Get a better night's sleep

Not long ago I made a post about the importance of sleeping well. That post made me think about how much sleep I got, which really wasn't much. Not because I went late to bed, I went quite early to bed actually, but because I just couldn't fall asleep. I was literally looking at the ceiling for hours!


We always hear the same things when it comes to how to fall faster asleep and get a better night's sleep; That you need to make your room dark and cozy, not watch scary-movies before going to bed, to cut down on the before-bed coffee... All that stuff. But if you have tried all this and still can't sleep (like I couldn't) or you just want to sleep ever better and get more benefits of your sleep, simply follow these few tips:

• Don't make a to-do list right before going to bed. This will make your mind all about the list and what you have to do the next day instead of giving it time to relax.

• Put your phone away. Put it so you have to get up from your bed to get it. Personally I put it in the other end of my room from where my bed is. This way I know I have to leave my comfortable and warm bed to get the phone. The bed often wins this battle and that makes me having easier to fall asleep because I don't constantly feel the need to check the phone for new notifications. 

• I know I've mentioned that we all know we know how important it is that we keep our room dark when we're getting into bed. But most people take "dark" as they just need to drawn the curtains. But no, you have to make your room completely dark. That means your have to hide that irritating light from the digital watch and shut down your laptop so that little blinking stand-by light, you know which one I'm talking about, doesn't disturb your sleep. 

• Cut down on the before-bed tea. Most teas also contains caffeine, just like coffee, and drinking it before going to bed will keep you awake all night. Studies has shown that you should stop drinking caffeine-contained drinks at 2 pm and after that only drink water, milk or specialized night tea to get the best sleep. 

• Having a massive meal before going to bed is a bad idea, because a full stomach will disturb your sleep. But some foods will actually help you to a good night's sleep! Bananas, graham crackers and yogurt is what you need to go for! 

• Alcohol may get you to fall asleep easier, but it will disturb the second half of your sleep. Drink a glass of wine with your dinner instead of later so the alcohol have time to wear out before you get under the duvet. 

• Lots of movies shows the main character taking a hot bath right before getting to bed whereupon they sleep perfectly. Unfortunately that isn't happening in the real life. When you're going to sleep your body needs to cool down the get a certain temperatur that it needs to take you to slumberland. The hot bath will make this process even longer and that will make you taking longer to fall asleep. So take a shower when you get home from school, work, or wherever you've been, in the afternoon instead of taking it before getting to bed. 

• Instead of making your body "relax" with the hot bath, strike some yoga poses. The yoga helps you steady your breath, put your mind at ease and reduce muscle tension. One of my favourite before-bed-yoga-poses is the supta baddha konasana. It's a very easy and relaxing pose that you can pull off wherever you are. Simply lie down on your back. Have your knees bend and drop them to the side so the soles of your feet touches each other. Place your arms by your sides with the palms up. Make sure to keep your shoulders back and your chest open. Close your eyes and slowly inhale and exhale through your nose. 4 seconds inhale, 4 seconds exhale. Continue holding this position and breath through your nose for 10 minutes or until you feel your body is fully relaxed. 

Hope these tips will help you to a better sleep! They've definitely helped me!

xx Emma