A Few Ways To Get A Really, Really Good Nights Sleep
Sleep, is without a doubt one of my all time favourite things to talk about. When you get to a certain point in life one of the best topics of conversation is either how much or how little you're sleeping. And when you get a really good nights sleep it's something to brag about, whether it's in real life or online. After going through a really rough patch at the later end of 2016 and not feeling that great for it I made a conscious effort to try and get as much sleep as I possibly could. Because we all know that sleep is something we need to have to function but who really has enough of it? So here are some of the ways that I've found that can really help you to get a really, really good nights sleep.
HOW MUCH SLEEP DO YOU NEED TO FEEL GOOD?
Like most things in life, I try not to pay too much attention to what the standard recommendation for everyone is because how can that ever work for all of us? Finding how much sleep your body needs to feel good is very much a personal thing and takes a while to figure it out. Of course, sometimes it's not possible to get as much sleep as you might need as things come up in life that can affect our sleep pattern all the time. But in general at least aiming towards that amount can help. For me, a big problem is that I either don't sleep enough or I sleep too much so finding a happy medium has been difficult. For me, I find having 7-8 hours sleep a night is perfect, any less or anymore I find that I don't feel awake throughout the day and wake up feeling groggy.
USE AN APP
I love apps and if there is an app that could be really interesting and useful then you can bet I'm going to try it out. For some reason I always thought that sleep apps were just a little bit of a fad, how could they ever really know how much you were sleeping and track it? From the two that I've used I've always found them to pretty accurate and they can give you such an interesting insight into your sleep pattern. Of course, using an app isn't going to directly give you a better nights sleep but it can help you understand what your sleep pattern is like which in turn can help you work on it. Two that I love are the Jawbone UP [it's a fitness tracker but it has a sleep function] and Sleep Cycle. All you have to do is remember to set them going each night as they don't do it automatically.
LIGHTS OUT & UTILISE NIGHT MODE
I've never been one of those people that can relax with their main ceiling light on, it just seems too bright and makes any space feel almost clinical. I try to use the smaller lights dotted around my room and use them as I find it can completely change how you feel, and even though I'm a sucker for a cool light I can't deny the warm enticing hue that yellow bulbs give off. And talking about a yellow glow, the latest iPhone software has this handy feature called night mode. You can set your own time scale that you want night mode to switch on so that instead of that harsh blue light that your phone emits and it tricking your brain into thinking it's daylight it has a yellow cast over the screen so it's easier on the eyes.
We all know that it's not the best to lay and scroll through Instagram or be looking at a laptop screen late at night but it happens. I fall into many dark holes of cake making, racoon, dog and quick recipe videos when I'm having a late night flick through Instagram. But because everything is warm toned when night mode is switched on and I always turn my brightness right down it's not tricking my brain into thinking it's daylight and I'm not nearly blinding myself with the brightness either. And if like me you like to have something on in the background whilst you're falling to sleep then turning down your laptop or tv brightness down is something else that can really help. These are things that seem so painfully obvious but they can make a huge difference to having a good nights sleep if you still want to use your tech at night.
MAKE YOUR SPACE CALM
We all probably want to have our bedroom as this really beautiful relaxing space but it's pretty much impossible. I try and make my environment as calm as I possibly can by doing things like always making sure my clothes aren't all over the floor, there aren't any dirty glasses dotted around, notepads are tucked away in my desk and I've got things somewhat prepared for the next day. These are all an extra effort to go to and when you just want to fall into bed it's far too easy to skip them but I've found they really do make a difference. Then of course, there is your actual bed itself and the bedding that we choose. I always like to go for something quite light just as a personal choice but I find light colours so calming to the mind rather than something than something really dark or brash.
ASWELL AS FUNCTIONAL AND SUPPORTIVE
When I was younger I didn't really think too much about the other factors when it comes to your bed other than it being comfortable. But as I've grown up I've realised how important it is to have a functional bed that offers a lot of support as well as it looking somewhat aesthetically pleasing. Buying a mattress isn't cheap by any means, personally, I've always had a good experience with IKEA beds and mattresses. And because they're so well known and a lot of people buy them they can be dismissed. Things like pillows and duvets can be found at a reasonable price in places like IKEA and Tesco have a great range that are often on offer. These are all things that are an investment at first and can wrack up in price when all bought together. But as you're going to be sleeping in them every night it's well worth it as I've found typically when you buy super cheap when it comes to bedding you only end up buying again.
HAVE A ROUTINE
I'm a stickler for a routine, I don't function well just leaving things up to chance and seeing what happens. Having some sort of a nighttime routine isn't always easy, especially when you lead a busy life but I find just having a few things that you do each night can be really calming. It can something as simple as applying hand cream before you go to sleep but when you do it often enough then it can help your brain understand that it's bedtime. For me, I like to incorporate beauty products into my bedtime routine as of course, I absolutely love anything related to beauty and it's something soothing and cathartic to do before settling down for me. For some, they love to read a book before going to sleep and it's something that I try really hard to do but sometimes watching Gilmore Girls is just all too tempting. But whatever you do I think having at least one thing as part of your routine before you go to sleep can be really helpful.
