How to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Having a good night's rest is so important and puts you in the best possible position for the next day. Lately, my sleeping schedule has been a bit off and I feel like I haven't had a decent night's sleep in ages. I'm either taking forever to drift off or am waking up abnormally early. Either way, I'm getting very little sleep. If you can relate and feel unsatisfied with the amount of hours you've been sleeping recently, hopefully these tips will be useful in some way.

Stretch Before Bed
Try fitting some gentle stretching into your night time routine. This will hopefully loosen any tenseness in the body and help you get into a relaxed state of mind. Avoid vigorous exercise as this tends to boost your energy levels, making it harder for you to fall asleep. Light exercise is better in terms of preparing your mind and body for bed and will definitely help to relieve some of that daytime stress for a restful sleep.

Listen To Music
Plugging in your earphones and listening to some relaxing music is a really good way to make yourself feel more sleepy. You could either use it to wind down before bed or have it as background noise while you fall asleep. If you're someone who tends to overthink at night, the music may be a nice way to distract yourself from your thoughts. 

Minimise Light
Rather than turning on the main light in your bedroom, use a bedside lamp or other smaller light source instead. If it provides a softer glow, it will be less likely to trick your mind into thinking it's daytime. For example, if you like to read before bed, use a book light instead of the ceiling light. Reading before bed is a really good habit to get in to however using the main light tends to make this calming activity a lot less effective. By limiting your exposure to light, you're sure to fall asleep a lot quicker/easier.

Switch Off Electronics
Disconnect from your devices at least an hour before you go to bed. If you know you'll be tempted by the notification bells and social media alerts, try switching your phone to silent mode or turning it off completely. As I mentioned before, you want to have very little contact with light as you're preparing for bed. The glow from your laptop or mobile screen is no different from any other light source in your bedroom. 

Check Quality of Mattress/Pillows
Comfortability plays a huge part in how well you sleep at night. If you find you're moving around a lot in your sleep, this may be the result of a worn mattress or unsupportive pillows. Mattresses have been said to last around 9-10 years so make sure yours hasn't exceeded this as this may be the root cause of your sleeping problem. Also, get pillows that are neither too hard nor too soft. You want your head to be propped up slightly but not an angle that strains your neck.

What's your favourite way to wind down at night?