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How To Cure Insomnia and Sleep Better

I’ve been doing a lot of research on sleep in the last few years because I’ve all of a sudden I’ve become kind of bad at it. I used to be a champion sleeper but now, at least twice a week, I have a very hard time getting to sleep. It gets worse when I’m stressed and busy so I’ve been trying out a few new methods recently to help me get some decent shut-eye. These may or may or not work for you but if you’ve experienced the agony of insomnia, you’d try just about anything to fix it…

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Try sleeping minimally

I read an article in Reader’s Digest at the doctor’s office not long ago about a guy who did a minimalist bedding experiment. Basically, he slept on a mattress with a fitted sheet, one flat pillow and nothing else. He was just comfortable enough to sleep but when he woke up in the morning he wasn’t in a delicious bed cocoon that was impossible to leave. He’d wake up at 6am and get up immediately, something he was unable to do when his bed was made up with lovely sheets and a big snuggly blanket. Try making your bed less inviting to make your morning exit less traumatic.

Have a small but healthy snack right before bed

One of the reasons why often wake up feeling tired and headachy in the morning is because we’re hungry and thirsty. Have a slow-burning snack like an apple with some almond butter and a small glass of water before bed to avoid that flu-like early morning feeling.

Choose the purpose of your bedroom

Not all sleep problems are created equal. Some people have no trouble falling asleep, but waking up proves to be a challenge. For some people, it’s the opposite. If you struggle to wake up in the morning make sure your room is designed for waking up – make it light, bright and energising. If your biggest problem is falling asleep, make your room dark, cool and quiet. Let your bedroom be the remedy.

Make it chilly

As a general rule, you want to keep your room cool. Heat is the enemy of sleep so make sure you’re always a little bit chilly because it’s almost impossible to fall asleep without dropping your core temperature.

Start your wind down early

You should start dimming the lights, turning the volume down on any electronic devices and start mentally preparing yourself for bed a few hours before you intend on actually going to sleep. Your brain can’t switch from full-on flickering and loud TV shows to restful sleep in the blink of an eye, so you need to let your body relax into it.

Are you a good sleeper or a crap sleeper? Any weird advice you can pass on for anyone that needs help getting a bit of shut-eye?

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21 Comments

  1. Melanie Lindner 8 years ago

    How does one resolve the issue of a stubborn bed-partner who won’t get rid of the TV and likes watching it late at night (as he’s a night owl); snores (but of course he doesn’t!); and has haphazard bed times that inevitably wake me if I’m already asleep? Short of separate rooms or smothering him in his sleep (which I’m sure that would be satisfying but it’s still illegal).

    I’m struggling to get him to change things – despite all the research he just doesn’t believe that a screen-free (including his damned phone) room is necessary for us both to get a proper rest. And of course HE doesn’t snore, it must be me waking myself up…

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 8 years ago

      I sleep with an eye mask and ear plugs if Mr Smaggle has a late night meeting and can’t help but be noisy. I’d be putting some restrictions on him – he can stay up as late as he likes but no screens in the bedroom. I don’t think it’s unreasonable request. x

  2. eternallyeffervescent 8 years ago

    I am a great sleeper but I think a few of these things do help – a cool room (the bed warms up very quickly), no technology in the room, especially no tv and a wind down period. Good advice https://champagneinateacup.wordpress.com

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 8 years ago

      The wind down is so essential – I always try to go totally screen free including TV before bed. It makes me sleep so much better!

  3. Angel 8 years ago

    White noise. Every time.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 8 years ago

      I’ve actually got a friend who sleeps with a fan on purely for the white noise.

  4. Emma Hochron 8 years ago

    Hello! I’m not a regular on here, but I had an idea of something to eat before bed. It sounds really weird, but trust me, it helps. A turkey and cheese sandwich with white bread, with cranberries and chocolate chips on the side. The best thing to drink with it is water, because water flushes your system and gets rid of any leftover toxins. I came up with it myself after looking up what foods would help me sleep, and it helps! But (I learned this the hard way) try not to eat it right before you go to bed because, like one of the commenters said, people need wind down time, and your stomach needs to digest a little bit. It’s harder for it to do that when people lie down. Sometimes it can make you sick, depending on how much you eat.

    By the way, I’ve been reading some of the articles, like the Christmas ones, which really help, and I think your website is really cool! Also, your picture looks good, I’m a little jealous because my phone camera is my arch nemesis.

    I’m also confused — When you say Mr. Smaggle, who is he? Is he someone else who runs this website?

    Hope what I said helps!

  5. Emma Hochron 8 years ago

    Also, I would give you a like, but I don’t have any social media right now, except Google Mail or whatever it’s called. I would also subscribe, but I’m underage and don’t have any of my own money. Just know I would, though.

  6. Suzanne D. Durant 8 years ago

    I am a very bad sleeper, because I spend most of the time in night by chatting. Wish to try to follow your tips. Hopefully it would help me. By the way, the idea of wind down early is awesome!

  7. Janine 8 years ago

    This week I almose sleepless, this post is really useful for me. Thanks

  8. KezUnprepared 8 years ago

    I’ve stopped stressing about what time I will get to sleep. I have stopped counting the hours of sleep I will get and freaking out about it. I go to bed early so I have a cosy place to wind down. I don’t lie there and try to tell myself to go to sleep (it’s the quickest way to not go to sleep haha). I tell myself that being a tired mum/adult, just being able to lie there is nice and I focus on how awesome it is to rest, even if I’m awake. Works like a charm.
    I recently splurged on new bedding. It’s comfier and it’s pretty and makes me feel good. Sometimes you have to switch things up to find that peaceful, happy energy.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 8 years ago

      Oh I do the same thing! It’s the worrying that gets me going – I’m also fine to sleep through noises if I’m asleep before they start. Otherwise I over think it!

  9. lifestylelodestar 8 years ago

    Very useful, I quite often suffer from bouts of insomnia – nice to have a checklist

    https://lifestylelodestar.com/

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 8 years ago

      Sometimes you just have to be really honest with yourself right?

  10. JacqLivesHere 8 years ago

    I agree with most of these! Definitely in need of a wind down routine… I also have a diffuser next to our bed, so will switch that on for an hour or so before I’m aiming to go to sleep with lavender essential oil, so the room smells divine! The diffuser also does double duty as white noise as it will bubble quietly away 🙂

  11. Your suggestions make a lot of sense to me. it is amazing great work.

  12. Naga Nandini 3 years ago

    Try making your bed less inviting – That is a unique way to approach sleep. Traditionally most Asians sleep on flat surfaces or hard mats. Maybe this is the reason.

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