Good Sleep Hygiene Tips Video

Coffee Pajamas by P.J. Salvage that I'm wearing in the Sleep Hygiene Tips Video.

Good sleep hygiene is the healthy habits you practice to help your body establish patterns that contribute to a good night’s sleep night after night.

Tips for falling asleep

• Create a bedtime routine that includes at least 30 minutes of wind-down time and use that time to do something relaxing. A warm bath and reading a book are two of the top suggestions. Lower the lights in the house for an hour or so before bed. I use the Sleep by GE bulbs which I have programmed to automatically turn down an hour before bedtime.
• Establish the same time for waking each and every day which can help your internal clock adjust so that it is easier to get out of bed in the morning as well as go to sleep faster at night. If you regulate your sleeping pattern you will train your body to know when it’s bedtime.
• Eliminate electronic devices from your bedtime routine. This includes television, computer screens, smartphones, iPads, etc. The light from their screens disrupts our sleep cycles and stimulates the brain and make it harder to fall asleep. If you absolutely cannot do without your phone as an alarm at least turn it on airplane mode at night.
• An easy way to calm your mind is to do a simple breathing technique such as 5-5-5 or relaxation exercise where you tense and release each individual muscle throughout your body one at a time from head to toe.
• Use lavender essential oils on your sheets with a wool dryer balls in your dryer! I use lavender and dryer balls in every single load of laundry I dry!
• If after 20 minutes you have not fallen asleep, get up and go to a different part of your house. Choose a relaxing activity, such as reading or listening to soft music. We want our bed to give us a feeling of peacefulness and calm so we need to avoid lying awake in bed which can establish an unhealthy link between your sleeping environment and wakefulness.

Tips for going back to sleep at night and staying asleep till wake up time

• During the day avoid caffeine and alcohol especially closer to bedtime. Stimulants such as these often cause repeated wakefulness during the night.
• Don't flip on the lights at night! If you need light to see to go to the restroom, use a warm orange light such as from a Salt Lamp.
• The sleep environment needs to be quiet and dark all night. Blackout curtains or solid shades will block streetlights. Use fan or white noise machine to block sounds that might otherwise disturb you.
• Practice a simple breathing exercise or simply focus on your breathing which can help you get back to sleep.
• Again, if after about 20 minutes sleep has not returned do not lay in bed thinking about the fact that you aren’t asleep! It’s best to just go to another area in your home to do a relaxing activity. Listening to an audio Bible makes me sleepy every time!

Sleep environment

• Keep it cool! Between 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit! Doing so will allow your body to release more melatonin which is the sleep hormone and also one of the body’s best anti-aging hormones.
• Fresh sheets definitely feel wonderful so change the sheets on your bed as often as you like but preferably at the minimum once per week.
• Declutter the bedroom so that it is a calm and inviting space for rest is extremely helpful for getting a good night’s sleep.
• It’s a good idea to keep the room cool, between 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended.  If appropriate open a window to let air ventilate around the room.
• Limit the amount of time you spend in your bedroom other than for sleep so your body will associate your bedroom with sleep.
• Declutter the bedroom so that it is a calm and inviting space for rest is extremely helpful for getting a good night’s sleep (Can you spot the sleep hygiene problems in the room below?)

The Bedtime Routine

Whatever you choose to do before you fall asleep each night just remember to do those same things each and every night. Doing so will create a trigger that will get your mind and body in sleep mode!

Some suggestions for a bedtime routine include:

• Start diffusing a relaxing essential oil blend like Aura Cacia Pillow Potion or a single essential oil such as lavender.
• Write down a list of things you need to take care of tomorrow or just get any lingering thoughts down on paper so your mind is clear.
• If you bathe at night do so, however, if you bathe in the morning, consider soaking your feet in Epsom Salts before bed to encourage relaxation. Epsom salts have Magnesium which helps to calm our nervous system.
• Personal hygiene such as removing makeup, moisturizing face, brushing teeth, etc.
• Turn down the covers and lay your robe and slippers near your bed. (check out these crazy expensive coffee slippers)

These sleep tips will work for kids and teens, but there are other factors when it comes to sleep hygiene for kids and getting a good night's sleep as a teen.

Through May 1st The Bed Boss is offering my readers an exclusive 20% discount on any of their amazing mattresses using the coupon code SleepChallenge17. I hate saying it’s a limited time offer but IT IS! So if you do need a new mattress, now is the time and The Bed Boss is the place! You won’t find coupon codes for The Bed Boss anywhere else online right now! The Sleep Challenge was a huge success as many of my readers have contacted me to let me know they are getting better sleep!