Tossing, turning, so tired but you can’t sleep… Sound familiar? Let’s face it…. Not being able to sleep is horrible. One of the biggest downsides to not sleeping is that you’re not only tired, but most likely grumpy all day long. This can be frustrating when it comes to interacting with your family members and friends. You want to be happy for them and be able to help them. Thankfully, there are solutions. Today, we are going to go over 3 things that can help you sleep better.
1. Exhaust Yourself
Sometimes we are looking for a magic secret to help us sleep better. While there are things that can aid your sleep you need to remember one thing. Sleep is what rejuvenates you. Therefore, you should make sure your body needs rejuvenating. You need to exhaust yourself. You need to do things that make you tired. One of the main ways to do this is by exercising. There are lots of good ways to do this and the best thing… You get to decide what you do. You can choose something that is fun for you. You could even go with a loved one, a friend, or even a group of people.
You could:
- Plant a Garden
- Do other yardwork
- Go for a walk or run
- Do Zumba
- Swim
- Go for a bike ride
- Learn a new task that requires brain & braun power
There are many other things that you could participate in. Doing some sort of exercise will help exhaust you. Which, in turn, will help you sleep better.
I struggled with Anxiety for 18 years and during that time I slept horribly. For a period of that struggling time, I would sit or lie down inside and rarely, if ever, do any exercise. Then when night time came I couldn’t sleep. I felt tired, but really really I was just sluggish. I wasn’t tired because I didn’t exert myself. (I wasn’t sleeping so I was probably tired. But not tired enough to sleep.) Thankfully, a solution to my anxiety presented itself.
Now that my anxiety is reduced, I exercise way more often, and as a result I sleep MUCH better. (You can read my story about reducing my anxiety here)
2. Calm Your Mind Before Bed
Our world is go, go, go. There is always something to be done. Some email to respond to, some social media app to check. etc., Our minds get pulled in so many different directions. This can be especially frustrating for us especially when it comes time to sleep. If our minds are wired about doing a million different things during the day, then it will be wired to do a million different things at bedtime.
With this in mind we should practice some self care tips to help our minds calm down and relax. We should help our mind understand that it’s okay to take a break and shut down. That doesn’t mean watch movies or play video games all day. It means taking time throughout the day to relax and calm your brain. A couple of things you might find helpful include:
- Thinking about things you are grateful for
- Take some breathes for 5 minutes and concentrate on your breathing
- Write in your journal
- Read a book
- Listen to soothing music
Doing these things will train your brain that it is okay to take a break from rigorous amounts of to-do’s. Which will help you not have racing thoughts throughout the night. It will help you relax instead of being overwhelmed. You will sleep instead of worrying about tomorrows tasks.
3. Take A Sleep Aid Supplement
There are so many different types of sleep aid supplements out there. A common one is melatonin. Lots of people try melatonin and it either doesn’t work or works only for a while. Doctor Shawn Talbott said “Melatonin only works for about 50% of the people who try it” 1
Sleep supplements can be very helpful if you get a good one that works for you. I have tried a couple and there is one that definitely helps me sleep better and feel more rested. It is so nice to sleep better after years and years of struggling with my sleep. I encourage you to check it out and see if it might be a good fit for you. (You can get more information here.)
Exercising, eating right, taking time to relax and finding a good sleep supplement are 3 keys to helping you sleep better, and feel better. It can be hard to try and change a bunch of different things at once so just try and improve on one or two things today.