Are you struggling to get a good nights sleep and are searching for some easy changes that will help you improve sleep naturally without the use of medication?
You are in the right place!!
Skip the Caffeine
I know! One of the simplist ways to improve sleep quality is to skip all caffeine, which when you are tired feels really hard to do!
In my experience, even if you are only having one coffee a day in the morning it can still have an impact on sleep quality.
Depending on how much coffee or caffeine you are consuming I recommend easing off it, as if you stop too quickly you can get withdrawal symptoms which can include nasty headaches- noone wants them!
Regular Sleep Routine
In my experience one of the most effective way to improve sleep naturally is to have a regular sleep routine.
What does that mean?
It means doing a series of things before bed every night in the same order and at the same time.
I recommend that you start your routine at least 1-1.5hrs before you go to bed, as that starts to train your brain that sleep is coming, and rather than your brain starting to send sleep signals once you get into bed, it will start well before you get there!
Not everything on the routine needs to be directly associated with sleep- it may include some time reading a book, or having a cup of herbal tea, or even having dedicated time to sit down and have a chat with a partner/friend.
The key to having a good sleep routine is being realistic about what you already do, but just being more aware of the timing and sequence you do things in.
For example you may want to include- shower, book reading, cup of tea, small tidy up, going to the toilet, brushing your teeth, listening to a meditation and then lights off.
The more consistant you are the more easily your brain will recognise that you are getting ready for sleep and start slowing down to make it possible when you turn the light off and close your eyes.
I also recommend trying to have an earlier bed time, which leads into the next point.
Try to eat your evening meal at least 3hrs before your bed time- this allows time for digestion to occur prior to you needing to rest, and you won’t go to bed with a huge belly of food.
Having a Regular Bed time
One of the easiest ways to mess up your bodies natural sleep rhythm is to go to sleep at different times every day.
My recommendation is to try to have lights off and actively trying to go to sleep by 10-10.30pm every night.
That means starting your pre-bed sleep routine somewhere between 8.30-9.30 depending on how long it is.
Naturally our bodies want to go to bed with the sun, but with the advent of electrical lighting out bodies don’t get the natural signals that it is time to wind down and go to sleep as the sun goes- because it is still bright inside!
Avoiding Visual and Auditory stimulation
When you are trying to wind down for the night it is really important that you are doing activities that are relaxing, and won’t be stimulating as they will keep you awake!
A nice easy way to improve your chances at a good nights sleep is to keep the lighting nice and low (dimmer switches for the win!), and keeping noise levels down as well.
This includes the types of sounds you are listening to- soft and gentle music is preferable to loud music or anything that has sudden increases in volume.
Pretend you are a toddler and think about what sort of environment you would try to create when you are preparing them to get ready for bed- it will generally be relaxing, soft ligthing, and calm sounds!
Avoiding Screens
Most screens are very stimulating for the brain- not only because of the content of what they show, but also how the images are processed by the brain (very fast flickering seeming to create a smooth image).
The blue light that most screens emit can also cause headaches, and is very harsh on the eyes (more so when viewed in a dark environment). Using a screen that emits blue light in the evenings suppresses melatonin production- which is needed to get to sleep!
If you use a computer in the evenings, or your phone frequently at night time you may way to explore blue light filtering software or glasses. Or better yet- adjust your usage times so it doesn’t need to be used before bed!
Improve Sleep with regular Meditation
Meditation is a beautiful and gentle way to help improve your sleep. When I suggest meditation, often people roll their eyes, as they imagine needing to carve out an additional 30-60mins of time to get the most of it.
That is not the case!
I love the use of apps like Insight Timer or Smiling Minds, as there are many free meditations to choose from on a variety of topics (insomnia or improved sleep included!).
Some people struggle to sit down and focus on a meditation, if that is you I recommend trying to incorporate it into your day by listening to it while you are doing other activities- going for a walk, doing the dishes, hanging out laundry, commuting etc.
Or some people love to listen to the meditation as they are lying in bed, helping them to relax before sleep- it can be a lovely gentle way of connecting with your body and actively encouraging relaxation which allows sleep to occur.
Regular Exercise
Moving you body is an excellent way to help you to fall asleep faster, as well as helping you to enjoy a deeper sleep.
Vigorous exercise is best done in the morning or afternoon (at least 4hrs away from bed time) as it can leave the body too stimulated to sleep easily.
Gentle exercise can be enjoyed at any time of the day, it is a great way to move through any stress you feel in your body, and to help your body become physically tired – especially if you have a sedentary job.
