How to Sleep at Night Part I

Photo by andy_bernay-roman

It seems that in this day and age, our lives have become so busy and so full that even the simple act of getting a good nights sleep is foreign to many of us.  I have to admit, I sleep well at night, but not all the time.  In fact, much of the time, I am restless, can’t settle down, can’t relax, and sometimes wake up through the night for no apparent reason.  It turns out, I’m not alone.

So, I started researching some natural ways to improve sleep, and I’ve found some great tips.  I don’t expect you to institute all of these things at once, but take a look at them and see what you can start with now to improve your sleep, then once that’s become a habit, make another little change that could help you sleep at night.  Some of the tips will be just that, tips to improve sleep, some of them may require that you change your bed time routine altogether.  It’s obviously your choice what you choose, but I’ll list as much as I can here and I’ll tell you what I do each day without fail to get myself ready for bed and sleep well.

Get on a Schedule

One of the worst things you can do to your sleep schedule is to constantly change it.  For most of us, this isn’t a huge problem.  At worst, we stay out too late, or stay up watching movies a little too late, or have to wake up early for one reason or another, but we generally fall asleep and wake up within 2 hours of the same time each night and each morning.  This 2 hour window is your bodies natural rhythm.  It is best to make sure you fall asleep and wake within 2 hours of the same time each night so that you can train your body into a natural sleep schedule.  If you change the schedule constantly, your body will constantly try to adjust it’s rhythms to match what it thinks is the new schedule.  The result is that you will be tired, sluggish, and never feel rested.  Often you will not get into that restorative REM sleep state.  I have done this at periods in my life, and I have a friend who is on call 24/7 who also is awakened by a ringing phone and required to be available any time.  He is a prime example of someone who doesn’t get restorative sleep.  He is constantly tired, on the verge of being sick, or getting sick, and will often fall asleep during random down periods, like during a movie or even a visit with friends.  If you get your body onto a schedule, breaking the schedule occasionally will be okay, but won’t affect as badly as if you constantly alter your sleep patterns.

Avoid Stimulants

This one seems like common sense, but I still sometimes have a night time cup of coffee.  I know plenty of people who drink a lot of soda and will sometimes drink one before bed.  But the real culprit is smoking.  I don’t smoke, but I do know people who do, and most of them have to have a cigarette before bed.  The problem is that Nicotine is a stimulant.  So even if it is relaxing to have a smoke before bed, it is actually filling your body with stimulants that will make your sleep interrupted and rough.  If you’re not willing to give up the habit completely, even for a short 30 day trial, then at least don’t have any stimulants for an hour before bed.

No Work, TV, Food, or Emotional Issues in Bed

I always see those movies where the couple goes to bed and they both sit there on their laptops working in their pajamas in bed.  Whenever I see this, I think, “That can’t be REAL!”  But, I’m sad to say, many people do it, maybe you’re one of them, maybe you’re reading this post in bed.  If this is the case, you need to break the habit.  I’m not going to say I’m not guilty of this from time to time.  I enjoy going to bed and occasionally snuggling under the covers with my fiance and watching a good movie, but I know it’s really not conducive to good sleep.  I know I shouldn’t be doing it, but I do.  It’s not always, it’s a rarity.

It didn’t used to be though.  Not for me anyway.  When I was in college, I would sleep with the TV running a movie for the whole night.  If I didn’t, I wouldn’t fall asleep.  It was my security blanket.  I would turn on a movie I’d seen several times and drift off to sleep in the comfort of constant stimulation.  I would also snack, and I know I’ve had plenty of emotional discussions in my bed.

The problem with all of these habits is that they create emotional anchors for your bed.  Suddenly your bed can subconsciously mean food, tv, work, emotional issues, as well as sleep and sex.  Your bed should be limited to sleep and sex, especially if you have sleep issues.  otherwise, your mind will be prepared for all the rest or constantly be distracted while you are in bed, even if all you want to do is sleep.  It is best to set aside work and any other straining issues at least 2 hours before bed, and it’s suggested that you should avoid TV and email for at least 30 minutes before laying down.  This allows your mind to detach and begin to relax.

