Let\u2019s face it, some of us need to sleep more \u2013 and sleep better. We all know how important it is to catch some ZZZs every night, and yet we spend hours and hours scrolling through our Twitter feed until, all of a sudden, it\u2019s 3am and you have to be up for work in a couple of hours. Oops.<\/p>\n
Even those of us who stick closely to our bedtime routine, and are off to dreamland by midnight suffer from sleepless nights. In our switched-on modern world, we could all do with learning to sleep better.<\/p>\n
Of course, it\u2019s not as simple as just going to bed an hour earlier. Plenty of studies show that there are a variety of daily things that contribute to a better or worse night of sleep, many of which we all do each day without thinking.<\/p>\n
So, to help you find the best way to improve your sleeping habits, and ultimately sleep better, here are a variety of simple steps on how to get a better night\u2019s sleep that you can start trying today.<\/p>\n
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We\u2019ll start with some general tips and get the obvious thing out of the way first.<\/p>\n
Put down your phone before<\/em> you go to bed. Your phone, computer, social media, the lot of it – it all keeps your mind awake and active rather than letting it settle before you tuck yourself in for the night. One of the worst contributors to poor sleep is scrolling on your phone while you\u2019re in bed.<\/p>\n Your phone and computer give off what\u2019s known as blue light. This type of light mimics the qualities of daylight, tricking your brain into thinking it\u2019s the morning rather than the evening.<\/p>\n Combine this with your brain being crammed full of interesting, but mostly irrelevant information offered by your social platform of choice, and you\u2019re left with a combination of a loud mind and a disrupted sleep cycle.<\/p>\n We know it’s not what you want to hear, but the first step you need to take if you\u2019re looking for how to improve the quality of sleep you get is to disconnect from your phone, computer, and TV at least 1-2 hours before you turn in.<\/p>\n Doing this gives your mind time to calm and process the day\u2019s information, and lets your body know that it\u2019s bedtime. If you find you\u2019re struggling to do this, there are plenty of apps out there that can either diminish blue light or lock you out of your favourite apps overnight.<\/p>\n Speaking of light. Another good way to improve sleeping habits is to go outside during the day. Exposure to bright daylight helps to reboot your body\u2019s natural sleep rhythm. If you combine this with exercise, then your odds of you getting a goodnight\u2019s rest will only increase as you\u2019ll naturally feel more tired in the evening. However, you should avoid doing any intensive exercise right before bed as this will have the opposite effect by waking you up.<\/p>\n Another tip you can\u2019t go wrong with is getting into a regular sleep routine. First and foremost, you should try to wake and sleep at the same time every day. If you need to wake up at 7am, then you need to be in bed no later than 11pm.<\/p>\n Once you get used to this, your body\u2019s natural sleep-wake cycle will adjust, and you\u2019ll naturally start to feel tired around the time you\u2019d normally go to bed. You might even find that you wake up before your alarm.<\/p>\n And seeing as we\u2019re on the subject, let\u2019s talk about alarms for a second.<\/p>\n For one thing, you should get yourself an actual alarm clock; a low-light model or an old-school analogue design are ideal. If you have to use your phone, put it on silent overnight and be sure to place it out of arms reach, preferably at the other side of the room. Not only will this prevent you from checking it in the night, it\u2019ll force you to get out of bed to turn it off in the morning, waking you up in the process.<\/p>\n To help bolster your new routine, you should try to do something before bed that relaxes you. This could be anything from reading a book, meditation, or even running yourself a cool bath while listening to some chill, lo-fi beats. As little as 20 minutes of this can make a world of difference to how quickly you fall asleep.<\/p>\n Last but not least, putting aside sometime in the day to be alone with your thoughts can be an incredibly beneficial way to calm your mind and figure out what important things you need to do the next day, rather than lying awake in bed till the early hours unable to shut your mind off.<\/p>\n While doing any one of the things we\u2019ve just mentioned is likely to help improve sleeping habits, one thing you should do is get proper bedding.<\/p>\n Proper bedding supports your body and keeps you cool overnight. The pillow is an important part of anyone\u2019s bed as it provides support for the head and spine.<\/p>\n In some cases, though, it can actually be beneficial to forgo a pillow, particularly if you sleep on your stomach. But if you sleep on your back or side, then a pillow is a must to avoid neck and back pain.<\/p>\n So, is it better to sleep without a pillow? Potentially, though it\u2019s recommended you reduce the number of pillows you sleep with or try a different type of pillow first to see if that makes a difference.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you\u2019re finding that getting to sleep isn\u2019t a problem but you\u2019re waking up groggy and irritable, it might mean you\u2019re not getting enough deep or REM sleep.