If you struggle to get to bed on time or get enough sleep at night, you aren’t alone. The CDC estimates that as many as 70 million Americans suffer from sleep problems, but many sleep issues can be resolved simply by observing a better pre-bed routine.
Ready to start sleeping better at night and feeling better during the day? Follow these six simple steps to optimize your nighttime routine for restful, deep sleep.
1. Have a Soothing Snack
Eating too much before bed can keep you awake or cause digestive discomfort that keeps you from sleeping deeply. It’s no good going to bed hungry, though, since an empty stomach can also keep you up.
If you eat something before bed, keep it light. Fruit, crackers, and nuts are all excellent examples of relaxing, pleasant foods that will give your body just enough nutrients for restful sleep. Try to time your snack so that the ensuing blood sugar dip occurs right when you put your head on your pillow.
2. Relax in the Bath or Shower
Your body falls asleep best when its temperature drops a few degrees right before bed. Raising your body temperature in a bath or shower will trigger it to fall lower than it was before when you get out.
As a result, getting your body under some hot water can be just the relaxing ritual you need to feel well-rested at night. Bathing on a daily basis is already an essential component of good personal hygiene, and planning your showers at night allows you to absorb the fullness of their relaxing effects right before you go to bed.
It can also help to take a bath or shower specifically because you’re having a hard time getting to sleep. Add some magnesium (epsom salt) to your bath for extra sleep-boosting benefits.
3. Unglue Yourself from the Screen
Blue light produced by screens can prevent your brain from producing melatonin, a darkness-triggered hormone that’s essential for getting to sleep. The brain-stimulating activities associated with computers and mobile devices can also keep your mind too keyed up for sleep.
Even exposure to Wi-Fi radiation has been researched for its potential link to sleep disorders, so you may want to turn off your router before bed too. Experts suggest that you should turn off devices 1-2 hours before you go to bed for the best sleep quality.
4. Create a Restful Resting Zone
Take some time every night to make sure your bedroom is a great place to rest. Avoid spending time on your bed during the day to practice proper sleep hygiene. Consider investing in blackout curtains if there are lights outside your window. Run an air filter for white noise and improved air quality. Set up an aromatherapy diffuser.
In terms of temperature, your bedroom should be no warmer than 67 degrees. If that feels too cold, layer up with a weighted blanket, which might help you sleep more deeply.
5. Decompress with a Journal
Whether stressful or pleasant, thoughts have a way of swarming around in our heads right when sleep is needed the most. Before your dreams go about the process of sorting the day’s experiences for you, start things off early by writing your thoughts down in a journal.
Whether it’s a physical journal or just the notes app on your phone, getting the day’s events on paper can help them feel more external and less pressing. As you write, remind yourself that anything you write down tonight can wait until tomorrow to be solved.
6. Give CBD a Try
In recent years, CBD has become increasingly popular as a natural sleep aid. Clinical studies have been conducted into the potential benefits of CBD for sleep and anxiety, and countless sleep-oriented CBD products have appeared on the internet.
Users report that CBD provides a mildly relaxing effect that can make them too sleepy if they use it during the day. Regardless of its potential benefits, CBD does not appear to have any significant side effects, and as long as they contain less than 0.3% THC, CBD products are considered industrial hemp — not marijuana.
As you find the right CBD product to help you get to sleep at night, keep an eye out for companies that focus on organic or all-natural ingredients and use CO2-extracted full-spectrum or broad-spectrum CBD in their products. Reach out to a CBD brand directly if you have any additional questions about their products.
