In today’s post, I’m talking about sleep!
For me, sleep has always come naturally- and I know I’m incredibly lucky for that.
Whether you sleep like a baby or you suffer with insomnia, there are definitely ways we can all improve our sleep and make sure we get restorative sleep every night.
The benefits of sleep are numerous. From helping with weight loss to improving focus, there’s nothing quite like getting enough sleep to make the most of a new day!
In this post, I’ve come up with 12 simple ways to improve your sleep every single night
1. Go to bed at the same time every night
I’ve spoken before about the importance of waking up at the same time everyday, and I’m slowly trying to do it myself…
However, going to bed at the same time every night is also super important.
It puts your body and mind in a proper routine, and it means you’ll eventually start to feel tired towards that time each night.
2. Keep your bedroom at the perfect temperature
You want to try and keep your bedroom at the perfect temperature for sleep, to improve your sleep every night.
This means you need a space that’s not too warm or too cold.
During the winter months, you might want to put the central heating on for an hour or so right before bed to keep the bedroom nice and toasty.
3. Avoid screens
It goes without saying these days, but screens really do affect your sleep- especially just before bed.
Try to avoid going on your phone, or alter the settings on your phone so it automatically reduces bluelight after a certain time.
4. Stop working before bed time
When you work right up to bed time, your mind is still buzzing!
Whether you’re working because you’re stressed or you just have a great idea right before you sleep, you need to try and give your brain some time to switch off before getting under the covers.
5. Practice breathing exercises
Many people find breathing exercises or meditation helpful right before bed, bringing a sense of calm before nodding off to sleep.
This is particularly helpful if you struggle with anxiety, and it can lead to a clearer mind before you try to sleep.
6. Avoid stress close to bed
One of the best ways to improve your sleep every night is to avoid stress close to bed. This could be stress about work or something in your personal life.
Try to get to a place of closure or calmness before you go to bed- and never go to sleep angry!
7. Invest in supplements
Many people find that supplements can help to improve sleep, and vitamins such as magnesium have been known to reduce anxiety.
These vitamins can also help with any hormonal issues and improve quality of sleep for people with insomnia.
8. Don’t get into bed until you want to go to sleep
As part of keeping your bedroom at the right temperature for sleep, it’s important to try and avoid getting into bed before you want to go to sleep, too.
Watch TV or read in a different spot, and your bed won’t be too warm or sweaty before you want to fall asleep.
9. Only sleep in places you feel comfortable
For me, I can get quite anxious when I sleep in a bed that isn’t my own.
Even if I feel comfortable, something about waking up somewhere new gives me a bit of morning anxiety- and I find it harder to get to sleep, too.
So if you know you struggle with sleep, try and only sleep in places where you feel completely comfortable.
10. Put something on in the background while you sleep
Listening to a podcast, some music or your favourite show while you sleep could help you drift off.
There’s no shame in distracting yourself to help you feel calm enough to get to sleep at night.
11. Cut down on alcohol
In my experience, drinking can go one of two ways. You can go to sleep for hours, but still feel tired in the morning- or you can’t get to sleep at all.
For me, it’s the second of the two- and there’s nothing worse than trying to get to sleep while you’re still a bit tipsy.
If you’re trying to improve your sleep, substances like alcohol and caffeine need to be kept to a minimum!
12. Speak to your doctor
Issues with sleep can really impact your quality of life- and it can never hurt to speak to your doctor for more concrete ideas to improve your sleep every night.
They might have some great tips or exercises you can try, or even medication to try if they think you need it.
Do you have any simple ways to improve your sleep every night? What tricks do you use to get a good night’s sleep? Do you think you need to find a few ways to improve your sleep?
Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below š
Happy reading x
Excellent tips! Screen time reduction was key for me in getting past my insomnia. That, and darkening my bedroom to pitch black.
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Thank you! I think a lot of people need full dark to get to sleep and not wake up in the middle of the night x
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These are all tips that I take super seriously. Every night, I get in bed at the same time, read a physical book for about an hour (without any screens on nearby) and listen to soft jazz. Then I turn on my fan, turn off the lights, meditate, listen to sleepcasts on Headspace, and drift off. I have slept wonderfully for a long time – and I used to really struggle with insomnia. Grateful for the routine!
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I think it’s fantastic that you’ve found a bedtime routine that you can follow that really helps! Thank you for sharing your thoughts Stephanie, I hope others find your routine/experience helpful x
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I’m so happy I’ve finally been able to get to grips with making sure I get better sleep; it really is the basis to our mental health and healing. Your tips here are very useful and I would advocate for anyone reading to invest in making sure sleep is a priority.
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Thatās fantastic! I agree, mentally and physically we all need a good sleep every night š thank you for sharing x
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Great tips! I definitely have been reducing my screen time, and even purchased some blue light glasses to help with that.
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Thatās a great idea! I need some blue light glasses, although I wear ordinary glasses full time x
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Great suggestions to get a good nights sleep. I am a creature of habit and years of going to bed and waking up at the same time have carried on into retirement. Thanks for sharing.
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I think you need it to stay in a good sleep routine, if you can š
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great suggestions here! – i’m always in need of better sleep and didn’t take these factors into consideration. thanks!
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Thank you š
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A few people have recommended the Calm app, I hope it helps others š thatās a great tip, thank you for sharing, itās definitely important to avoid anxiety or stress- especially if you get in your head about sleeping well x
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I like these ideas. I agree that a podcast or soundscape can send you to sleep. Works for me most days.
