8 Tips for Better Sleep
The basic guidelines for sleeping better include maintaining a consistent bedtime, avoiding caffeine, and keeping the bedroom cool.
However, if someone is still having trouble getting to or staying asleep, there are other techniques to try.
If sleep problems persist, it is advisable to consult your doctor, who may perform a sleep study to get to the bottom of your troubles.
We all know the basics of getting a good night's sleep: having a consistent bedtime, not eating or consuming caffeine late, and keeping the bedroom cool—like hibernating bears, we sleep better when cool.
But what if those don't help enough?
Pre-sleep
Your sleep can improve by increasing the amount of light you're exposed to during the day. If you can't get enough sunlight (yes, wear sunscreen), you might try a light-therapy lamp. At night, decrease your exposure to light from computer screens, smartphones, and TV.
Exercise in the early evening. Right after exercising, you'll feel energized, but the tiring effect will kick in a couple of hours later, which should facilitate your sleeping.
Clear your mind using one or more of these:
— A mantra said while breathing in and slowly breathing out. Any calming word will do.
— Picture a butterfly gliding from flower to flower, perhaps across your garden.
— Count backward: 100, breathe in, 99, slowly breathe out. Anesthesiologists may ask patients to count backward from 100 to help them get sleepy.
Some people sleep better when a body part touches their partner, dog, or plush animal. Indeed, one-third of adults sleep with a comfort object, such as a teddy bear.
Think of the good things that are coming up tomorrow. That may not only get you to sleep faster, but it also increases your chances of having pleasant dreams, from which you're less likely to awaken than from a nightmare. For example, in one study, participants who were told to think about roses as they were falling asleep were more likely to have a pleasant dream than people who were told to think about rotten eggs.
If you wake up in the middle of the night
One of the aforementioned tips may help you return to sleep. Sometimes, it just takes time.
If lying there is too frustrating, get out of bed for just a bit and then get back in. If you still can't sleep (and you may start sleeping without realizing it), take solace in the possibility that your body is showing that you're not badly in need of sleep. Even just lying there resting will yield some of sleep’s benefits, and when your body decides it wants more sleep, it will send you into the Land of Nod. And if one night you don’t sleep well, your body will probably make it easier to sleep tomorrow.
Still having sleep problems? It may be time to see your doctor, who might recommend a sleep study to pinpoint the problem.
Morning reverie
When you first wake, if you have a couple of minutes to spare, allow yourself a bit of reverie, while you're semi-awake, to muse on the coming day, especially positive thoughts, including gratitude. That can be both pleasurable and productive.
The takeaway
We’ve all earned the right to respite from the maelstrom. Perhaps one or more of these tips will help you exercise that right. Enjoy.