What Can You Do When Counting Sheep Doesn’t Help?
Many of us have those dreaded nights when it feels like we’re laying in bed for hours before sleep finally hits. I’ve actually counted up to 1000 sheep on occasion, so I know how painful it can be when you just can’t seem to fall asleep. Getting a good night of rest is important to your health and well-being so resolving poor sleep is necessary.
Here are the best actions I have tried, that lead me to a better night of sleep.
3 Sleep Strategies
1. Empty your mind.
You probably have hundreds of tasks on your ‘to do’ list for tomorrow, that you just can’t forget. Try brain dumping at least one hour before you go to sleep. This is when you reflect on your day and write down the big actions you want to get done tomorrow. Writing your next day’s actions down will give your brain the ability to relax afterwards. The worst thing you can do is continuously run over your ‘to do’ list, when you’re trying to sleep.
The brain dump strategy also works if you wake up in the middle of the night with your mind racing a mile a minute. Keep a small notepad on your bedside table and as soon as you start thinking about tomorrow’s agenda, quickly jot down the items or a few key words so you don’t stew over them.
2. Follow a sleep ritual.
Your mind really does respond better to sleeping, if you’ve trained it to calm down beforehand. Have a few actions you always complete just before you hit the bedroom, and you’ll be more in the mood to sleep. Try brushing your teeth, leaving your phone to charge overnight in the kitchen and giving yourself a little hand or foot massage before entering your bedroom for the evening. I also like completing a few light stretches to relax my mind and body before sleeping.
Reading a few pages of a novel is a terrific way to stay calm once you enter the bedroom. Just make sure your novel isn’t an action-packed James Patterson book. I’ve ended up reading into the night for a few of his stories!
3. Don’t overstimulate.
Avoid performing any actions that give you energy, at least one hour before you attempt to sleep. Talking with people gives me energy, so I make sure that at least one hour before bedtime, I’m not conversing with my husband too much, or answering my phone.
If you must watch TV in the evenings, watch a show you’re less invested in, that’s a slower pace before bed. Action-packed thrillers often get your blood pumping and your stress hormones on high alert, so avoid these before bed.
What if These Sleep Strategies Don’t Work?
If nothing seems to help you sleep, I challenge you to ditch caffeine for at least one week and see if your sleep improves. This includes avoiding coffee, a lot of pop varieties, tea and chocolate.
Caffeine impacts me so greatly that I can’t drink coffee daily, even if I drink it before noon. If I consume coffee more than three days in a row, I’m guaranteed to wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to fall back asleep.
To Sum it up…
It can be very painful and frustrating lying in bed at night, unable to fall asleep. Completing a brain dump before bed, following a sleep ritual and avoiding over-stimulation late at night, are all strategies that have helped me sleep better. If all else fails, try ditching caffeine to see if that helps. I hope you all have a terrific night of sleep tonight!