How to Get a Better Night’s Sleep

While I have always been a pretty light sleeper my whole life, I have never been one to have sleep issues until this year. Given my heightened stress and anxiety this year due to these unprecedented times we’re currently living in and still being a bit new to adulting and all the stress that comes along with that, and things that have been happening in my own personal life this year, it has all added up and has really decreased the quality of my sleep this year, something I really rely on to feel my best. I know a lot of people can have very few hours of sleep and still fully function, but for me personally, I need my full 7-8 hours of sleep each night or I really struggle the next day in being able to function, even with coffee. Given how many nights have gone by this year where I slept poorly, I’ve tried many different things to help with my sleep issues and I have found some that work for me that I wanted to share with you all today. If you’ve been experiencing sleep issues lately and are looking for some easy techniques on how to improve your overall quality of sleep, this blog post is for you!

Tip #1: Reduce Screen Time Before Bed (and Read a Book Instead!)

I never knew how much of a difference reducing screen time before bed could make on the quality of your sleep until this year. But I have found that it really makes a HUGE difference. While there are still some nights that I stay up and do things on my phone or computer before bed, I try my best to not do that, especially during the weeknights, and read a book instead. Every night that I read a book in bed before going to sleep, I notice I fall asleep a lot easier since reading late at night usually makes me pretty tired, and I notice that the quality of my sleep is a lot better than nights where I play on my phone before bed, and can usually sleep the whole night through without waking up.

Something that I have heard helps a lot with reducing your screen time before bed is to keep your phone in a different room than where you sleep at night. I have not actually tried this yet myself since I use the alarm clock on my phone to wake up on time in the mornings, but if you have a separate alarm clock from your phone, I recommend trying this method out and seeing if it helps!

Tip #2: Take a Warm Shower or Bath Before Bed

I know showering at night isn’t for everyone, but I recommend trying it out if you don’t already! I’m one of those people who typically showers at night and I have noticed that also helps a lot in getting a better night’s sleep rather than on days when I shower in the mornings. Taking a warm shower always helps me feel better at night and I come to bed a lot more relaxed and feel warmer and cozier than on days when I skip a night shower and shower in the morning instead.

Tip #3: Run a Fan in Your Room at Night and Use Blackout Curtains

Since I’m a light sleeper, I need to have some sort of background noise otherwise I hear literally everything and will not sleep. I sleep with my fan on every single night and it helps so much in getting a better night’s sleep. Usually during the winter when it’s a lot colder out I’ll just point the fan toward the wall so cool air isn’t blowing on me overnight but still has the background noise I need.

Something my boyfriend and I are also thinking of investing in is a nice set of blackout curtains to darken the room. Outside our apartment’s windows are a lot of street lights and lights from neighbors across the way and even with our blinds closed, the light still makes its way through somehow and we’ve noticed such a difference in sleeping in conditions like that compared to when we stay at hotels where they have very thick curtains that block out the light.

Tip #4: Take a Sleep Vitamin Before Bed

About a month after experiencing sleep issues this year, I decided to start trying out a sleep vitamin before bed. I started taking the Sugarbear Sleep Gummy Vitamins and they worked really well for me! They recommend taking two before bed, but since I was pretty new to sleep vitamins and didn’t quite know what to expect, I just took one and even that knocked me out pretty good overnight and I always got such a good night’s sleep from it.

Tip #5: Use Comfortable and Quality Bedding

I recently started using the Dream Deep Pillow from Sutera and it has been a real game changer! The Dream Deep Pillow is an adaptive memory foam and orthopedic contour pillow that provides premium comfort for back, stomach, and side sleepers and helps reduce back and neck pressure. I am a side sleeper and what I love about the pillow in particular for sleeping on my side is that the pillow itself has side slots specifically for your arms to go around your pillow and keeps your neck in alignment. I’ve really enjoyed the pillow a lot lately for it’s comfort, neck support, and how much it has helped me get a full night’s rest! You can use my code KELSIE20 for 20% off your own Dream Deep Pillow when you click this link!