Have you been tossing and turning all night? Your brain won’t stop over-thinking? Does your to-do list haunt you? Do you feel like you forgot something? You can’t sleep and there you are – lying in your bed and staring at the ceiling, wishing your brain has a switch so you could just turn it off.
You’re not alone.
Many people are having a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep. In fact, insomnia has been the most common sleep disorder. Sleep affects our physical, mental, and emotional health. So not getting enough of it will affect your mood, productivity, and more.
Been wishing you could go back to the days when you woke up feeling rested and happy? Here are five tips to help you sleep better so you can function just like you did back in the good ‘ol days:
Learn how to nap
Taking a nap during the day can be great for productivity and fabulous for health, but you’ve got to do it right. Aim for a power nap for 20 to 25 minutes, any longer than that and you’ll feel groggy when you wake up plus risk not being able to fall asleep when it’s bedtime.
Use essential oils
Haven’t tried essential oils yet? Well, consider this a sign that you definitely should! Essential oils can be a powerful way to help you relax and sleep better. If you’ve tried our massage, you’ve been feeling the relaxing effects of Stress Away in the massage room diffuser. And good news: you can try this at home too!
There’s a relaxing oil to help everyone. It might take some experimenting to find which ones help you fall asleep easier. Experiment on your own or ask your massage therapist for their recommendation.
Be mindful of the temperature
Take a warm (not hot) shower or bath about an hour before bedtime and keep your room cooler at night. The drop in body temperature signals your body and mind to calm down so you’ll fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply.
Turn off the electronics
Okay, so we’ve all heard this one. But it’s like, REALLY hard to do, right? It’s the most important and the least followed piece of advice. Get an old-fashioned alarm clock so you don’t need to use your phone.
Turn off your phone, iPad, Kindle, tv, and whatever else has made its way into your bedroom, and put the devices in another room. Yes, really. A different room. You might think a silenced phone on your nightstand won’t disturb your rest, but it will. Trust me. I’ve tried to convince myself of the same thing. Just knowing it’s there puts your body on alert. It’s too tempting to reach over and ‘just check texts’ if you wake up in the middle of the night. Save yourself from lost sleep. Break the habit of compulsively checking your devices.
Get a massage
Yup, massage can really help with sleep issues. There have been several studies demonstrating the benefits of massage for people with sleep problems, especially when treating the other issues that impact restful sleep, like back pain, pregnancy, and migraines. Put your next massage on the calendar so we can help you get better sleep. Plus, maybe you’ll get a power nap during your massage too!
