There you are in bed and your anxious mind is recalling the things you didn’t get done during the day—unwanted thoughts coming at you like pop-up signs “why didn’t you______, you should have________” fill in the blanks: resisted that cookie, exercised, called that person, not watched so much TV… the list goes on and on, and sleep eludes you once again. Many people have trouble falling asleep at night, and some have trouble going back to sleep once they’ve woken up. We’ve heard over and over that we need 7-8 hours of sleep in order to function. If we get less than that on a regular basis we make more mistakes and can be cranky and unpleasant. No matter how much work you have, you need to schedule enough sleep so that you are productive and pleasant to be around. So how do we do that? In this blog I’m going to address how to set the stage for a good night’s sleep.
1) Create a relaxing sleep space
Your sleep environment matters. Sleep experts agree on several things necessary for a goodnight’s sleep:
Dark place ~ your body clock knows that when it’s dark it’s time to sleep. If you have light coming in or have to sleep during the day consider black out curtains. You can even use a mask to cover your eyes.
Cool room ~ people sleep better in a cool place than hot, which is why summer can be difficult here in Southern California. If you feel cold, it’s better to put on a blanket, even a light one, than turn up the heat.
Quiet ~ Ear plugs or a fan to generate white noise can improve your sleep. The worst noise is intermittent and unpredictable (does your partner snore or have sleep apnea?) A fan can help block out that noise.
Comfortable bed ~ those ads about mattresses are correct, a good night’s sleep can be ruined by a bad mattress. Also make sure there’s enough room for all the bodies on the bed including the fur babies.
2) Establish a bedtime routine
As much as possible go to bed close to the same time every night. Changing it up on the weekends is ok for people who aren’t experiencing sleep problems, but if you are, I recommend staying with the same sleep schedule all week.
Associate your bed with sleep
This means what you do in bed is sleep, don’t bring work with you. You’re training your brain and body to get in bed and sleep. While some people like to relax by reading, do it in another room. Turn off your electronic devices 30-60 mins before bed, or turn down the brightness.
If after you’ve been in been for 20-30 mins and can’t fall asleep, get up. The goal is to associate your bed with sleeping. While up, do something boring or relaxing so that you don’t activate your mind. If you can find something passively unpleasant, you can train your brain to look forward to sleeping in the bed.
Wind down before going to bed
Often taking a warm bath (not hot) with pleasant scent is relaxing for some people. You can make it an experience by having music and light some candles. Take your bath in the hour before bed now that you’ve turned off the electronics.
Almost anything can interfere with a good night’s sleep. Avoiding activities that stimulate the mind and body a few hours before bed is helpful. Do your exercising and heavy housecleaning several hours before bed. In addition any social media that will spark your emotions or thought process also should end a couple of hours before bed.
3) Watch what you eat and drink
Some people need to avoid caffeine all together; not just after lunch. Coffee isn’t the only source of caffeine; other sources are colas, certain teas, chocolate, and even some pain relievers. I’ve recently found out that sugar can also be a culprit in poor sleep. While you may not have been bothered by caffeine or sugar consumption in the past it could be interfering with your sleep now so journal what you eat and drink for about a week to see what happens with your sleep patterns.
Nicotine gets the body going, so don’t smoke or vape just prior to going to bed.
At times we’ve been encouraged to have some wine in the evening, it’s relaxing and it seems like it would help our sleep. While it may help you fall asleep, the alcohol interrupts REM sleep so you may not always get the restorative sleep you are hoping for. Again, check to see how it affects you.
What is good to drink before bed? Herbal teas don’t have caffeine and because cherries have a natural form of melatonin they may be worth considering. Be careful about any OTC medications because they may cause drowsiness the next day.