Today I want to talk about how to get a better nights sleep, 5 simple tips to help you feel great.
My Superpower
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I haven’t told you about my Superpower have I? I can’t walk through walls or run really fast but it’s a pretty good power to have.
The superpower is that I can sleep, anywhere, at any time and almost minutes after my head hits the pillow.
This didn’t seem unusual until I met Rob, he seems to think I have some kind of voodoo magic thing going on. I really don’t, although that could be fun!
Sleep issues
I haven’t always been a good sleeper, it took some trial and error to find a way to achieve this power.
Rob is not a natural sleeper. Thankfully despite his best efforts, it is not often that Rob keeps me awake. while he is unable to sleep but I can now completely appreciate how difficult a lack of sleep can be.
I see the effect it has and how difficult it can be to function on just a few nights of bad sleep but for many, bad sleep is a daily occurrence and can have a hugely negative impact on our health and well-being.
Here are my tips to a better nights sleep.
How can you sleep like a superhero?
I know it feels like an impossible task, but I have found that there are ways in which you help yourself fall in to a natural sleep without the need for medications or ritual sacrificing.
1. Routine
The first thing we are told to do when we have a baby is to get them in to a routine.
The idea of a routine sounds silly for an adult, I am a pretty stubborn adult and don’t like being told what to do. This adult makes her own decisions right?
Well actually no I don’t. I get up at the same time each day to get ready for work, I go to work and I follow the rules and routine set out for me, I go home when my working day ends! Whoop… Freedom!
Again No! I have a child to look after, one that needs feeding and his own routine maintained. I also have to eat as does Rob and the washing needs to be done and the cat cries to be fed and the housework seems to be never ending. This I see is all part of one giant routine.
A routine that I bet you all follow in some way.
My Routine
So why not consider a bedtime routine? I did, and I haven’t looked back.
My routine begins with making sure I am ready for the day ahead. I make breakfast and lunch and get all bags ready for school and work.
This means I can enjoy some downtime. It usually involves some TV and a catch up with my lovely Man. I always keep the room as dark as possible and limit phone use during this time. We are all aware of the blue light emitted from our phones and the negative effect this is having on our sleep quality.
Finally I try to be upstairs and ready for bed about 30 minutes before I would like to fall asleep. I use this time to completely switch off and usually try to read. For me there is no better way to unwind before falling asleep.
2. No Caffeine
This might sound like a bit of a no-brainer but any stimulant for me after about 12pm is a no-go.
Some people will need caffeine after this time, or at least some kind of afternoon pick me up. But if you struggle to sleep, making this small change alone could have you drifting off much more easily.
You might curse this one but maybe very grateful in the long run.
3. Have a set bed time and wake up
I find that I need to be in bed by 10pm on a work night as I have to get up for 6am. I try to stick with this time over the weekend as well to continue the routine.
Although I do like a lie in at least one day a week, I still stick to 8 hours in bed.
This meant I find myself ready to sleep by 10 and I’m awake just before the alarm each day.
I feel like I am much more productive in the mornings now as well. Having around 8 hours sleep is enough to get me ready for the day. And eager for my 10pm bedtime!
Once you work out how much sleep you need to function, you’ll be able to set your own bedtime accordingly.
4. Tidy House, Tidy mind
I am a massive believer that if your living space is tidy, so is your mind.
That goes for your bedroom as well. Our house is currently undergoing some major work, Our bedroom has become a store room.
I could feel the walls closing in on me and found just shutting my eyes to be difficult. I had to make a change and quickly.
It was unreasonable to expect the whole room to be cleared. But by clearing the area immediately around my bed I suddenly felt free.
I no longer felt overwhelmed and was able to sleep.
My advice is to make sure that your bedroom is as clear as you can make it. Gain control of your space and you’ll gain control on your sleep.
Another quick tip is to keep a note pad beside your bed. If you find your mind racing with things you need to do, Stop. Write it down and clear your mind. You can thank me later!
5. White Noise
The first time I heard about white noise was thanks to my Mum. She had been diagnosed with Tinnitus and a white noise machine was given to her.
The idea was the machine would play white noise to counteract the ringing in her ears. The noise was a distraction and meant to help her sleep.
I used it several times and found the sounds a real help in switching off. It didn’t help my Mum so she returned it to the NHS and I hadn’t thought about it since.
Fade Away sleep sounds
When I was contacted about Fade Away Sleep sounds I realised this could actually be the answer to Rob’s sleep issues. In turn, maybe it would help us both!
