Recommended for you

Start writing a post

Education

7 Ways To Help You Sleep Better

Try something new to help you to sleep better.

Christine Gordon

Feb 18, 2019

Shippensburg University

114

https://www.everypixel.com/search?q=sleep&stocks_type=free&meaning=&media_type=0&page=1&image_id=1178782310152627149

Every now and again we all have a sleepless night. These 7 ideas can help you to try something new to help you to sleep better without having to take any over the counter medications.

Practice good sleep hygiene

Giphy

Sleep hygiene means that you are following a bedtime routine. Which can be for some going to bed at the same time. Only use the bed for sleep and intimate relations. Washing your face, brushing your teeth, turning the screens off at a certain time. Find a routine that works for you and helps you to relax and get into the grove of preparing to go to sleep.

Meditation

Giphy

Meditation can be used to help you relax your muscles. I found a cool app called Insight Timer that you can download for free on the app store that has loads of guided meditations. They have specific ones for sleep, you can choose the amount of time that you would like to utilize and if you prefer a male or female voice. This is one way to help release the tension that is occurred throughout the day and drift into a good sleep!

Use an essential oil diffuser with lavender.

Giphy

Lavender is a great sent to help you relax. Have the essential oil diffuser have lavender pumping throughout your room. Relax and enjoy the scent!

Get a sound box.

Giphy

Have noisy neighbors, can't fall asleep when there is no noise? They make noise boxes now that can play a bunch of different settings and you can change the volume to be as soft and as loud as you need it to be.

Get light darkening curtains.

Giphy

Having trouble falling asleep because of light? Invest in some light blocking window shades, or new curtains. Get the room to have as much or as little light as you find comfortable.

Get a new mattress pad.

Giphy

Maybe your bed is too hard? They have all sorts of extra mattress pads that you can buy that range in price. Give this a try, maybe you just needed a little extra cushion.

Limit your food and drink intake after a specific time.

Giphy

Depending on the sleep schedule you need to utilize to fit the schedule you have throughout the day choose to stop eating and drinking at least 2-3 hours before bed. This will limit the number of times you have to wake up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. Stop drinking caffeinated beverages at least 6 hours before your nightly bedtime is scheduled because this can be a huge factor in not being able to sleep.

Before trying any sleep aids and or supplements make sure you talk to your family doctor to ensure that it is suitable for you to take any over to counter options. Walk through what you normally do before bed and change one thing at a time to see what works and doesn't work for you. If you change too many things at once you may not be able to know what will help you and what will not.

health

Report this Content

This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

Student Life

Things I Am Actually Going To Do This Semester

Or at least try to do.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

709

CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less

new year

Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

Southwestern University

1395

woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch

Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less

library

Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

Michigan State University

941

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less

Student Life

Top 20 Thoughts College Students Have During Finals

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

University of Vermont

191

Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is just around the corner and that means, for most college students, one hellish thing — finals week. It's the one time of year in which the library becomes over populated and mental breakdowns are most frequent. There is no way to avoid it or a cure for the pain that it brings. All we can do is hunker down with our books, order some Dominos, and pray that it will all be over soon. Luckily, we are not alone in this suffering. To prove it, here are just a few of the many deranged thoughts that go through a college student's mind during finals week.

Keep Reading...Show less

finals

Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

Kennesaw State University

1585

group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

Photo by Naassom Azevedo on Unsplash

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.