I love a good night’s sleep (who doesn’t!) Years of shift work messed up my sleeping habits big time, and when I started a ‘9 to 5’ a few years ago, I struggled even more when I had to force my body back into a ‘normal’ sleep pattern. Now, I’m no scientist (unless being addicted to The Big Bang Theory counts!), so these tips are just based on my own experience but with these in place I rarely have difficulty sleeping nowadays.
1. Pamper yourself
I don’t mean a full on head to toe pamper session (but if you have the time and inclination to do this every night go for it!) but I find taking time over my skincare routine, using products I really enjoy, helps me wind down for the day. I start by literally washing the day off my face; micellar water, eye make up remover and cleanser. I follow this up with skin tonic, serum, facial oil, eye cream and night cream. I have a little acrylic storage unit on my bedside table and here is where I keep the products I use once I get into bed; cuticle cream, foot cream and hand cream. This mini pamper routine has become a bedtime ritual and I find it helps me physically and mentally relax ready for sleep.
If you would like to know more about the skincare products I use please let me know in the comments – I can do a seperate blog post or You Tube video.
2. Invest in you bedroom
In my opinion, your bedroom should be your sanctuary and by feeling completely and utterly relaxed by your surroundings, it can only help you sleep better. By invest, I don’t necessarily mean spending loads of money, it depends what you find comfortable and appealing. For me I want a soft mattress, calming colours and lots of ‘homely’ touches. For others it might mean a wall full of photos, or as many scatter cushions as humanly possible to fit on a bed, or very minimal decor – whatever floats your boat!
3. Ban smart phones and tablets
This is one tip that I really should do more often! I’m vaguely aware of actual research with scientific reasoning as to why using smart phones or tablets before trying to sleep is detrimental (something to do with the blue back light I think – I’m sure Google will enlighten you if you want to know more!) and I’ve definitely noticed that if I don’t look at mine for an hour before going to bed, I get to sleep much quicker. In our household we even ban them for the whole evening on occasions and it really makes a difference.
4. Talk to someone
I’m a big believer in ‘de-briefing’ at the end of the day, no matter how mundane, stressful or exciting it may have been. Live with a partner or your family? Chat about your day over dinner. Live alone? Call a friend or family member each evening to talk about how your day was. Not really a talker? Why not write it down or keep a diary. I find just talking about my day, and listening to others talk about theirs, helps me ‘put the day to bed’ and clears my mind ready for a good night’s sleep.
Meditation is a word that used to make me feel sceptical. And it’s because I didn’t understand it. I joined a Pilates class over a year ago, and the last five minutes is always meditation. For me, it’s about controlled deep breathing and clearing your mind (not necessarily chanting mantras or sitting in the lotus position like I had imagined!) I don’t do this every night but after a really stressful day, or when something is making me feel anxious, just doing controlled breathing as I’m trying to get to sleep helps me relax. I won’t try and explain how to do it, as I don’t want to give out any misinformation! However, there are plenty of You Tube channels available with methods and advice if you are interested.
If you have any sleeping tips, let me know! If you also find the above tips helpful, I’d love your feedback too 🙂