Having trouble falling asleep? Here’s a few tips!

I used to be terrible with my sleeping habits in all my years of University. I would have trouble falling asleep at night and trouble waking up in the mornings.  I always felt exhausted and needed a power nap every day. I never really thought much about it until I started noticing how I constantly felt fatigued every day.  Sleep is the prime time your body has to repair all your cells to keep your body in tip top function and yet so many of us are waking around like Zombies because we skip on it! 

So here are a few things I did that helped with my sleep habits. Keep in mind, this took me almost a year to implement into my daily routine and if you ask anyone that knows me, I would rather prefer my restful sleep over late night cocktails any day!

1. Put away any devices that will easily distract you and keep you up

Social media… I’m guilty of it too. It calls my name sometimes to check it before bed and before you know it 2 hours have gone by and you have watched all the videos by Topi the Corgi and caught up with drama of Bree and Jason from Barkbox (maybe that’s just me).  But you get what I mean; social media can wait till the morning so try not to check it before bed. 

2. Invest in a few good pillows

I alternate my pillows so I’m using them equally. To be honest, I have about 5 and Lucy uses 2 of them, so really I have 3. I don’t use them all at the same time.  The key is not to have your neck in too much flexion and/or too much extension- you want it to be neutral. So that means your pillows shouldn’t be too high or too low.  They shouldn’t be too firm or too soft.  If you aren’t sure, message me!  If you find you are waking up with a sore neck you may want to switch your pillows out.

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3. Invest in comfortable bedding  

There is nothing more luxurious than a well made bed with breathable fabric textures. Keep in mind I am not referring to Satin sheets here! Summers are hot, winters are freezing and your bedding should be able to adapt to the extreme range in temperatures.  

4. Essential oils are your friends 

This is one of the most recent things I started doing in the last 8 months. I bought a diffuser and dropped in about 3 drops of lavender in it. If you have pets, make sure the essential oil that you are using is safe for your pets. It not only mists lavender while you are sleeping but it makes a nice background noise especially if you share a bed with someone who snores a little. 

Another note about lavender – I picked up a lavender spray bottle for my pillows while I was traveling because when I travel, I can’t sleep well. I was skeptical at first but a few sprays are all you need and I fall asleep in no time!

5. Eliminate as much light as possible

The darker the room, the easier it is to fall and stay asleep! 

6. Do some gentle stretches or yoga before bed 

Not only is stretching great for you in the mornings and throughout the day, it’s also a great way to unwind before sleep! 

7. Keep a notepad by your bed 

This one may sound a bit strange but this has helped me by far the most. My mind runs a mile a minute trying to make sure I have completed all my tasks for the days, meetings, and deadlines, returned messages and phone calls and personal life matters. If I get a nagging feeling that I forgot something and it finally comes to me, I write it down and deal with it in the morning. 

8. Make a routine of the same bed time and wake up time 

This is one of the hardest things I have ever done! I try to get up at 6 am everyday (even on my days off) and go to bed around 10pm. Routines help ground me and keep me functioning at my best and they also help keep my dog on routine too.  Pets are extremely smart and know our routines better than us; it helps them with their sleep schedules too. 

9. Read a book or journal 

I love reading so this one is something I have been doing since I was a kid. Journaling is new for me. I try to write 5 things I’m grateful for everyday, sometimes I forget to write it but I still think of them.  Some days my list will have 20 things and other days it will have 2, but it still helps. A grateful heart is a loving heart and opens you up for more love appreciation for this world. 

10. Have your morning routine ready to go 

Before I go to bed I make sure: my coffee is set on my timer, my breakfast is close to the front of the fridge, my outfit is laid out for the next day, my gym wear is ready to go when I take Lucy for a quick walk/run in the morning and my purse, laptop etc is ready to go for the next day. The small amount of time you spend the night before will set you up for success the next day. 

Hope these helped! Let me know what works for you!