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There’s really nothing quite like a good night’s sleep, and, when you get older, you start to really feel the difference between having a poor night’s sleep and a good one. A poor night’s sleep leaves you feeling sluggish all day, whereas a good one can have a huge impact on your mood and energy levels. Some lucky people can simply lay their head down on their pillow and drift off into a blissful sleep whereas some of us find it hard to switch off. If you’re the latter, putting some healthy sleep habits in place could help.
There are many things you can try to help you not just get to sleep but also improve the quality of your sleep. If you find it hard to sleep, try some of these healthy sleep habits out and see if they help you zonk out quicker.
1. Exercise
One of my personal favourite healthy sleep habits is exercise. After a heavy or intense workout, I find that exercise helps to tire not just my body but my mind at the same time. Exercise at any time of day is good for you, however, exercise directly before bed may not actually be helpful and could in fact impair your sleep quality.
Exercise in the 4 hours leading up to your bedtime, for example, might disrupt your sleep due to heightened adrenaline levels and increased body temperature. Therefore, it’s likely better to do your exercise in the morning or the afternoon.
Whenever you do your exercise, the many benefits are obvious. One of the biggest ones is that it could reduce your stress levels and therefore help you get to sleep much easier.
When my body feels exhausted, it puts me into a deep heavy sleep.
2. Remove electronics from the bedroom
How many devices do you have in your bedroom? It turns out that exposure to blue lights that are emitted from electronic devices including phones, laptops and TVs interrupts our body’s natural sleep cycle by blocking sleep-promoting neurons that release melatonin that help us get to sleep.
One good sleep habit is to remove electronic devices from your bedroom so you begin to associate your bedroom only with sleep, not with entertainment, for example. If you can’t get to sleep straight away, you could try reading a book.
Admittedly this isn’t always realistic but you could always get yourself an alarm clock instead of leaving your phone on your bedside table.
3. Go to bed at the same time every night
Another healthy sleep habit to consider is to go to bed at the same time every night, even on the weekends. Having a proper and regular sleep schedule has many benefits. One of the biggest benefits of having a regular sleep schedule is the way it trains you to fall asleep at the same time each evening.
By going to bed at the same time every night, you improve your chances of developing a healthy sleep schedule and therefore stand a good chance of improving your mood during the day and your mental health.
The reason why children have sleep schedules, for example, is so they find it easier to get to sleep each night so why not try and stick to a sleep schedule as an adult and see if you feel better for it?
Whenever I stay up late I then find it hard to get to sleep until that same time the next night. Perhaps our sleep schedules are very sensitive and much easier to disrupt than we realise.
4. Consider getting a diffuser
Smell affects the body’s circadian rhythm (the internal body clock) and our sensitivity to smells change throughout the day. Aromatherapy is used for many things but one of the most popular of its uses is for relaxation, specifically at bedtime. Therefore, investing in a good diffuser might help you to ease into a night of better sleep.
One of my favourite ways to use experience bedtime aromatherapy is with a simple oil diffuser that ejects soothing scents every now and again, however, you could also consider spraying your own oils on your sheets and pillow for lasting smells that can help you get a good nights sleep.
Of course, some smells are better than others at bedtime and these include lavender, chamomile and cedarwood.
5. Quit working hours before bed
Sometimes it’s hard to switch off from work, even around bedtime. This is especially hard when you work for yourself, after all, you don’t have set hours so work can feel like your work is never done. However, working close to bedtime can not only over-stimulate your brain thanks to devices like phones and laptops but it can sometimes leave you feeling stressed out right before you lay your head down and try and switch off.
Everyone is different but a good rule of thumb is to stop working 4-5 hours before you decide you want to go to sleep. This way, you can give yourself enough time to wind down before you try and get some much-needed sleep.
Putting your laptop away hours before bed could also make you more efficient the next day too as you’re more productive when you’ve had a good night’s sleep.
6. Change your sheets once a week
A good habit to get into is changing your sheets at least once a week. Leaving your sheets for weeks or months at a time can cause sweat and skin cells to clog up your bedding leaving you will little airflow and a not-very-nice smell. Sleep expert Doctor Lindsay Browning recommends changing your sheets at least once a week to keep them clean.
According to her, having proper airflow in your bedding is key to getting a good night’s sleep. After all, there’s nothing quite like having clean-smelling sheets, especially after a bath near bedtime. The smell of the clean sheets alone could also aid you to sleep better, signalling to your circadian rhythm that it’s time to wind down for the day.
7. Use the same routine every night
Using the same bedtime routine is another healthy sleep habit you could try out. Just like you might have healthy morning habits, a bedtime routine can signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down and go to sleep. Having a bedtime routine helps children wind down for sleep and it can help adults too.
For example, consider getting changed into your pyjamas when it’s bedtime, brushing your teeth, washing your face and then getting into bed at the same time every night, regardless of if you choose to read a book beforehand or not. Leave your phone in another room before heading to bed and then try and turn your lamp off at the same time each night.
Complete your own bedtime routine almost like a ritual, signalling to yourself that your sleep time is necessary and deserves to be respected just like your exercise routine may be.
8. Don’t drink caffeine after noon
A good rule of thumb is to stop drinking caffeine by noon or 12 pm. Caffeine remains in your bloodstream for roughly 8 hours so whilst you may start to feel more tired a few hours after drinking it, it’s still active and stimulating you. Drinking large amounts of caffeine throughout the day can cause your energy levels to continuously spike and then crash and can mask potential sleep problems. Whilst it may make you feel alert during the day, over time it can leave you feeling more drowsy than you would be without it.
