Nourishing our bodies with a good night’s sleep can ensure a healthier outlook and bring clarity, focus and better energy to our day so we can be the best version of ourselves.
Here are my tips for having a good night’s sleep. I hope you find them useful. You may already know most of them, but sometimes we need a little nudge or reminder to check that we are doing everything we can to ensure a good night’s sleep.
Preparing Your Room for Sleep
Preparing your room for sleep is very important. Your bed and bedroom is a sacred space. This is where you to soothe and replenish your tired mind and body so that you stay healthy and feel able to cope with your busy daily life.
Every morning, shake your pillow out the window and pull your duvet or covers back. Air the room by leaving the window open for as long as you can.
Adjust the temperature in your bedroom. You are going to be under a heavy duvet all night and you don’t want to feel overheated. Room temperature should be a few degrees lower than your living room.
If you prefer a cold bed and your partner likes it warm, check out dual control electric blankets.
Keeping your room darkened with heavy curtains sets a good ambiance for a restful sleep.
Soak in a warm bath an hour before you go to bed. Add a few drops of calming lavender essential oil to the running water.
Leave your phone outside your bedroom as much as possible. If you must have it in your room, in case of an emergency, place it as far from your body as you can. You can download a blue light filter to come on at night.
Snoozing your alarm is not a calming way to start your day. It doesn’t serve you well to be shaken out of your sleep two or three times. Try setting the alarm on your phone and leave it in another room. That way, if you have to get out of bed to go turn it off, you are more likely to stay up.
Avoid having outdoor shoes in your bedroom or under your bed. Outdoor shoes bring in energy from the busy, dirty streets and you want your home and bedroom to feel calm, clean and clear as much as possible. Store them in their shoeboxes or in your wardrobe. It’s common practices around Europe and a lot of Asian countries to leave your shoes at the front door.
If you are stuck for storage space and you’ve unwanted bits of junk lying around your bedroom, cover them with a blanket to ensure your room feels restful and cosy.
Aids to Help You Sleep
- Camomile tea. Remember to be mindful as you sip. Wrap your hands around the warm cup and inhale its relaxing effects. Camomile also soothes stomach muscles and works to reduce inflammation and cramping.
- Lavender oil or spray. A few drops on your pillow at night or one or two sprays in the room.
- Focus on positives in your life. It doesn’t need to be anything earth-shatteringly Wow! There are always plenty of small positives in your day, if you think about it. Something as simple as a song on the radio that made you smile or brought back a happy memory.
- As you settle down for the night, there is nothing better than looking forward to reading a good book, especially a soulful or uplifting story.
- Crystals come from our natural earth and have powerful healing qualities. Pop one under your pillow as you sleep. Rose Quartz brings peace, calm and healing. Turquoise alleviates panic attacks and fears of speaking in public and encourages you to count your blessings.
How to calm your thoughts before you go to sleep
What you think about before you go to sleep is really important. There’s something about the dead of night that magnifies our worries and woes. Stressing over something outside of our control is an energy that can deplete us and cause lack of clarity and concentration in your busy day ahead or even lead to ill-health in the long term.
Keep a diary or even a sheet of paper beside your bed and write down whatever is on your mind e.g. your to-do list for the next day or a stressful situation that happened and how you feel about it now. It doesn’t have to be a big essay, simply try writing short bullet points, anything to get it out of your mind and down on paper.
Be mindful of the physical act of closing your diary or turning the sheet over and say to those thoughts:
‘That’s done and dusted. I will deal with you tomorrow. Now I am going have a good night’s sleep.’
Setting an Intention to Sleep Well
The last five minutes before you go to sleep is when all your thoughts and dreams are dropped into your subconscious. Then the universe goes away and works on bringing you more of the same, so you really want them to be positive ones, right?
So, if you’re having negative thoughts and feelings before you drop off to sleep, there’s a high chance you’re going to experience more of the same the next day. Work on positive thoughts especially if you feel you have nothing to be positive about.
Start small and simple like:
‘I am grateful for this glass of water beside my bed.’
‘I am grateful for this roof over my head.’
‘I am grateful to sleep in this warm and cosy bed.’
How about trying a mantra:
‘I am relaxed’
‘I am calm and relaxed’.
‘I am going to have a good night’s sleep.’
Repeat three times and say it with meaning. Sit with it until you feel the intention wash over your body.
