Have you ever tossed and turned then stared at the ceiling with random thoughts racing through your head keeping you wide awake?
I think we’ve all been there.
You know you need a good night’s rest for your health and wellness and to be able to function your best the next day. But the harder you try; you just can’t fall asleep.
What can you do?
I’ve had a lot of people asking me this question.
Getting a good night’s sleep starts way before you even head to bed.
Here are a few tips I use that could also help you get a better night’s sleep.
Dim the lights.
Our world is always lit up. It’s no surprise we have problems sleeping at night.
Your body takes the cue from the sun going down that soon you will be sleeping.
But your house is full of light all evening. The light is lit over the dining room table while you eat, lights are on in every room you go in throughout your house, the TV, phones, tablets, etc.
How does your body know to shut down? All this light, especially the blue light emitted from electronic devices, stimulates your brain.
I don’t use many lights at night. I have salt lamps in every room that give a wonderful glow plus the salt is therapeutic, good for allergies and I wear blue light blocker glasses once the sun goes down. Some devices now have settings to block this blue light or you can install a filter or even an app.
Avoid light, especially blue light (from electronic devices), about an hour before trying to fall sleep.
Tell your body it is time for bed.
If you have kids or remember what your parents did with you, a bedtime routine was typically implemented.
Create a bedtime routine for you. It works!
You mostly do the same things every night before bed. Create a routine that let’s your body know it is time for bed.
Starting about an hour before you want to go to sleep, do those things that help you wind down. This tells your body it is time to sleep.
Try any or all of these: take a nice warm shower or bath, put on your pajamas, drink a nice herbal tea (no caffeine), brush your teeth, read a physical (not digital) book, write in your journal, say your prayers…
Change your thoughts.
A lot of people have racing thoughts that keep them awake or that wake them up. Things that happened that day, what might happen tomorrow, what you need to remember to do tomorrow, etc.
Before you head into your bedtime routine make a to-do list to remind you what you need to do tomorrow. Keep this list in another room so you don’t think about it.
Then dump out all of those things that happened during the day that you can't control on paper. Ask God to take these things, then visualize putting them in His hands. Also remove this list from your room. God's got it!
Another thing I like to do right before falling asleep is to think about at least one thing that you are grateful for and/or read some scripture.
Usually, the last thing you are thinking about before you fall asleep is what you wake up thinking about. So, put something positive into your mind.
What you do in the evening can be very helpful for you getting a better night’s sleep.
These are just a few things you can do to help you get more restful sleep. There are many more.
Do you have a bedtime routine? I would love to hear what works for you or help you create one. Let me know in the comments below.
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