How To Get A Good Night's Sleep

For many years I would just “go to sleep”. I thought if I lie in bed then I would eventually fall asleep. Then I would look at the clock and realize an hour had passed, and I’m nowhere closer to my beautiful dreams.

I even went to a sleep psychologist who gave me some valuable tips that have helped me get a better night’s sleep. 

So if you’re that person who has asked yourself, “How do I get a good night’s sleep?” then this is for you.

1. Exercise During the Day

Getting a good night’s sleep comes way before actually hitting the sack. There’s a lot of things that we do throughout the day that can be causing us to have a bad night’s sleep. Some that come to mind are too much caffeine in the afternoon, having too much sugar, and even drinking alcohol late at night. 

Check out this post by WebMD on some surprising causes of sleep loss. Click here.

Exercise already has tons of good benefits, but most important of all is that it aids in helping us sleep better at night. 

According to recent studies, Charlene Gamaldo, M.D. , medical director of Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep  says, “We have solid evidence that exercise does, in fact, help you fall asleep more quickly and improves sleep quality.” 

Long story short try to get some exercise during the day! It can go a long way to making sure you’re a high performer.

If you struggle with exercising consistently make sure to check out this related post: Exercise Regularly in 3 Easy Steps.

2. Limit Food and liquids a couple of  hours before bed

When my sleep psychologist asked me what kept me getting up at night, it didn’t register at first, but I figured out quickly that I woke up 2 to 3 times a night to use the bathroom. And therein lies the problem. When you set a time for bed (number 5), make sure that 4 hours before bed you don’t have a heavy meal or drink too much water. Stay hydrated, but don’t go overboard.

Unfortunately, I love drinking water because of all of the amazing health and mental benefits, and didn’t realize that drinking too much water so close to my bed time was actually doing me more harm than good.

3. Signal to your brain that its bed time

The trick to get a good night’s sleep is doing your homework beforehand. That means establishing a nighttime ritual. Your ritual can be as simple as dimming the lights, brushing your teeth, and reading a book 15 minutes before shutting off the lights and getting into bed. 

Your nighttime ritual is your wind down period. That means no phones, laptops, and Netflix. All of these devices emit blue light. Blue light is a type of color exposure from your electronics that messes with your body’s ability to go to sleep since it blocks the hormone Melatonin which makes you sleepy. 

You can use a computer app called F.lux which automatically dims your computer screens at preset times. I set mine to after 6 PM. Your iPhones and most Android phones already have built in options to schedule blue light filters. You can find them in the settings, usually under “display”. 

If you’re interested in different ways that I personally use — and found success with — check out this related post: How to Wake Up at 5 AM.

4. Change your environment to signal sleep

Your environment has a lot to do with how successful you are in getting a good night’s sleep. If you’ve implemented all of the above and still haven’t found results — find yourself screaming, “How do I get a good night’s sleep!” — then it may be your environment. 

Do you have a TV in your bedroom? How about your phone and laptop? I know that it can seem like a nightmare (pun intended) that you have your precious phone so far away from you, but it may be costing you a good night’s rest. Resulting in your zombie-like state at work.

If it is possible, remove your electronics from your bedroom, get a couple of dark out curtains (light and dark sends signals to your brain whether it’s playtime or naptime), and try to set the temperature of the room to 60 to 67 degrees fahrenheit. All of these measures are optimal for a good night’s sleep. 

And if you have a construction crew outside knocking down the next door neighbors garage, make sure to get a pair of earplugs, or a new house to move into. 

5. Wake up and get into bed the same time each day

Setting a time to get in bed is another signal to your brain that it’s time to take a break. If you currently have no sleep schedule, this will help. 

On the first few nights it will be difficult, but do steps 1 to 4 and then get into bed at a reasonable time, and stick to it. Then set your alarm to the same time in the morning that will allow you a little time to get ready for work. 

Having the same wake up time is beneficial to your health and performance. Try to wake up on the weekends the same time as well. If it is unnatural then wake up a bit later, I know some of us have unusual work hours.

Conclusion

Getting a good night’s sleep is doing your homework. I wish I could be like my father who can fall asleep at the drop of the hat. Alas, that is not me. And if that’s not you either, then these 5 simple tricks can do wonders in improving your quality of sleep. 

In summary:

1. Exercise during the day

2. Limit the food and liquids a couple hours before bed

3. Signal to your brain that its bed time

4. Change your environment to signal sleep

5. Wake up and get into bed the same time each day

And there you have it. Hopefully I saved you a trip to the sleep doctor. A good night’s rest can do that for you. And as an added benefit. Those around you will thank you too, since you’ll be more easy to be around with a good night’s sleep. 

Question for you

Do you have a trick that helps you get better sleep? 

P.S. As always thanks for reading and if you found this helpful and know of a friend that desperately needs more sleep, make sure to share this article!