5 Tips to Prioritize Your Sleep

Sleep is one of the most often neglected parts of our overall health and wellness.  When we get enough sleep our mood typically improves, we have better immune function (so we get sick less often), our overall mental functioning improves, we are less stressed and we are healthier overall.  When we sleep our body physically repairs (this is the time we truly build muscle) but our mind also rejuvenates as well.  When we are getting enough sleep and getting good quality sleep we just feel better overall.  

Here are 5 tips to help start improving your sleep today! 

Turn Off the Screens 

The blue light that is emitted from the screens of TV’s, laptops, phones, and other devices can keep us awake and negatively impact your sleep.  This light tricks the body into thinking that it’s still daytime.  When this happens we produce less melatonin (our sleep hormone) which means when we are ready for bed, we aren’t as tired or we don’t fall asleep as quickly.  If possible, turn all screens off 1 hour before you go to bed (30 minutes is better than nothing if you can’t do the full hour).  If removing screens right before sleep isn’t an option for you, try blue light blocking glasses or you can find apps that will help block blue light on a lot of devices nowadays as well.  Limiting your exposure to blue light in the hour or so before bed should improve the quality of your sleep.  

Do a Brain Dump 

A brain dump is a great way to get everything you are thinking about for the next day written down so you don’t have to worry about it while you’re trying to sleep.  Try keeping a pen and notebook beside your bed and if you are having trouble sleeping or find yourself worrying about all the things you need to do the next day try writing them down then let them go from your mind! 

Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine 

This will be different for everyone, but creating a relaxing bedtime routine can be helpful in helping you sleep better.  Try a warm shower or bath before bed, take a few minutes to read, meditate or stretch.  These can all be very simple ways that don’t take a lot of time but will help you unwind before bedtime.  If you aren’t sure what you need for a relaxing routine, try some different things and note how you sleep after those different activities.  Then stick with the ones that seem to work best for you.  

Destress 

Again, this is going to look very different for each and every individual.  What you do to de-stress is individualized to you but finding ways to de-stress throughout the days will help you sleep better at night (yes you can start to improve your sleep by doing healthy activities throughout the day as well).  Here are just a few ideas for ways you might be able to de-stress; 

• Try practicing mindfulness or meditation daily 
• Exercise 
• Find a hobby that you truly enjoy (something you can lose track of time doing) 
• Stretching and moving your body throughout the day 
• Try colouring or painting 
• Spend some time in nature 
• Or any other activity that you find relieves stress for you! 

Get Sunlight in the Morning 

Exposing yourself to sunlight (or light) in general in the morning can actually help you sleep better at night.  When you get into the sunlight first thing in the morning you help your body’s natural sleep-wake pattern set itself.  The exposure to the light tells your body that it’s daytime (and it’s time to wake up).  This can help set your body up better to fall into the natural routine of the day, which means you will get tired at bedtime and sleep better and longer overall.  

Which of the 5 tips are you implementing today?  Choose one and start with that.  Once you feel that you’ve mastered try adding a new one (you don’t need to add them all in at once).  Share in the comments your experiences with improving sleep.  Did you implement one of these notes and notice a difference?