How to Sleep Well

Hi everyone! After a brief pause over the holi-daze and New Year craziness, I’m back to blogging. I was also wrangling with some tech issues on the back end (it’s always something, isn’t it!?). I’m so looking forward to talking and writing about sleep issues and how you can improve your sleep and overall health in this coming year.

Read on to for some pithy tips for how you can improve your sleep easily and quickly!

Be consistent: setting (and sticking to) a consistent sleep routine is vital to good sleep. Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day (within about a half hour window) sets multiple systems in place to help prime your mind and body for sleep. When you have a variable sleep schedule, these systems get out of balance. Then a sleep problem can emerge. So try to create a bedtime and wake time that will work for you and then STICK TO IT. Don’t deviate, even if you’ve had a bad night’s sleep or two. Your body will adjust.

Create a routine: we humans really are like animals. We do well when our environment is predictable and we know the sequence of things. Particularly when you’re talking about daily body functions we all do, such as eating, sleeping, taking a poo. So if you have a clear bedtime routine where you allow 30-60 minutes to wind down before bed and do the same things every night, this will prime your brain that it’s time for sleep. By the time your toes hit the sheets, you’ll be in slumberville. So try setting a consistent routine that you follow every night.

Don’t try so hard: Nothing is more detrimental to sleep than putting in a lot of effort to sleep. Sleep should unfold naturally when your sleep system is aligned and working well. The big paradox: the more you try to sleep, the harder it can be to sleep. So instead of freaking out if you’re not able to fall asleep, tell yourself “my body’s sleep pressure will build up if I just follow my consistent routine.” 

That’s all for now. Wishing you restorative, consistent sleep!