9 Simple Tips for Better Sleep Hygiene

Good sleep is crucial to your health.

All you want to do is go to sleep. You stare up at the ceiling, wide awake. You feel stirred up and your mind chatters away with the latest news. You toss and turn, praying to the Gods above that you’ll fall asleep soon. But the time keeps ticking away, and you’re still awake.

There’s nothing worse than not being able to sleep. It’s one of the most important things you can do. Sleep hygiene is necessary for good health, both mentally and physically.

Here are 9 ways to help you fall asleep faster.

1. Blue Light Bites

All the screens you use throughout the day emit blue light. Everything including your phone, computer, and TV.

Blue light interrupts the body’s cue to release melatonin, which is a sleep hormone. Try to stop using your tech up to 30 minutes to an hour before bed.

2. Doom Scrolling

Have you ever found yourself in bed, scrolling away on your phone screen? Yeah, me too. When you can’t fall asleep, you turn to your phone to entertain yourself before you get sleepy. In the morning, it becomes the first thing you check.

Instead of going to bed and waking up to doom scroll, put your phone across the room. Better yet, put it in another room altogether. As a bonus, it motivates you to get out of bed in the morning.

3. Circadian Rhythm

Your body follows a natural day/night cycle called the circadian rhythm. This means that you naturally start to fall asleep at certain times. Throughout history, your body has adapted to rising with the sun and going to bed at sunset.

Set a schedule for when you will sleep. If you stick to the time frames, your body will adapt to sleep and wake up at those times. I’ve been going to bed at 9 o’clock for a few years now and my body knows it.

4. Set a Nighttime Ritual

Create a nightly ritual that you follow before bed. Besides being a nice act of self-care, it’s another way to signal your body that it’s time for bed. Let yourself wind down and read, journal, or wash your face.

The activities don’t matter so much as doing them. But it would make sense to do activities that help you relax. I like to do some light journaling and prepare for the next day.

5. Less is More

I love myself a good nap. But if you’re taking long naps during the day, it may be a sign that you’re not getting enough sleep. It becomes a vicious cycle.

You take naps during the dap because you don’t sleep at night. You don’t sleep at night because you take naps during the day. Limit your daytime naps.

6. Relax Your Body

Take some time to lightly stretch before bed. Stretching helps your body rejuvenate during sleep and can help your body avoid discomfort.

I’ve always had bad back pain and it interfered with my sleep. My bad would be sore and I couldn’t get comfortable. Once I stretched, my body started to unfurl and relax allowing for better sleep.

7. Sleepy Pills

Your body emits melatonin naturally, but you can take melatonin pills to promote sleep. Melatonin is a natural product found in plants and animals.

Likewise, you can try drinking sleepy-time tea to rest and prepare your body. Be careful of this because it can make you get up during the night to pee.

8. Deep Breaths

Meditate a few minutes before bed. You don’t have to do anything fancy. Take a moment to breathe deeply and fully. You can sit or lie down, and you can use an app or do a self-guided meditation.

Meditation is proven to help you fall asleep 2x as fast, enhance rapid eye movement (REM) states, and preserves deep sleep.

9. Work it Out

While research regarding the connection between exercise and sleep is unclear, exercise can help you sleep better. Moderate to vigorous exercise increases sleep quality and it helps you fall asleep faster.

Whenever I run, I get significantly better sleep than when I don’t run. My guess is the exertion it takes on the body requires extra sleep time. But it’s always good to sleep.

Final Thoughts

Let your mind rest and fall to sleep with ease. And when you struggle to sleep, remember these 9 tips.

No screens an hour before bedtime
Put your phone across the room
Stick to a sleep schedule
Set a nighttime ritual
Limit daytime naps
Stretch before bed
Use melatonin
Meditate
Exercise

Good sleep is crucial to your health. Make sure you’re getting your zzz’s.

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