Insomnia or any sleep difficulty can be tremendously wearing your body. Practically everyone has experienced the feeling of tossing and turning for hours on end. Let’s face it, it’s dreadful! On top of that, it is easy to be filled with anxiety over the clear consequences of not getting enough sleep. Improve your sleep with 5 simple tips:
1. Develop a Routine
We all have internal clocks. These clocks can only be stable if we put effort into creating a schedule. It’s okay to take this slow! For instance, a first step could be to try to go to bed and wake up within the same hour every night and morning. Creating a stable nighttime routine will train your body to maintain your sleep schedule.
2. Set a Time to Disconnect
With all the ways we can connect today, it can be difficult to disconnect. However, it is essential that we do so. Although it can be tempting to hop scroll through Instagram for hours, this can affect your sleep significantly. For instance, the blue light emitted from your phone or computer can decrease and worsen the quality of sleep. Read about the dangers of blue light here. Consider alternative activities such as reading, stretching, and listening to music.
3. Say NO to Caffeine (…late in the day)
Most people with insomnia have heard all the bad things about caffeine. However, it is hard for anyone to quit cold-turkey! We all know how hard that morning cup of caffeinated happiness hits…So, start slowly and try cutting caffeine out of your evenings. In addition, set reminders for yourself to stay conscious of your intake. Observe your sleep and try to notice any changes. Read about the harmful effects of caffeine here.
4. Get Out of Bed
If you suffer from insomnia, you likely experience that dreaded feeling of looking at the clock thinking, ‘If I go to sleep now I’ll have gotten five hours,’ and so on. However, this is an incredibly dangerous cycle of thought. Moreover, it is not helpful in any way whatsoever to your sleep. Instead, consider getting out of bed and getting out of that negative headspace.
5. Find your Calm
Many people who cannot sleep have extremely active brains. Moreover, sometimes it seems as if they are yapping away, losing crucial sleep. Finding ways to calm down your thoughts can be very helpful in improving sleep and falling asleep quicker. There are so many different ways of doing this: find ideas here.