How To Get A Good Night's Sleep

Once again, I lay restless in my bed.It was 3:15 AM. I was tossing and turning about struggling to fall asleep. I badly wanted to manage some sleep and wake up fresh the next morning. But time passed, slowly turning into two hours and I was wide awake, frustrated. Finally an hour or so before my usual waking time, I caught on some Zzzz’s.

The morning body alarm had me up as usual and I would go about the day groggy, tired and not feeling my best. This went on for a few days, a couple of weeks and longer. I didn’t want it to continue this way. It was almost like my brain had carefully chosen these nocturnal hours to stress about all negative outcomes in life and go on overdrive. Sleep is extremely precious to me and all the more a deep, rejuvenating one. I couldn’t pinpoint a single reason for this but I for sure knew that it was taking a toll on me both mentally and physically. 
The negative consequences of poor sleep quality are many and it goes much beyond the usual yawns throughout the day. As per some studies, while we are asleep, our bodies secrete hormones which affect our energy, mood, concentration and memory and a night of good sleep is necessary for overall well being.

I read a lot and have started practising a few habits that are making me get back to a healthier sleep pattern.
If you too are unable to unwind after a long day and quality sleep seems elusive you can try these tips and tackle/prevent the stress early on.

1. Creating a sleep-inducing environment – Having a fixed time every day to go to bed sets the body in a rhythm that’ll help in the longer run. Turning off the lights, blocking out brightness, keeping away distractions for a good 20-30 minutes before sleeping prepares you in catching on good sleep. It’s preferable not to watch any movie or series that stimulates your brain or gets it into the thinking mode.

2. Burning a scented candle or using oil diffuser -The lavender or patchouli fragrances are believed to have relaxing and calming properties. They help with sleep disorders, insomnia, eases us from anxiety and are natural stress relievers. By lighting a lavender-scented candle or using an oil diffuser thirty minutes before bedtime, the sweet-smelling room becomes more conducive slowly shutting your mind off and leading you to a slumbering state.

3. Saying no to caffeine – Avoid coffee, energy drinks, colas or any other beverages with caffeine close to bedtime. Smoking right before hitting the bed is definitely a big No. If you like non-caffeinated teas, drinking warm herbal teas about an hour prior like chamomile tea will help you to settle down and feel more relaxed right before you get your head to the pillow. 

4. Using a sleep mask -Light is a primary thing that can be controlled to minimize sleep distraction. Thereby wearing a thin sleep mask that enables complete darkness gets you quickly in the drowsy state and you snooze much faster.

5. Listening to deep sleep music – One thing that has almost always worked wonders for me is swaying into sleep with soothing music. With the mind racing and constantly bombarding us with incomplete errands, pending tasks, unaccomplished goals you just want to silence it and have a chill time and there are plenty of musical tones that can help in achieving it.  One that I usually listen to is this.

Include these bedtime routines for a relaxing night and sleep tight.