How to Get Better Sleep

As teens we were able to sleep whenever & wherever. Sleep until noon? Sure! As adults sleep seems elusive – we toss, we turn, we go over that one nagging conversation with a coworker or we think of our to-do list for the next day. Everyone loves to post articles about how to get better sleep that include the standard suggestions like reduce stress and exercise more – all of which are super valid! But I won’t bore you with the basics, you already know those. Get ready for some advice on how to get better sleep that you actually haven’t heard before!

Start tracking your sleep.

Sleep tracking gives you a clear picture of what your average night looks like. With activity trackers like Fitbit you can see how many minutes you spent restless or even awake each night. By getting your eyeballs on your sleep stats you can start to understand just how restless you are, how many hours you get per night, and start deducing what’s keeping you up!

Aromatherapy – IT WORKS.

Although it may seem (and sound) like voodoo magic, I swear aromatherapy is a thing. I caught a great sale at Bath & Body Works and found their aromatherapy sleep line majorly on sale. I use the Lavender Vanilla Lotion right before bed and also give my pillows a good spritz of the Lavender Vanilla Pillow Mist. I don’t even care if it’s a placebo effect – it totally gets me feeling drowsy.

Start dimming the lights 1 hour before bed.

Our bodies are basically just a giant vessel of hormones – as darkness falls our melatonin levels rise. Kickstart that chain reaction by dimming the lights in your room about an hour before bed time. This will start to send signals to your brain that HEY it’s time to start getting sleepy!

Invest in creating a bedroom you love.

I know this sounds like a weird one but bear with me. We spend the majority of our time in two places: our shoes & our beds. So why on earth do we spend more on a trendy handbag or the latest fad technology (Apple Watch I’m looking at you) than we do on beds? Give your room an overhaul  – bump up the thread count on those sheets, find some awesome accent pillows, and snag some cozy throw blankets! Start to invest in where you sleep and you’ll reap the rewards. You’ll start to see your bedroom as a sanctuary for relaxation rather than the place you just go to set your head down every night.

What do you do to get good sleep?

xoxo Blonde