As a terrible insomniac (which you can read about here) I’m always looking for good ideas which might help. One of my best friends, Jo, from Tea And Cake For The Soul, has been looking into the subject for me, for this guest post. I’m sure you’ll agree that they are super-helpful ideas and worth a try!
Struggling to sleep…
So many people have problems getting off to sleep at night, and others may fall asleep easily but wake often during the night. Either way, your body is not getting enough rest to recuperate and recharge for the day ahead. I feel it’s so important to prepare both your body and your bedroom for a good night’s sleep so I have compiled a few tips to help you out.
How to relax your mind and body for sleep
To enjoy good quality sleep you will need to rest your mind and your body. To achieve that you should aim to get a night-time routine established and stick to it as much as possible.
To relax your body you might like to:
- Try to have your evening meal as early as possible so that your food can start to digest before you go to bed.
- Avoid drinking tea, coffee, alcohol, and fizzy drinks close to bedtime. I make sure I have my last cup of tea just after my early evening meal. It does take some getting used to, but it will help your sleep hygiene. If you want a warm drink, try a hot milk or even some warm water infused with lemon. Otherwise, keep hydrated until bedtime by only drinking water.
- Avoid strenuous exercise before bed. A walk, yoga, and tai chi/qi gong are all healthy relaxing alternatives. There are lots of videos on YouTube. Here is one of my favourite qi gong routines – it’s great for stretching out all those tense muscles in your back and shoulders, and leaves you feeling calm and relaxed.
- Have a warm bath with bubbles, essential oils, candles, soft music, or whatever you find relaxing. Alternatively, a tepid bath if the weather is hot.
- Dress according to the season. In summer months you may not like to wear very much at all but in winter, there’s nothing more comforting than snuggling up in some cosy PJs or a fleecy dressing gown.
- Make a to-do list for the next day so that you are not going to bed trying to remember what you have to do the next day.
- Turn your mobile phones, messenger apps, and social media off an hour or two before sleep. If you need to leave your phone on in case of emergency calls, go into your settings, switch on do not disturb, and add the contacts that you will allow calls from.
- Most of us need to unwind before bed with some TV, music, or a book and this can often conflict with using devices before bedtime. If this is the case, try to watch, listen, or read on something other than your phone.
How to prepare your bedroom for sleep
Ensuring that your bedroom is ready to give you a good night’s sleep is just as important as preparing your body and mind. Ideally, you want your bedroom to be a calm inviting space with the bed being the main focus.
To prepare your bedroom:
- Ensuring that your bedroom is ready to give you a good night’s sleep is just as important as preparing your body and mind. Ideally, you want your bedroom to be a calm inviting space with the bed being the main focus.
- Try to keep your bedroom for sleep only and have a clean, uncluttered room. Furnish it with stylish wardrobes, drawers, and side tables to hide away any clothes and shoes. You may like to view the Rauch bedroom furniture range for inspiration. Personalise it with a couple of pictures or photos on the walls, and maybe some candles or coloured glassware on the shelves and window sill. Be wary of too much clutter.
- Ensure your bedroom is well ventilated and consider having the window ajar slightly to bring fresh air into the room. This may not sound very appealing in the winter but you can gain warmth by pre-heating your bed with hot water bottles or a heated blanket or throw.
- Make sure your bedroom is dark. Invest in a blackout blind or curtains. There are numerous designs available online and on the high street. If you have internal windows above your doorframes where the light can shine through, these can easily be covered over with Fablon/DC Fix. You can find out how to do that in the article How to cover up borrowed lights.
- Lavender is always a good natural relaxant. Put a couple of drops of essential oil under your pillow or try a pillow spray.
I hope this has given you some ideas about how to prepare your mind, body, and bedroom for a good night’s sleep. Do let us know if you have any more tips.