On Sunday evenings I always have got problems in fallings asleep and I know that this is because in weekends I can not stick to my regular sleep schedule. However, their are some people who struggle with sleeping a lot, so here are my tips how to achieve a relaxing sleep.
1. Regular sleep schedule
Your body is used to special times when he has to sleep and when he has to wake up. The problem is that even a weekend is enough to put our body out of our regular schedule. Therefore, try to stick to your schedule as exact as possible and try to go to bed not more than 1 hour later than your usual bed time.
2. Bedtime ritual to relax
Before going to bed, a certain ritual can help you to give you the signal that it is now time to relax. I personally read a book or just prepare some stuff for school.
3. Keep the temperature right
A too hot or a too cold room can really effect your sleep. The ideal temperature is 18°C or 64F!
4. Keep noise down
The noisy traffic caused by cars, planes or trains will effect your sleep even when it is just unconsciously! Therefore, make sure that you don't live close to a large street when you want to buy/rent a house/flat, your windows are closed or wear ohropax.
5. Comfortable bed
A night in an uncomfortable position can be the pure horror. If you don't like your pillow, your blanket or your mattress then invest in a good one! It will make a difference!
6. Cut down on caffein
Caffein will effect your sleep even after drinking coffee 10-12 hours! The same thing applies to drinking tea!
7. Avoid alcohol
Even though a lot of people believe in certain effects of the alcohol so that one can sleep better, this isn't true! It could be possible that you can feel asleep faster, but the sleep is much lighter and superficial than a regular one. Thus, you will wake up more often during the night which isn't a relaxing sleep!
8. Forget the stress and start to relax
Before go to bed, it is important to not worry about the daily stress which we all have. Progressive muscle relaxation, mediation or deep breathing can help you with that!
9. Avoid thinking: "I have to sleep right now!"
Putting yourself under pressure by forcing yourself to sleep right now may have just the opposite effect on you. Rather say to yourself: "My goal it to relax!"
10. Visual a peaceful place
In order not to think about sleeping all the time AND in order not to think about your tasks, work etc. visual a peaceful place where you feel really comfortable. Don't think about something exciting just a calming story like a fantasy trip. This might sound a little bit weird, but this really works to stop the stream of thoughts in your head.
11. Write down your thoughts
When you are brainstorming in your bred or you get a fantastic idea there, then just take a piece of paper and write quickly a note. When you wake up, you will remember your thoughts and you don't have to worry about one idea the whole night. And don't forget, you will be much more productive in the morning!
12. Turn off TV&computer
Lots of people watch TV in order to fell asleep, but the Tv which its bright light suppress the melatonin so we our bay doesn't get the signal to sleep. Also, a TV can be really stirring just the opposite of relaxing.
13. Don't read from a backlit gadget (e.g. IPad)
The same thing like a TV, a backlit gadget will suppress your melatonin, thus your body doesn't want to sleep. I would suggest to read a normal book or a kindle which is written in E-Ink.
14. Avoid bright lights
As a I have already mentioned above, bright lights suppress your melatonin. Before going to bed try to dim your light or use just a smaller or softer light, so that your room doesn't shine in a really bright light.
15. Make sure that your room is dark
Lastly, the easiest advice, make sure that your room is dark. Even though it is as simple and really clear for a lot of people, it is really important to shut out every single light. Buy some thick curtains or a shutter, hang a towel over monitors and or switch off any gadgets that have a standby light or general light. Once your eyes got used to the dark, you will really notice these lights and they will irritate you form sleeping. Also, when you want to sleep a little but longer and the sun rises, you can forget your sleep!
I hope these tips will help you!
I have to mention that I could definitely improve my quality of sleep!
What do you have for tips?