Fade Away Sleep sounds offer a range of sounds designed to help with sleep for both adult and baby.
For babies, the noise can help with the transition from womb to the quiet environment we aim to provide them to sleep. The womb is a pretty noisy place for little ears you know. We all know someone who had to drive their baby around or sit them in front of the washing machine, don’t we?
Thanks to Fade Away sleep sounds, those late night washes can be a thing of the past due to the real life sounds they have available here. I think it is such a brilliant idea. Plus the sounds fade out perfectly, so much so you won’t even notice it has stopped.
Rob has progressed past the need for that kind of white noise. Fade away sleep sounds have plenty of other options for the adult ear.
We have worked our way through all that they have available over the last month and the results have been fantastic.
Nature Sleep sounds
This selection soon became our go to. In particular the thunder and rain sounds. I have always liked falling asleep listening to the rain so I am not surprised that this was a favourite.
It is such a soothing sound and reminds me of camping out in the rain. A sound which also evokes a memory. I did worry for this reason that I may find it a distraction, but far from it.
Of course we have established I have serious sleep skills developed over time anyway so this account is based on Rob’s experience with the sounds.
I was open to the idea of trying the sleep sounds, but was concerned it would keep me awake rather than aid sleep. I’ve always struggled to shut off at bed time, especially with Claire snoring next to me!
I don’t remember falling asleep on the first day or even hearing the sounds stop. I still felt this could be a one off.
Each night we tried a different sleep sound and I was delighted that the outcome was the same every night.
I can’t remember a time when I had such a prolonged period of good quality sleep each night.
I would recommend these to anyone who’ll listen and will continue to use these as part of my night time routine.
It’s not a snore, more a gentle feminine purr… OK!
I can honestly say that the sleep sounds have had a big impact on Rob’s sleeping in my opinion. Happiness all round I’d say!
Do you have any top tips for sleeping better? Have you tried white noise before or would you be tempted to try?
This post is an advertorial but all views are my own.. And Robs.
I totally agree about clutter in the bedroom making things difficult, we had so much stuff in our room before Christmas as we were decorating and it made me really ratty and unsettled during the night x
It’s really hard on the brain isn’t it x
As a child and young adult I could sleep through a 2 hour drum session in the room next door, sadly since having our children not a chance. I am a light sleeper, but have navigated my way through not being able to get to sleep, waking in the night for a few hours to now sleeping around 6-7 hours straight. Long may it last!! I definitely agree with having a tidy space that plays a big part for me.
I’m much lighter a sleeper since I had my son. Think it’s a constant need to be on high alert!
I love the idea of falling asleep to the sound of rain falling – that would definitely be my favourite too! I agree one hundred percent with your tip about not using phones (or tablets!) for a good half hour or so before bed. I find it so much harder to get to sleep if I’ve been looking at a screen first. But I can’t read before bed either – I know that if I get too engrossed in a book, I’ll be up until the small hours reading “just one more page”!
One more page is my worst trick! Although I have to read a chapter at a time!
I am so jealous! Sometimes I do sleep so quickly but other nights can take ages! My girls love the sound of nature to sleep. Great tips.
Thank you Sarah. It can be so tough x
I’m like you, have never had a problem nodding off. I started wearing ear plugs 3 years ago because my husbands snoring is so bad and the ambient noise around our house is really bad at night but I don’t like using them when he’s away with work. Maybe something like this will let me nod off against the dogs barking around us!
I live on a very busy main road with buses and it certainly helped block that out x
Great advice. This ties in perfectly with the new year because so many people will want to sleep better as a resolution.
Also, love the sound of the Fade Away Sleep Sounds.
They are honestly brilliant. Even I feel I have benefited from the clam it brings at bedtime x
Great tips, I agree with all of them. I am luckily a pretty good sleeper too but my husband always struggles.
Sleep is an issue in our house at the mo! My eldest just never wants to go to bed, we have such a battle every night! I am going to try the sleep sounds thing, and some white noise to see if it helps him to switch that brain off!! Thank you for the tips 💖
It is such a good distraction to outside but also internal noise x
Ah sleep is a super power l am envious of! Some great tips here, l too find that organising myself the night before, tidying up, preparing breakfast etc, really does help. Little routines tell our brain to prepare for sleep which helps.
Great post, glad l found your blog!
Thank you Finlay, right back at you 😘
I have had many issues with sleep, one of mine is a racing mind, with so much to do or thoughts about my day what I could have done better. I find having a calm cup of tea and some batch resue sleep remedy helps me
Nic | Nic’s Adventures & Bakes
I’ve heard good things about the sleep remedy x
Great tips!!! I find having a bed time super helpful!
