Do you spend your night’s tossing and turning? Can you not get comfortable? Or do intrusive thoughts come and haunt you when you are trying to sleep?
You are not alone, the Sleep Health Foundation have found that it is becoming increasingly common for people to experience sleeping problems. In fact, 1 in 3 Australians have reported that they struggle to sleep.
If you want to fix your sleeping pattern, get a more peaceful night’s sleep, or want to feel rested when you wake in the morning, then you need to try out our 8 tips on how to get a better night’s sleep.
- Stick to a schedule
Try to stick to a sleep schedule. If you wake up at 8:00 am every morning, then make sure you don’t have a long lie-in, until midday, on the weekend as this will confuse your body clock. Always try to wake up and go to sleep at similar times. - Avoid caffeine before bed
Don’t drink caffeine before you go to bed. Drinking coffee or tea before bed will keep you awake for longer, so make sure you don’t drink any caffeine after a set time. The same goes with food, don’t eat late at night. For example, make sure you don’t drink caffeine or eat anything after 7pm, that way your body has time to relax. - Don’t take naps during the day
Similar to sticking to a sleeping routine, make sure you aren’t taking naps during the day – even if you are tired. Taking naps during the day can confuse your body clock and mess up your sleeping schedule. - Keep noise and light to a minimum
Make sure your room is quiet and dark as this will help you get to sleep faster and will ensure you don’t wake up during the night. Turn off any lights in your room and close your window so external noises don’t keep you up. - Check your temperature
Keep cool with a ceiling fan this summer. Being uncomfortably hot can significantly affect your sleep. If your house gets particularly hot and you struggle to sleep, then you need to consider turning up your air conditioning.
- Strictly no screen before bed
The blue light from your devices, such as your phone, tablet or computer, can keep you awake at night and can reduce your hormones that help you get a good night’s sleep. Be strict with yourself and say no devices an hour or so before you want to go to sleep.
- Try meditating
If you struggle to relax at night then you could try meditating before you turn in. This will help you relax your mind and body, so that you can get to sleep faster and stop worrying about silly little things in life.
- Get a better mattress
If you find that you can’t get comfortable at all and that your mattress springs are digging into you, it might be time to upgrade your mattress. Nothing lasts forever and mattresses are no exception to this, so treat yourself to a new, comfortable mattress and see if you sleep better. - Strive towards better sleep
There is no one way that you will definitely be able to sleep better. However, it seems that the secret to getting a better night’s sleep is all about planning your sleeping schedule, ensuring your room is quiet and dark, and relaxing your mind and body before you go to sleep.
Improve your sleep tonight by trying out some of our tips before you turn in for the night.
