Secrets You Need To Know To Help You Sleep Better

This blog post is all about how to sleep better

As much as I love sleep, I have spent years suffering from insomnia. It used to be common for me to get only a few hours of sleep each night. I would try countless things in hopes that I could sleep better. But I would still spend my nights tossing and turning

It would leave me exhausted the next day, causing me to rely on coffee to get me through the day. My health was starting to be affected by not sleeping.

Here is what you need to know to get better sleep

Make your room a happy space.

When I first started addressing my sleeping problems, I went right to the source. My room.

I realized I did not want to be in my bedroom. It was messy, chaotic, and honestly, ugly. Whenever I went into my room I felt stressed. There was a pile of laundry to fold, paperwork I needed to deal with, or a nightstand to clean off. So instead of relaxing, I would lie awake thinking about everything in my room I needed to do.

The obvious thing I started with was keeping my space clean. Now, I still struggle with this A LOT. Something about my bedroom makes me not want to clean it. Especially when it comes to laundry. So I have started prioritizing keeping my room clean by changing my habits.

Instead of getting ready in my bedroom, I changed in the bathroom where the laundry bin is. I fold and put away laundry as it comes out of the dryer or make sure it ends up in a basket instead of my floor. I also started adding cloth baskets to accumulate paperwork and other random objects.

Once my bedroom is clean and organized, I also make sure to decorate it so it feels cozy. This doesn’t have to be expensive either. Add some simple wall art from the thrift store or Etsy, a few candles, and some cozy throw pillows. Buy some things that make you happy and make your bedroom feel like yours.

Make your bed cozy

Not only do you want your room to be a happy place, but you want your bed to be happy too.

Your bed should be the cozy place you look forward to at night. It is the center object of your room. And there are so many ways to do this.

I started by getting a new mattress. I know that not everyone has the option to buy a mattress or bed frame. But I wanted one of my first adult purchases to be a bed. I love this memory foam mattress. I have had it for almost 2 years now and it still feels brand new. My sleep has greatly improved since getting it.

Don’t be afraid to make your bed look amazing. I used to have this fear that if I made my bed look like a Pinterest bed, it wouldn’t be comfy. There would be too many pillows and uncomfortable blankets. But that isn’t the case! It is so easy to make your bed look amazing without spending a lot of money.

Keep the work outside

This was a huge issue I did not realize that was impacting my sleep. When I first started at community college, I was always doing homework in my bed. It was the one place no one bugged me. But soon I started having stressful dreams of work I needed to be doing. I would wake up with the fear of something I missed or needed to be doing.

I also couldn’t relax in my bed because my brain was ready to do work.

I know it is hard to do, but leaving the work outside your room makes a huge improvement. Once you start doing that, you can walk into your room and feel like you are in a relaxing, calming environment. All because you left everything you need to do at the door. 

It is one of my favorite bedroom habits to sleep better because it is so easy to implement.

Have minimal electronics in the room.

This was definitely one I fought for a while. I loved having a TV in my room so I could stay up late watching shows without any interruption.

The problem was then I would fall asleep watching TV. It became so bad that I couldn’t fall asleep without the TV playing. I would start to climb into bed to fall asleep but instead, I would toss in turn until I turned a show on. Then in the middle of the night, I would wake up to turn it off.

This began messing with my sleep schedule a lot. Because of the light and sounds, I wasn’t getting into a deep, restorative sleep. Then I would wake up throughout the night to turn the TV off or fix the volume of a show.

As cozy as it is to watch TV in bed, it is not worth losing sleep over. Every few years I try to implement electronics in my room and it doesn’t go well. If you struggle with sleep, try removing big electronics from your bedroom

There are still ways to be cozy in bed with your electronics. For example, you can always watch movies on a laptop or iPad. And you don’t need to remove all electronics. I still use my phone and Kindle, but removing the big ones has made such an improvement in my sleep.

Create a nighttime routine

I know. You hear this one a lot. But creating a nighttime routine is important to getting better sleep.

For years I thought I could put on pajamas and crawl into bed. Instead of falling asleep, my brain would run with countless thoughts. This was because I wasn’t signaling to my body it was time to rest.

Creating a nighttime routine doesn’t have to be complicated or long. It signals to your brain what time it is and calms your mind and body

Start with small things that you probably already do. Wash your face, brush your teeth, read a book. Continue doing these things 30 minutes before going to sleep and you will notice a difference.

Keep a sleeping routine

For years I was a big on going to sleep at midnight and waking up at 8 am. While these hours were late, I still felt rested. This changed once I started school again. Instead of going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, I was staying up late to do homework and waking up at various times for class.

Having a sleeping routine helps your body regulate its energy levels. It also helps you wake up refreshed and go to sleep easier. If you have a varied morning schedule, choose a time that you can consistently wake up every day. And this could just be Monday – Friday. Then choose a time to sleep. This part might require managing your time during the day a little differently that way you don’t stay up working.

Look into medical reasons

I never realized that other aspects of my health were affecting my sleep. For me, it was my anxiety.

When I went to my doctor for other health reasons, she mentioned my sleep may be affected by them. Since starting mental health medications I have noticed a huge improvement in my sleep.

If you are still having sleep issues, speak to your doctor. The reason may be deeper than you think.

Being able to sleep better doesn’t have to be hard

Sleep is important to maintain our health and energy. Spend some time prioritizing your sleep health and you will notice the difference in many parts of your life.