I’ve been thinking a lot about sleep lately.
It’s so bizarre to me how deeply sleep can affect my mood and how people have such drastically different sleeping patterns or needs.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I can sleep for 13 or 6 hours and feel great. Other times, after 8 hours of sleep I end up feeling even more tired.
I feel like my sleep schedule is never, well, on a schedule.
But thanks to a few sleep hacks (and lots of trial and error), I find myself waking up refreshed more and more often.
There are a mind blowing amount of factors that can affect your sleep. Stuff like:
+ what you ate
+ how much caffeine you had
+ your stress level
+ your happiness level
+ if you worked out
+ if you napped
+ how much water you drank
+ blue light amounts from your screens
+ what noises are around you
+ how cold your room is
+ what your bed feels like
… If feels like literally everything can contribute to a good or bad night’s sleep.
So to make it all a little more manageable, I paired up with Leesa,* an online mattress provider, to outline of few of our top sleep tips.
Ready to be a morning person?
Set a bed time
Getting your body into a rhythm is the easiest way to get better sleep. As I said before, I’m terrible at this being at university and all (well, I technically have two bed times, either 9pm or 2am hehe).
Have a Night Routine
Everyone talks about their morning routines but what about a night routine? It’s the perfect way to get in the zone for some sleepy time.
Action hack: Get some apple or sleepy-time tea (caffeine-free is key) to get your body used to thinking, “Ah, this tea. Time for bed!”
Be Productive and Positive
Before bed (ideally during the day, ha), get stuff off of your to do list to minimise stress and sleeplessness. Or make a list for tomorrow. Either way, by doing this, you can tell your mind to relax.
To boost positivity, I’ve started to think about one positive thing that happened in my day before bed, whether it was a new thing I learned or a good lunch with a friend. It really helps put me in a good mood!
Do Stuff With Your Day
This goes hand in hand with being productive but is even more simple. Just getting out of the house and buying groceries or flowers is a bone fide hack to feeling like you accomplished something during the day. And that feeling of accomplishment always leads to a good nights sleep for me.
Drink Water
Guys. Drink. Yo. Water. It helps regulate literally everything in your body and is magical. It’s my number one hack for more energy… and a good night’s sleep! No one likes to wake up in the middle of the night gasping for water.
Action hack: Sleep with a water bottle or glass next to your bed.
Pimp Out Your Alarm
This is a life-changer. If you use an alarm, chances are it’s the first thing you hear in the morning. So why not make it awesome? There are so many apps out there now with will wake you up with everything from the news to your favourite song.
My alarm is Time to Dance by The Shoes (Sebastian Remix). It gets me pumped literally every morning… even though I can’t just listen to the song anymore.
Make Sure You’re Comfortable
Being in bed should be the most comfortable part of your day. The more comfortable you are, the faster you’ll be able to get to sleep. If you struggle to get comfortable then you might need a new mattress, like the ones from Leesa. If you’re worried about the price tag attached to a new mattress then you can look for coupons and discounts online to save you money. For example, a site like leesamattresscoupons.com/ would be good to look at. There are so many different types of mattresses available nowadays, so it’s important to try them out and see which one you find most comfortable. There are memory foam mattresses, water beds, latex mattresses like those available at luxtex and spring mattresses just to name a few. Take your time choosing yours. Above all, it is crucial that you do as much research as possible. There are so many fantastic mattresses out there nowadays, and so reading about all the different makes and models can help you to make the best choice for your needs. For example, if you prefer foam mattresses then taking a look at guides like this one that compares ecosa vs koala mattresses can prove to be beneficial.
Make a Gradual Change
All of these are great tips to try but it’s worth pointing out that you shouldn’t try to fix your sleep all at once (leave that for jetlag and time differences *sigh*). Maybe you could use a sleep diffuser pen before you go to sleep, or maybe take a nice warm bath! Your body welcomes little changes a lot more. Be nice!
For more specific tips for being a morning person, you can check out Leesa’s graphic here.
I think figuring out what works for your sleep is truly a lifelong endeavour.
I’m sure when I graduate in a year, my sleep will be totally different.
But hey, until then, it’s all just a learning process.
What are you top sleep tips? Have you tried any of these?