It really makes a difference doesn’t it x
Thanks for so many pieces of advice. Will definitely try them out since I usually got trouble falling asleep. Great post. Keep going! x
I am glad I could help x
I am like you but my husband can really struggle. Although it has more to do with little people than anything else. For some reason our youngest has taken to coming in and waking us up, but he always goes to his side of the bed. I am with you on having a tidy bedroom it does make me feel a lot less stressed at bedtime.
Thankfully on the whole we are child free, we only have the youngest at the weekends so they slip in some mornings. Its certainly not easy when you have little ones if you don’t sleep well anyway x
This is kind of a big issue for me. I am by definition a night owl that comes from a family of night owls. I just can’t shut off at a reasonable hour. I have always been able to concentrate and work well during the night. The only period of my life that changed was when my kids were babies – at that point, I would go to sleep at any given time if someone was there to actually let me sleep. I usually get about 5 hours of sleep, and I sleep much more over the weekends. I am going to try a few of your tips and see if it works. I do know how much better my days are when I manage to fall asleep at a normal hour.
I really hope some of these work for you. It makes a huge difference when you get a decent nights sleep x
I have been a terrible sleeper since childhood. I already avoid caffeine and use white noise to get to sleep, but now as an adult my biggest obstacle is that I always go to bed way too late. My goal for 2020 is to stick to an earlier and more consistent bedtime.
I was a bit like that but I have really had to make a conscious effort to get to bed earlier. I do miss a lack of evening though, especially as the children get older and stay up later x
I 100% agree with everything you’ve said, I sleep better when I’ve stuck to a routine and so does my 3 year old.
We are just like kids really aren’t we x
Now I understand why I don’t fall asleep with the fan switched off! Thanks😁
I used to do the same when I lived near a nightclub, I couldn’t believe the difference it made x
I love this post. Sleep is so important. I believe in keeping your space tidy and it in turn calms the mind. I have always had to have complete darkness and silence to sleep, but my husband suffers with tinnitus and needs white noise in order to sleep. Thank you for sharing.
Does he find it helpful? All this sleep talk has me ready for bed tonight x x
Thanks for the tips. I will definitely be trying these. I like the idea of darkening your surroundings and definitely agree with you about the tidy house bit.
Tidy house tidy mind is so true x x
Great tips! I am always going too late to bed but this year I promised to go to bed 30mins earlier. It’s not working yet perfectly but I like to have that rule.
It really does help Jenni. It isn’t easy to stick to though, my inner child comes out sometimes x
I love having a routine, these are all great tips! I love the tidy house tidy mind, I always have a quick sweep of my room before I go to bed and ensure to pack if i have work the next day! Great post!
It makes so much difference having a routine. Thank you for reading x
I’ve been having trouble with sleep lately, I always ended up being awake late into midnight. These tips are very useful and much needed. Great post, thanks for sharing ♡
—Athena Christy
https://athenachristy.wordpress.com/
I really hope they help you x
Oh my days! This is SUCH a super power for sure! My partner is something of the same and is asleep within minutes. I don’t struggle with sleep, thankfully, but I do take maybe ten minutes to fall asleep, which I thought was good until I met my partner! I thought he was the only person like this 😂 I wind him up about it so much!! I have recently also come to appreciate how much better I sleep if the room I am in is a tidy one 😀 x
I get teased for my super power too so your partner is not alone!
I definitely need to apply some of these tips.
Great post!
Thank you x
Love this post! I personally couldn’t live without white noise – I can sleep through the sound of cars and people talking! And being naturally regimented, a routine is a must. I love my sleep. Thanks for sharing this post 🙂
Thank you Corinne. White noise has made a huge difference to us x
A routine definitely helps so much, I’ve found myself sleeping so much better since adapting a proper schedule before bed! I’m so glad someone else has said about having a tidy room, I’ve always swore that I sleep better when I know my room is clean and tidy. I’ve never a tried a white noise machine but I’ve heard such good things. I like to use a lavender pillow spray as it always helps me to feel more relaxed.
Alice xx
I used to love lavender spray but I developed a real dislike for lavender and I have no idea why! It is a real shame because I loved going to bed with it x
Rob and I have a lot in common except Alan’s snores in no way could be described as gentle purrs, haha. I often suffer from insommnia but I must admit I’ve never thought about going to bed at a set time before. That does make a lot of sense. And I love the sound of rain on the window too so I will have to look into Fade Away Sleep Sounds, they sound wonderful. Great post, Claire, and thank you to Rob for his honesty! Lisa xx
Oh dear, noisy snorers are not much fun. The sleep sounds really are so soothing x
I totally agree with the clutter, and find it even extends to things like a dirty kitchen. I can’t rest if things are a mess!!
