Ways to Get Better Sleep

There are lots of things you can do to get better sleep, including structuring your activities differently during the day as well as before bedtime. Here are some ways to get better sleep that have worked for me. 

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Ask a doctor if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or otherwise have questions about if these resources are suitable for you.

 

During the day – preparing to get better sleep

  • Exercise. Cardio makes a BIG difference in the quality of your sleep because it vaporizes your stress so you don’t carry it with you at the end of the day. 

  • Avoid caffeine or stimulants after the time you know they bother your sleep. Everyone is different, so listen to your body. 

  • Ask your manager at work about your priorities, if you feel overwhelmed. Say “no” to things by asking when they need to be done; today, this week, this month? 

Prepare for better sleep – 2-4 hours before bedtime

  • Get off screens ideally at least an hour before you go to sleep and preferably 2-3 or even 4 hours before. 

  • If you must work in the evening, use Flux (on Mac) or a similar program on a PC to reduce blue light/redden your screen, or wear glasses that block blue light. Blue light inhibits the production of melatonin, which is your body’s natural signal that it’s time to sleep.

  • Try to do things that are relaxing in the evening. The more you make this a priority, the better sleep you’ll get. Don’t underestimate this.

  • Read a book on paper that’s not too stimulating – perhaps poetry, or even How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. It’s a little old school, but has good advice. 

  • Take a bath (assuming you’re not living in an area that has a drought) – Epsom salt baths are especially nice. I like this Salt and Soda Detox bath listed here. 

  • Avoid alcohol a few hours before bedtime as it may temporarily make you sleepy, but you’ll probably just wake up in the middle of the night dehydrated and cranky. 

  • Chamomile tea (I don’t like the taste, but many people find it relaxing)

  • Get acupuncture. Great for managing stress in general.

  • Do restorative yoga.

  • Do yin yoga. 

 

If you have trouble falling asleep at bedtime

  • Calm Mind and Body tea from Ayurveda World at the Mount Madonna Institute (can be taken during the day; I took this before my PMP exam). It tastes like dirt, which is how you know it works. I recommend mixing 1 teaspoon of this “tea” with 1 teaspoon cocoa powder and a bit of honey, and ta-da, you have yogi hot chocolate! 

  • Sleep Well tea from Ayurveda World at the Mount Madonna Institute (take only at bedtime). Tastes like a different kind of dirt. Adding honey can help.

  • Melatonin – particularly helpful for jet lag and (in my opinion) for concussion patients to take before bedtime 

  • Bacopa – helps calm the mind from excessive thinking

  • Valerian (some people find this helpful; I don’t but include it for completeness)

  • Kava (may have effects on the liver; ask your doctor if you’re not sure, and avoid it if pregnant or breastfeeding)

  • Listen to calming music: I personally like Tom Kenyon’s sound healing tracks “Aetherium” and “Restoration” (see www.tomkenyon.com) 

  • If you are a Reiki practitioner, give yourself a Reiki self-treatment

  • Do the “legs up the wall” (Viparita Karani) yoga pose for a minute or two or longer

  • Pranayama (breathing exercises) – deep abdominal breathing, alternate nostril breathing (which is balancing), and lengthening the exhale (inhale for a count of 5, exhale for a count of 6 or more)

 

If you can’t sleep in the middle of the night

  • Listen to calming music: I personally like Tom Kenyon’s sound healing tracks “Aetherium” and “Restoration” (see www.tomkenyon.com). Listen to these when you want at least 6 hours of relaxation (i.e. not during the day, not before driving a car or trying to focus) – they are powerful.

  • Try loving-kindness meditation. Instead of ruminating on your worries, ruminate on happy things. I like Nikki Mirghafori’s “Happy Hour Meditations” and you can download them from audiodharma.org (recommended to download them to have them available offline rather than try to listen on YouTube and get interrupted ads). I also have an article that lists a bunch of phrases you can use here on loving-kindness meditation and more.

  • If you are a Reiki practitioner, give yourself a Reiki self-treatment. 

 

When it’s 4 or 5 am and you can’t go back to sleep

  • ·       Listen to calming music (but not the Tom Kenyon ones that are extremely relaxing – you want to be able to wake up again in a few hours). This 528 Hz “unconditional love” track is worth downloading and storing on your smartphone so you can listen to it even when your phone is on airplane mode or silent: https://open.spotify.com/album/0qE8qzazAbwS62hZ992jQ4?highlight=spotify:track:4ovQlgSLQsDpmE4SplH10J

  • If you are a Reiki practitioner, give yourself a Reiki self-treatment. 

  •  Try loving-kindness meditation. See above. 

  • Just get up and start working if that’s an option. Take a nap in the middle of the day if that is available to you. 

  • Don’t worry about lost sleep. This is a principle from Dale Carnegie. If you fall asleep again, great. If you’re awake, go do something. 

 

Last but not least, consider meditation teacher Tucker Peck, Ph.D’s 5 week video course on getting better sleep here. I haven’t done it myself but he does have a PhD in sleep psychology or related things, so check it out: https://drugfreesleep.com/

 

Katharine Bierce