or disrupt your sleep.
I’ll address this topic more thoroughly another day, but for now here’s something to consider: if you are doing all the things listed here- exercising, managing stress, etc.- and you’re still experiencing poor sleep, then you may want to take a closer look at your diet. Eating a diet rich in plants and anti-inflammatory foods, and being careful not to eat or drink (not even water!) in the 3 hours before bedtime, are two additional things that can set you up for a good night of sleep.
