6 Steps to a Great Night’s Sleep

Small Changes to Help You Sleep Better

Do you find it difficult to get to sleep? Do thoughts and worries often keep you awake during the night? Do you find it hard to sleep for 7 to 8 hours every night?

If so, you’re not alone — 35 percent of American adults don’t sleep for at least 7 hours a night, according to a survey carried out in all 50 states by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).¹

In addition, between 50 and 70 million adults suffer from a sleep disorder, with insomnia being the most common condition, according to American Sleep Association (ASA).²

If you have trouble nodding off or staying asleep, it can affect many areas of your life, including your ability to drive safely.

Here are five steps you can take to get a great night’s sleep, so that you wake up feeling refreshed, alert and ready to deal with anything the day may bring.

1. Go Caffeine-Free after 4 pm

Caffeine makes your heart beat faster, making it harder to relax and go to sleep.

Since it takes a few hours for caffeine to leave your system, it’s a good idea to stop drinking caffeinated drinks at around 4 pm. I’ve been doing this for some time now and I’ve found it much easier to relax in the evening and go to bed at a reasonable time.

After 4 pm, I drink:

• Fruit tea — I love zingy citrus and berry flavors
• Herbal tea — my favorite is mint but I also like bedtime blends containing calming herbs, such as lavender, chamomile and Valerian root, which is a natural remedy for insomnia and anxiety
• Redbush or Rooibos — if I fancy a “real” cup of tea, I’ll drink redbush tea with milk — it tastes similar to tea but contains no caffeine at all
• Hot chocolate, made with milk — this does help me sleep but it does contain a small amount of caffeine, so I only drink it occasionally.

2. Turn off Screens at Least One Hour Before Bed

The blue light from electronic screens can disrupt your body’s production of the sleep-regulating hormone, melatonin, making it more difficult to relax and fall asleep. Therefore, it’s a good idea to switch off your phone, tablet, laptop and other electronic devices at least one hour before bed.

I’ve got into the habit of switching off my laptop and checking my phone for the last time at 8 pm.

Occasionally, I have to look at a screen after 8 pm, either for work reasons or if I’m organizing something urgently. I’ve found that, without fail, it’s much, much harder to fall sleep on these evenings, even if I’ve followed the rest of my bedtime routine.

3. Write a To-do List for Tomorrow

Sometimes things that you need to do are on your mind and this stops you from drifting off to sleep peacefully.

To combat this, write a list of things you need to do tomorrow and then leave it on your desk. I also keep a notebook by my bed, so I can jot down other things that occur to me while I’m in bed.

I find that, once I write something down, it stops going round and round in my brain. If I don’t write it down, I keep thinking: “ I must remember to do this… and then I’ll need to do that…” and this stops me from relaxing.

4. Do Something Relaxing

After you’ve turned off your screens and written a to-do list, do something relaxing. This could be:

• A warm bath or shower using relaxing aromatherapy bubble bath or shower gel
• Writing in your journal, even if it’s just to jot down three things you’re grateful for
• Some gentle stretching or yoga exercises, such as ‘cat-cow’
• Meditation with a lighted candle or by following a guided meditation.

5. Read a Printed Book in Bed

Get into your nice, warm, safe bed and read a printed book before you drift gently off to sleep. I often drop the book as sleep comes over me!

A study by Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that people who read a printed book fell asleep faster than those who read an eBook. Printed book readers also produced more melatonin, spent more time in REM sleep and were more alert the next morning.³

Avoid reading an exciting book because it might wake you up rather than relax you. For me, slow-paced fiction based around interesting characters is the best kind of bedtime reading material, especially if the story is set in a place that captures my imagination.

6. Wake Up with an Alarm Clock after 7–8 Hours Sleep

Aim to get 7–8 hours sleep each night, although some people may need more than this and some people less. If you sleep a lot less than this at the moment, bring your bedtime forward by 15 minutes every few nights until you’re sleeping for between 7 and 8 hours.

Set an alarm clock to wake you up. Choose an alarm clock that wakes you gently with natural sounds rather than one with a shrill ring.

Avoid the temptation to use your phone as an alarm clock. Having a phone by your bed increases anxiety.

Even if you don’t check it, you may be wondering who has contacted you or posted on social media. This won’t help you relax and get a peaceful night’s sleep. So, it’s best to leave your phone downstairs while you sleep. Any messages people send can wait until the morning.

After trying these five steps for at least a week, see how you feel during the day. Do you feel more energetic? More alert? Can you concentrate better? All these things are the result of getting a good night’s sleep.

References

¹ 1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep

² Sleep and Sleep Disorder Statistics

³ Light-Emitting E-readers Before Bedtime Can Adversely Impact Sleep

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