Lately, I've been losing sleep. Dreaming about the things that we could be. Kidding. But seriously, I just have NOT been able to fall asleep. And it's pretty crappy, because the next morning I wake up and regret every single life decision I've ever made. I get more work done at night, to be fair. Case in point, I'm writing this article at 12:30 A.M. I've been getting by on melatonin, which, let me assure you, if none of these tips work, is a good quick fix, but I feel like there's more I should be doing for my body to help it rest properly.
In my psychology class, we learned about circadian rhythms, which are the natural senses in our body that tell us when to sleep, and when to stay awake, usually according to light exposure. That means that our bodies are programmed to sleep when it's dark, and be awake when it's light out. Scientifically, probably not the most eloquent wording, but that's the gist of it. With that in mind, it's important to be mindful of exposure to light. That means that if you want to get better quality sleep, electronics and any other form of artificial light needs to be put away 1-2 hours before bed, so that your body will be immersed in as much darkness as possible, tricking it into thinking you're more tired.
Another thing is to keep a set schedule. Nature has a cool way of already doing that for you, but with all of life's craziness, it's improbable that someone would be asleep at the same time every single night. Be mindful of the fact that falling asleep takes time. When you're in bed, your body probably isn't going to fall asleep right away, so if you give yourself enough time to fall deeper and deeper, the quality of your sleep will be better. Getting up every morning at the same time is also another way to ensure reliable tired-ness at the appropriate hour of bedtime.
Now I love naps as much as the next gal, but they're so bad. A nap in the middle of the day can make you less tired at night, which will make you stay up longer, and throw everything off. If you can, try to keep yourself awake until the end of the day, unless, of course, you'll be driving or something that requires you to be fully alert and rested and you need to play catch-up.
Keep your room cool so that you don't toss and turn, sweating bullets in the wee hours of the night. It's the worst feeling, waking up and being covered in sweat. I'm telling you. Layering blankets is also helpful because then you can peel them off or pile them on according to how hot/cold you're feeling.
It's important to remember that sleeping is the end goal, but the first and main goal is simply to relax. I suggest finding a sleep playlist with calming songs to get your brain slowed down and ready to sleep. Here's the link to the one I always use on Spotify if you're having trouble finding one: https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/5UM...
And if you still have trouble sleeping, even after you've tried everything in the books, you may have insomnia. At that point it's probably wise to see your doctor about what you can do to help. I'm no professional. Just a girl who likes to get some good sleep.
I hope that this article was at least a little helpful for those of you who have trouble with your sleep.
Sweet dreams!