<\/p>\n Deep sleep is particularly important as it\u2019s the period in a sleep cycle where your body heals itself. If you\u2019re interested in how to improve deep sleep, a lot of it might stem from diet.<\/p>\n A primary contributor to bad sleep quality is alcohol. While alcohol doesn\u2019t prevent you from sleeping, it does slow the body\u2019s natural healing rate and the benefits of REM sleep. Even if a nightcap helps you relax, by the time you\u2019re asleep it\u2019s already started to affect your sleep cycle.<\/p>\n Now, we\u2019re not here to tell you suddenly go tee-total, but if you drink a lot, then it might be a good idea to cut back on the nights when you\u2019re not going out with friends. After all, there are other health benefits to drinking less alcohol besides better sleep, and you can still drink non-alcoholic drinks<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another key factor in how to improve quality of sleep is to reduce your caffeine intake. By all means, have your morning espresso, but once it gets into the afternoon, it\u2019s a good idea to switch to decaf.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no question that drinking caffeine in moderation has its health benefits, but it stays in your system for a long time and puts your body on alert status for hours after consumption. It\u2019s recommended that you don\u2019t drink caffeine 6-8 hours before bed. So, if that bedtime is 11pm, no caffeine from 3pm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sometimes though, it\u2019s not as simple as switching our phones off or changing what we drink. For some of us insomniacs, our minds just can\u2019t stop swirling.<\/p>\n Learning how to sleep better with anxiety can be tricky, and there\u2019s no single solution. We recommend trying all the tips we\u2019ve just suggested, particularly reducing how much time you spend on social media, but we do have some specific tips on how to sleep with anxiety.<\/p>\n First and foremost, stick to your bedtime routine whenever you can. Routines can help ground you as you don\u2019t have to worry about anything unexpected happening. There are exceptions to this rule of course, like staying out late with friends, but, when possible, keep it the same.<\/p>\n Next, if possible, try to make your bedroom dark and distraction-free. Tidying and decluttering your room has numerous mental health benefits by itself, but reduced light and temptation will make it easier to get some rest.<\/p>\n If relaxing before bed is a problem, and you don\u2019t fancy a bath or shower, then you can always invest in candles that help you sleep<\/a>. Scents like lavender, chamomile, and bergamot are particularly relaxing. If you light them twenty or thirty minutes before bed, you\u2019ll give the candle time to properly disperse its scent. Blow it out before you sleep, and the smells will hopefully help you drift off.<\/p>\n We have plenty of candles that help you sleep as thortful gifts<\/a> \u2013 perfect for the insomniac you love in your life.<\/p>\n Last but not least, if you\u2019ve tried all of the above and you still can\u2019t fall asleep after twenty minutes, the best thing you can do is get up and do something you find relaxing; so long as you do this in somewhere that isn\u2019t your bedroom. This will help your mind to calm and prevent it from associating going to bed with anything other than sleep.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The short answer is no, but also yes. Helpful. Solid chocolate<\/a>, regardless of whether it\u2019s milk or dark, contains high levels of sugar and stimulant chemicals. Rather than relaxing you, chocolate is more likely to wake you up.<\/p>\n However, hot chocolate<\/a> made with milk can be an effective relaxer. Milk has chemicals in it that help to calm your body, which might help to explain why hot cocoa before bed is so popular in winter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n All that advice might be a lot to take in, but if there\u2019s one thing you should take away, it\u2019s that your bed should be reserved solely for sleeping (and private activities with your partner). Keep Netflix to the couch and your phone out of arms reach once your tucked in.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If, after all that, you\u2019re looking for gifts to help relax you before you turn in, we\u2019ve got a huge selection for you to choose from. From bath powders<\/a> to make your next soak pop, to flowers<\/a> you can nestle around your room if candles aren\u2019t your thing.<\/p>\n We also have a massive range of congratulations cards<\/a>, so you can help a friend celebrate getting their first month of good sleep. You\u2019ll have no problem finding an original card to make your friend smile. And for more wellness guides and lifestyle tips, check out the rest of the thortful blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Make sure you\u2019re getting plenty of sunlight<\/h3>\n
Improve your morning alarms<\/h3>\n
Make some time for your thoughts during the day<\/h3>\n
<\/h3>\n
Is it better to sleep without a pillow?<\/h2>\n
How to improve deep sleep<\/h2>\n
Cut back the booze<\/h3>\n
Cap the caffeine<\/h3>\n
How to sleep better with anxiety<\/h2>\n
Stick to a routine<\/h3>\n
Keep your bedroom clear<\/h3>\n
Light a candle<\/h3>\n
Get up and do something relaxing<\/h3>\n
Does chocolate help you sleep?<\/h2>\n