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How to Get More Sleep: Part 5 Getting Your Room Ready

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In my opinion, if there is one thing that you can do to have better overall health it is to get better quality sleep. Today is How to Get More Sleep: Part 5 Getting Your Room Ready.  I will be sharing different tips to set the stage for a great night’s sleep.

 

 

How to Get More Sleep: Part 5 Getting Your Room Ready

Temperature

We’ve had our central air unit stop working a time or two and of course it was always in the 90’s or above when this happened. I can not sleep when I’m not cool. So I can remember tossing and turning practically all night. Well come to find out the recommended temperature that your room should be for optimal sleep is between 60-68 degrees. I personally have a window air conditioner in my bedroom window that I run most of the year, plus a bedside fan. You know just in case? Your body is supposed to drop in temperature before sleep, but people with insomnia have a higher temperature right before sleep. Something that will help with this process is to have a warm bath about 1.5-2 hours before bedtime. Think about how good kids sleep after having a bath.

 

 

 

 

Turn out the lights

It is suggested that you sleep in the dark, complete darkness. This means to cover, turn around, or remove things from your room that will shine even a little light. I have to cover the time on our cable box. It doesn’t look like it is bright, but after a few minutes in bed all I can see is that bright blue light shining. The Sleep Smarter book  said that an eye mask won’t even help because your skin is sending signals to your brain of the light interference. We purchased black out curtains to cover any porch or street lights shining into our bedroom. Of course the book goes into more in depth about how artificial lights affect our body when we are in it 24/7, but a couple things that stood out to me were that research that was found that it contributed to eyesight issues in children that slept with a nightlight and that it increases aging faster in adults.

Add a Plant

Plants are known to absorb air pollution so adding one to your bedroom will improve your sleep by improving your air quality. I’m the worst with taking care of plants. If they don’t cry, yell, interrupt, or make other noises I tend to forget it is there. After reading this book a few months ago I did go out and get a plant and I think I kept it alive for a couple months then it didn’t get watered or moved to sunlight (most likely both) and died. I will have to try again. The Sleep Smarter  book has a bonus resource guide of which plants are best and where to find them.

 

 

 

 

Noises

Whether you have loud neighbors, a snoring spouse, or a pet noise is an obvious factor that will awaken you at different times during your sleep. There is only so much you can do though besides kicking them out of the bedroom right? I have a sleep machine next to my bed that has a variety of sounds to play while you are asleep. It is said that the sound of water is soothing and will help you sleep. I know many people that say they sleep better when it rains. I usually run my machine on rain or the ocean waves. It does have a timer so that you can just use it to help fall asleep or you can keep it going all night to drown out middle of the night sounds. Below is my sleep machine and you can click on the picture or my affiliate link to check it out on Amazon.

 

Sound Machine

 

 

Dress for Sleep

Whether or not you wear pajamas to bed or just a comfy shirt what you wear can help or hurt your sleep quality. It should be something that is loose fitting, cool, and not preventing you from rolling over in the bed. Of course sleeping in your birthday suit would work, lol! I shared a post a while back, but it was also mentioned in the book that sleeping in a bra ups your risk for breast cancer.

 

 

 

Your Sleeping Position

There is a wide variety of sleep positions and they even have names like starfish, but usually it is just that you are a side, back, or stomach sleeper. In the  Sleep Smarter book there were pros and cons to all three ways, but did suggest ways to make each position better for your body and your sleep. So if you are a back sleeper it was recommended to skip the pillow and let your head rest on the mattress. If you are a stomach sleeper it is also recommended to skip the pillow or to use it underneath your stomach and hip area to help with your lower back. It is also a good idea to lift one knee instead of keeping both legs straight. This will help keep pressure off your back too. If you are a side sleeper like me it is recommended you use a pillow but one that just keeps your neck in line with your spine. Also using a pillow between your knees will help alleviate back pain. I use a big body pillow this way-very comfy! Back pain issues can also be related to the quality of the mattress you have. If you sink too much into the mattress or it is rock hard you won’t get good quality sleep. There is much more information on mattresses and affects on your health in the book if you want to check it out.

I asked friend on Facebook for a recommendation for a side sleep pillow that was worth the money and this one was the one recommended to me.

 

 

 

 

I Love My Pillow

 

Do you have some tried and true tips that get you better sleep? Share them in the comments below.

 

Do you have a hard time shutting yourself down at night and would like to try something that not only works, but has no nasty side effects  to your body’s health and wellness?  Let me help you get the sleep you deserve with 5 Samples of my Sleepy time drink for just $10 with the link below.

Help Me Get to Sleep in 5 Days!

 

Some of the ideas I have shared or will be sharing is from a book called Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson. If you are interested in reading the book yourself just click on my Amazon affiliate link below.

Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to A Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success