When you get to bed and close your eyes, your body may feel exhausted but your brain can often remain alert and overstimulated.
Caffeine can’t replace a good night’s sleep and may even lead keep you on a continual, daily rollercoaster of energy crashes if you don’t address your sleep properly. Caffeine limits the amount of time you sleep, the quality of your sleep and the amount of deep sleep you get.
Some drinks worth avoiding 8 hours before bed are soda, coffee, tea and energy drinks.
9. Keep evening meals light
Going to bed after a big meal can lead to a crumby night’s sleep all around. Whilst it could cause you to gain more weight, it can also cause you to suffer from acid reflux and heartburn which of course could lead to you delaying your bedtime. You could also suffer from indigestion if you eat a large meal before bed, a very uncomfortable feeling that can keep you up for hours.
The simple fact that you may be more bloated than usual and that you’ll likely feel uncomfortable is reason enough not to eat a large meal so close to bedtime. If you can, keep your portion sizes moderate and finish your last meal at least 3 hours before you go to bed.
10. Keep your bedroom as dark as possible
With your circadian clock constantly looking for day and night signals, the obvious one to feed it is darkness at bedtime. When the sun goes down it’s probably the best time to go to bed, however, this isn’t always realistic so if you do stay up past sunset consider spending some time each day to make your room as dark as possible. You can do this by remembering to leave your phone in another room and putting it on silent mode.
You can also make sure that there’s no light coming through your curtains by getting yourself some good blackout curtains too. Blackout curtains are nice and thick, blocking any moonlight or artificial light that may be outside your window.
If you have any chargers active in your room, remember to tuck them away so any lights on them aren’t affecting the overall darkness in your room.
11. Do something mindful each evening
One of the biggest sleep inhibitors is stress. How many times have you laid your head down to a head full of buzzing thoughts? Maybe you’re worried about someone or a bill you have to pay. You find yourself thinking too much and before you know it, hours have passed and you’re still wide awake.
One thing that could help is mindfulness. Consider practising a mindfulness exercise before bed to bring your mind to the present moment. Mindfulness takes practice but by making it one of your daily healthy sleep habits, you can learn to bring your awareness to the present moment.
There are many exercises you can try and some of them are only a few minutes long so they won’t feel like a chore.
12. Resolve conflicts before bedtime
You’ve probably heard that you should never go to bed on an argument, after all, it allows resentment to build and prolong suffering. However, new research has also shown that it can be detrimental to your well-being and could even restrict you from reaching deep sleep.
Going to bed on an argument can cause your mind to race after you close your eyes. It may not always be possible to resolve every conflict you may have had during the day but if you’ve had an argument with your partner, for example, try and make up as best you can so you’re not going to bed in a stressed state.
13. Limit alcohol consumption
Most people like to have a glass of wine with their dinner in the evening. However, alcohol and excessive consumption could drastically impair your sleep. As part of your healthy sleep habits, it might be a good idea to watch how much alcohol you drink before bedtime.
Alcohol has been shown to reduce the amount of REM (rapid eye movement sleep) you get and can also cause insomnia. Drinking alcohol can cause you to feel sleepy but it does this by relaxing your muscles and suppressing your nervous system which isn’t a natural way of achieving sleep. You may fall asleep quicker with alcohol but your overall sleep quality may be poorer and you may find that you wake up several times in the night.
The reason you may suffer from insomnia after drinking alcohol is due to the increase in sugar and water intake and an increase in acids in the digestive system causing irritation.
Healthy sleep habits exercises
If you struggle to get to sleep once you’re in bed, these sleep exercises might be useful. Try them out and see what calls to you personally.
The military method
- Relax all the muscles in your face
- Release the tension in your shoulders and allow your hands to freely rest by your sides
- Exhale fully
- Allow your legs and calves to become heavy. Notice how they feel heavier and heavier against your mattress to the point where you can barely move them.
- Clear your mind to where you can only see darkness
The military method for sleep was developed in World War 2 for the use of Navy pilots to help them switch off and sleep so their performance wasn’t impaired. It took them 6 weeks to successfully practise and resulted in the group that practised it regularly had a 96% success rate, even in a stressful environment such as war. Therefore, if this method doesn’t work for you, don’t feel bad. Simply keep trying for a few weeks. As it’s such a simple exercise, it makes sense to make it one of your good sleep habits each evening once you close your eyes.
Mindful sleeping
- Lay down and close your eyes. Relax the muscles in your face and resist from squeezing your eyes closed or moving your eyes and eyelids. Simply allow them to relax as they are.
- Allow your body to relax starting with your head. Spend a couple of minutes paying attention to how heavy your shoulders, back, legs and feet feel against your bed as your sheets cradle you gently.
- Notice the sensation of your sheets against your skin.
- Bring your awareness to how heavy you feel and you begin to feel heavier and heavier the sleepier you become.
- Notice how dark and still you are as you lay on your bed ready to rest.
- Continue to allow your awareness to focus on how heavy and calm your whole body is until you drift off into a deep, heavy sleep.
This mindful sleeping technique is a method I use from time to time to get myself to relax in bed. The method works by focusing your mind on the present moment and is especially good if you’re distracted by thoughts that are keeping you awake. It could be a good bedtime habit for anyone that worries at night.
Do you have any other sleep habits you try to deploy before bedtime? We’d love to hear them in the comments.