Exercise

Studies have shown that exercise, performed at any time of day, will improve your sleep at night.  In fact, 30 minutes of exercise every morning will have a profound effect on how deeply you sleep each night.  I personally don’t like exercising in the morning.  If you read Overwhelmed you’ll probably remember that I’m not a morning person.  I like staying up late and personally, I like to exercise at night.  I sleep way better if I exercise about an hour before bed.  So even though studies have shown that morning exercise will improve your sleep, listen to your body, and exercise when you feel best exercising.  If exercise relaxes you, as it does me, then try doing it at night when you can benefit from that relaxation by hitting the mattress.

Either way, whether it’s for your sleep or your overall health, it’s a very good idea to get at least 30 minutes of exercise in every day.  This can be something as simple as going for a walk, running, weight training, swimming, martial arts or even dancing in the living room.  If you’re a tech lover, grab a Nintendo Wii and get moving, there really is no reason we shouldn’t be able to get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day.

Dim The Lights, and See the Sunlight

This is something that I came across by accident.  I have a friend that won’t turn on lights at night unless it’s necessary.  He has elaborate wall sconces and candelabra’s all over his house, and just lights candles and keeps a dim light in the kitchen.  I stayed at his house during a vacation, and I can’t tell you how relaxing and refreshing it was.  This is something you can do at your own house.  Grab some big candles and place them throughout your house.  If you’re worried about fire, only light the candles in the room you are spending your time in.

Another solution is to get lamps that allow you to dim them.  Then you can place a few of these throughout the house and dim them a few hours before bed.  I worked construction for much of my high school years, so I just wired in dimmer switches in my bedroom and I have candles in the bathroom and a desk lamp in the living room.

If you have the time, it would be best to dim the lights at least 3 hours before bed.  This will train your body into a sleep schedule by telling your mind that it will soon be time to relax for bed.  It is best to do the exact opposite when you wake up.

Each morning, open up your windows, turn on the lights and see the sunshine.  Expose yourself to light, preferably sunlight, within a half hour of waking up.  Just as dimming the lights 3 hours before bed will tell your body it’s time to rest, exposing yourself to sunlight 30 minutes after waking will train your body into a sleep wake schedule at roughly those same times.  If you f0llow a sleep schedule, going to bed and waking within 2 hours of the same time each day, your body will begin to cycle down quicker and sleep deeper during those times.  You will fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake easier.

Snacks and Drinks

As I mentioned before, it’s not the best idea to drink caffeine or have any stimulants before bed.  It’s also not a good idea to eat heavy fast carbohydrates before bed either.  Instead, a protein snack and maybe some slow, complex carbohydrates can help your body maintain it’s blood sugar levels throughout the night, helping you stay in deep sleep as much as possible.

I personally used to eat a bowl of cereal before bed, but I know now that this isn’t healthy in any way.  I prefer now to snack on a protein shake, a piece of sliced turkey or cheese, or a meal replacement bar.  These are all low calorie snacks, that don’t contain many carbohydrates, and will keep me full for the whole night.  The key here is to keep it low calorie and slow carbohydrates, like the carbs in vegetables.  This way you don’t have to worry about these bedtime snacks affecting your waste line.

If you have trouble falling asleep, it’s a good idea to have a warm drink just before sleep.  I like to make myself a warm cup of tea, but some people drink warm milk.  The concept that drinking warm milk before bed to sleep better isn’t just an old wives tale, the heat of the drink will help to raise your core temperature which is something that happens naturally when we sleep.  Sipping on a warm drink before bed will start the process of raising your core temperature so that you will be able to more easily drift off to sleep.

That’s it for Part I of How to Sleep at Night.  In part two, I will offer more changes you can make as well as routine suggestions that will help you sleep better every night.  You owe it to yourself to get the best rest possible, start making changes in your life tonight that will help you sleep better every night.

For more information on how you can sleep better every night, check out Kacper Postawski’s Powerful Sleep.

I hope this finds you well,

Ryan M Hall

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