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Podcasts are so helpful š
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This is an excellent post. This is so many good points to help with sleep. I love using lavender to help me sleep. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you š lavender is a lovely smelling way to get to sleep x
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I need to have a more consistent bedtime routine, particularly trying to go to bed at the same time every night. This post is full of amazing tips! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
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It can be so hard to get into that routine! Thanks for sharing x
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I agree, routine is key to a good nights’ sleep. I like to read a hardcover/paperback book before bed and avoid my phone. Thanks for the great tips!
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Thatās a great idea, I need to learn to put my phone down x
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very good post. I’ve been listening to the same audio book for over a month because ten minutes in I fall asleep…lol. Every night is a reset for a quick listen.
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Haha at least youāve been getting to sleep fast though, thatās impressive!
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lol…too true but this character is starting to get irritating! lol…could be a deal breaker.
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These are fantastic tips to help improve your sleep, one of my must-haves is a cool environment I cannot sleep when I’m too warm! I love your tips about screens as it’s so easy to take your phone or tablet to bed and look at them before bed which doesn’t help at all with getting ready for sleep! Great list – thanks.
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I think thatās so true, itās awful when you just canāt cool down- especially in the summer months! Thank you x
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Reading a book (hard copy) about half an hour before bed has helped me fall asleep much faster. Screens before bed time is definitely a no no. š
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A hard copy is a very important point thank you!
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These are really helpful tips. I definitely need to focus on getting better sleep because I’ve picked up some bad habits recently.
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I think itās easy to fall into bad habits š x
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My sleep is actually rarely affected by much. I can sleep whilst my boyfriend plays PlayStation, after scrolling on my phone, with noise in the background, in hot weather – anything! Which I guess I’m very fortunate for! But I do love to establish a nice nighttime routine and always feel like I get better QUALITY sleep when I do!
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I’m exactly the same, I consider myself very lucky too! I think quality sleep is definitely very important, if I’ve had a drink or a disturbed routine I still feel tired in the morning š x
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Great tips! I’ve been struggling with getting good sleep so I’m going to try some of these out tonight.
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Thank you so much Isabelle, I hope they helped!
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Love this post! I do quite a lot of these myself to help my sleep and it really does work. I have a pretty good nights sleep if I stay away from my phone before bed, I feel like my brain isnāt in overload then. Thank you so much for sharing lovely Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
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That’s great Elle I’m so glad! Yes, if your brain is still whirring you have less chance of getting a good 8 hours x
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i love these suggestions! after iāve watched a few episodes before bed i try not to grab my phone just before i sleep so it doesnāt effect my sleep and it helps so much!!
jessica | http://www.overdressedblogger.com
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I find if I start going on my phone I’ll end up going to bed much later than I intended! Great points thank you x
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Reading is definitely the thing I do if I’m struggling to get to sleep. I think cutting down on screen time and drinking some water before bed also helps me to feel calmer and more tired.
Tash – A Girl with a View
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That’s a great plan! I get so dehydrated in the night so drinking before hand is a great idea x
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Great tips, I definitely want to put a few of them to practise so I can improve my sleep!
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Thank you!
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These are great tips for improving sleep. Iām getting into the habit of turning off my phone at least an hour before bed and not working any later than 7:00pm
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That’s a great idea, and making sure you’re not too stressed is so important x
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I have always been blessed with sleeping like a baby, but my husband has always struggled to sleep well. These are some great actionable tips that I will be sharing with him!
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Thank you so much š I’m the same- I’m very lucky x
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I also take Melatonin every night before bed – it really does help me fall asleep faster.
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Great tip! Thank you x
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These are helpful tips. Thanks for sharing. I definitely need to work on limiting screen time.
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Me too x
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Great tips. Thank you for sharing them.
I used to struggle with my sleep, but mummy life knocks me out most nights.
I’m terrible for screens and blog work right before bed. Something I need to change!
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Haha I bet! That’s a great plan x
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Wonderful and practical tips. I’m going to look into magnesium! Thank you for sharing!
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I’ve heard it helps x
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These are such great tips on getting a better nights sleep. Thanks so much for sharing them!
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Thank you x
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These are some really great tips! Reducing screen time and not working before bed have definitely helped me get a good night’s sleep.
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Yes I think they can really help with stress x
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Aw, this one is helpful. Recently, my mom told me she is having a hard time sleeping. I told her to reduce time on screen. She a k-drama addict.
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Thank you so much for sharing x
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Love this!
Reducing my screen time in the evenings, helps so much!
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I’m so glad you could relate x
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I go through periods of terrible sleep patters due to a chronic condition. I find melatonin helps really well and I often do breathing exercises too if I’m getting anxious about falling asleep too. Great informative post!
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I’m sorry to hear that, I think they are fantastic suggestions that may help others who struggle with this x
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These are all amazing tips! I struggled with insomnia for so long and something still gets periods where I find it hard sleeping well but reading before bed for an hour or so has totally helped, as well as having something relaxing to listen to, it really helps slow down x
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Thank you Christina š I’m so glad that you have found ways to help your insomnia. It can be so hard to deal with, but you see to have found ways to slow your thoughts and get ready for a good night’s sleep x
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Never use alcohol to try and sleep. Although you think it helps you sleep because you’re unconscious, it in fact stops you from getting the kind of sleep you need to avoid feeling tired, which is why you wake up still feeling tried for the rest of the day
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That’s a fantastic tip, I can imagine it can be tempting for those who suffer with insomnia but your sleep will be much worse and you’ll feel tired the day after, as you say š
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