Lately, I’ve been exhausted. I fall asleep super fast & then the next thing I know at 2 or 3am I’m awake. I used to be the type that could sleep through the night even though I might take a potty break here & there. It’s even more strange because these mornings I can’t sleep, I just go ahead & get up. I may read Bloglovin’ or a book, I might work on my blog or future projects. It’s a super productive time for me, well I mean after my first 5 cups of coffee. Then I show up to work with my bags & I am not talking about my lunch box, backpack & purse.
In these wee hours of the morning, I’ve done a lot of research on ways to help me sleep better. And I’ve also learned that a lot of my friends are in the same boat. Insomnia is creeping in to our worlds & we have to fight back!
Ways That Help Me Sleep Better:
1.) Turn off that cell phone – I will roll over, get comfy & then a light will flash. No biggie, then it flashes again & again. This is when I get anxious trying to figure out who or what it is. And honestly, nothing is 100% urgent that I need to look. I’ve talked to M, my folks, all is good. But then I look! AHHH Then I’m up for another bit! My advice – hide that baby. Put it in another room to charge, turn it upside down, just stay away from it when trying to sleep.
2.) Meditate – This actually helps. I downloaded Headspace & have been doing the nightly getting to sleep meditation. Two key things I have learned from this to help you fall asleep – a) acknowledge your thoughts when they drift off and then bring them back to focus on breathing b) count back from 1000. Let me tell you this isn’t easy & it will wear you out. I got my mom to try it & the past two mornings she has told me how well this works. So, now I’m telling you!
3.) Cool Temperatures – I have to have a cool room. Then I pile on blankets, don’t laugh. If it’s not cool, you can bet I am going to toss & turn & flop myself out of the bed.
4.) Vitamins – I’m not 100% for Tylenol pm to help you sleep (even though I’ve done it). I decided to look into alternatives & have found that I really really like Olly Restful Sleep. I take a few of the vitamins from this brand & have been super pleased. Plus, these taste like candy. Basically, it’s a win win!
5.) Get that Lavender in the Air – I use a diffuser in my bedroom & usually only add lavender to it. It has an automatic shut off so you can start it before you go to bed & it will cut off while you’re asleep. This is similar to the one I have, but I will tell you personally I can only do the cool colors because the red kinda creeps me out.
Other Ideas:
We are all different, but if you are fighting insomnia you are willing to try anything! Some other ideas that may help would be avoiding caffeine, warm baths before bed & exercise (but not close to bedtime).
If you have sleep tricks, let me know!