Also, the white noise is very true. I have an air filter I use as I am a very light sleeper & it helps me stay asleep. Earplugs are another suggestion.. Especially if you have an SO that snores or talks in their sleep.
I do feel for my SO as I am a talker. Although actually so is he!
I also possess this superpower I can sleep anywhere, anytime. To get a good nights sleep I would also say not snoozing your alarm is a good tip and you always feel worse when you wake up again and also routine having a ‘bed-time’ and sticking to it is definitely a good tip.
This is so true, although when it is so dark its very hard not to hit snooze!
I didn’t even know what white noise is. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
I have a slight issue with sleeping and just like you I have a couple of things I do. Worst case scenario I imagine an empty room either totally white or pink and try to suppress any thoughts that might come. It does the job for me everytime.
That’s a really clever idea x
These are all such great tips for a better nights sleep! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you Charity x
This is quite relevant to us. I don’t necessarily struggle to get to sleep I just wake constantly and can wake at 2am and not be able to go back to sleep. I’ve put it down to my early(ish) menopause so there’s a whole host of things going on. My husband struggles to turn off work and lies awake thinking about that xx
My Mum had a similar issue, she could fall asleep no problem but would be awake most of the night from 1am. She found herself falling asleep earlier and earlier so she could get a decent block of sleep. We don’t appreciate enough how important sleep is x x
I try not to drink caffeine after 5pm if I can help it, and I love putting a few drops of lavender oil on my pillow too.
I used to love lavender and now I can’t go near it for some reason but I used to use it many years ago and loved it x
I am lucky to be able to sleep unturned most nights. I agree that having a routine and the same time when you go to bed helps as lot. I have never tried white noise machines, but I have friends who swear by them.
I have sensitive eyes so I bought a blue light filter for my phone. It was only about £3 and I really noticed improvements with falling asleep. I’ve now downloaded a filter for my laptop, too
Thats brilliant, such a good idea for children as well. Sometimes my boy has homework that he does not long before bed. Thanks for sharing x
Some really great tips and tricks here . I use to always suffer with bad sleep . Definitely agree with tidy house , knowing the house is clean ready for the morning is definitely a sense of relief 🙂
These are some great ideas. I’ve stopped drinking caffeine bar in the morning, I’ve found if you get a good de-caf tea it still tastes wonderful!
I really need to into a better sleep routine, late nights and early mornings don’t always mix very well
I totally agree about clutter in the bedroom. At times it feels like our room ends up the dumping ground for anything that doesn’t have a proper place in the house. Yet the more stuff that’s in the room the harder I find it to sleep.
I can’t even think about my bedroom at the moment. We have had to empty 3 rooms all in to ours and it is stressing me out just thinking about it!
I am an insomniac so often sleep eludes me but I do love having routine as it helps me sleep better as well as white noises.
I am normally asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, just wish I didn’t wake up at 4am and struggle to get back to sleep
Those white noise apps are also great for helping you to concentrate during the day I find. I think they really help me to focus! xxx
Thats actually such a good idea! I am completely in love with falling asleep to it now x
These are great tips. I’m and ok sleeper but takes me ages to drop off, I sleep with lullabies on haha as I still cosleep with my son
I have always been a great sleeper and go straight into a deep sleep when both physically and mentally exhausted. I do believe as a freelancer to have a great nights sleep to improve the productivity of the next day.
I know I am so much more productive when I have had a good nights sleep x x
I am a terrible sleeper, always have been and it drives me crazy because I happen to be one of those people that needs a decent nights sleep to function (face palm)! I do stick to routines and find that white noise/a constant noise helps me to fall asleep. I can never seem to shut my mind off though and will be thinking about all the things I need or want to get done. My husband has recently completed a meditation course and says it is brilliant and that he struggles not to fall asleep before finishing it so that may be another good idea? Although I haven’t tried this myself yet.
Love this post!! I have got to start giving up caffeine at night lol. Thanks for the reminder lol.
Thank you. I just love coffee so it can be hard to say no!
Some great tips here. I am really struggling with my sleep at the moment so will have to take notice of them.
Great Tips! I use a fan in our bedroom purely for white noise. It helps me sleep sometimes.
That’s a really good idea x