Improve sleep by Sunlight Exposure
Regularly spending time in the sun is a fantastic way to help regulate your circadian rhythm and help you body know when it is day/night.
Exposure to sunlight (especially in the morning) helps your brain to know it is time to wake up and be active.
By regularly spending time in the sun it also helps to facilitate melatonin production- which is vital to a good nights sleep!
Make a list, empty your brain
There is nothing worse than jumping into bed only to have a huge list of thoughts running through your brain!
Make a habit of before you go to bed, writing down any jobs that you need to do. By writing these thoughts down your brain is able to “let it go” as you know it is written down and it won’t be forgotten.
It may be a list of tasks that you need to do the following day, it may be journalling to help process something that is happening and you are struggling with. It doesn’t matter what it is- if it is something that your brain is mulling over before you go to bed, write it down and come back to it in the morning!
Reduce/Remove Alcohol
Stop using alcohol to help you relax in the evenings!
Alcohol has significant impact on how you sleep and how restoritive that sleep is.
Alcohol will stop your body from being able to enter REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep- which is an essential part of the sleep cycle to help consolidate learning, memories, and mood regulation.
As the alcohol is metabolised through the night the sedative effect wares off and causes more frequent waking through the night, it also prevents the body from being able to enter into a deep sleep.
As alcohol is a dieuretic it can cause more frequent waking through the night in order to urinate.
Many people turn to alcohol to help them get to sleep because of its sedative properties- but unfortunately
Limit or Stop having Naps to Improve your Sleep
If you are really tired in the afternoon and you have a nap, it will impact your “sleep drive” which is a naturally process that occurs through the day- if you nap for longer than 20-30 mins, or too late in the day it will then mean your desire to go to sleep at your normal bed time will be impacted. By interrupting your natural sleep drive, it can also lead to a lighter and less rested sleep- so while you may initially feel better after a nap, it can then have the reverse effect and leave you more tired the next day!
Having naps in the afternoon can also impact your natural melatonin production, which will then prevent you from feeling tired/sleepy at night time when you are supposed to be going to sleep.
Manage Stress and Anxiety
It is very common to struggle falling asleep if you are feeling stressed or anxious. When you are stressed your body releases a hormone called cortisol which lets the body know there is some form of danger and to prepare to run or fight (fight or flight) which keeps you alert and thus awake. If you experience chronic (long term) stress it can start to have a longer term impact on your bodies ability to naturally reduce the cortisol levels at night time to allow you to sleep. High cortisol levels also have a suppressing effect on Melatonin, which the body needs to be able to relax and have a restful sleep.
Generally accompanying high stress is muscle tension, headaches, digestive upset, along with ruminating thoughts- none of which are conducive to a solid nights sleep!
Ongoing stress and anxiety can lead to anticipatory sleep anxiety- just the thought of going to bed makes you feel anxious because of the worry you won’t get to sleep easily.
Managing stress with lifestyle habits (many of which are already mentioned here!) can be a wonderful way to help you have a more restful and easier nights sleep- regular exercise, meditation, limit stimulants, a good wind down routine at night time, and most importantly if you are doing everything you can and still struggling- seek support!
Improve Sleep by doing some Cognitive Scrambling/shuffling
This works wonderfully when you just can’t quieten your brain, as it interupts the thought processes that are unrelated and not stressful which allows your brain (and you!) to relax.
How do you do it? There are two different ways to do this.
The first:
While in bed trying to fall asleep thing of a random word that has no association with anything that you are currently thinking about.
For example -Turkey
You then need to think of as many things as you can that start with the letter T, while you think of the word imagine the object in your head- for example: Taxi, turtle, tortoise, train, test tube, tridant, and top hat. Once you run out of words for T, move on to as many things as you can that start with the letter U while imagining them in your head- umberella, umbilical cord, unicycle, unicorn etc.
Keep going until you either fall asleep, or you finish all letters from your original word- choose another word and go through the process again.
It is best to try to choose a starting word that is at least 5 letters long, and doesn’t have any repeating letters.
The Second method:
Is a little less structured, and involves just thinking of a random an completely unrelated word for every out breath. For example: Chicken, pen, ice, peanut, tape, phone, rain, marshmallow …. and just keep going until you fall asleep!
By focusing your brain on random things rather than all the thoughts/worries it is trying to work through you are able to stop the over thinking and allow it to move towards a relaxed state so you can sleep.