Do you struggle to sleep when the seasons changes? Is it either too much sleep or no sleep at all situation? Changing seasons and the temperature can have an effect on the sleeping routine, so it is important to make a few changes to get better night sleep.
As soon as Autumn arrives, I start having problems with my sleeping routine. No matter how much sleep I get, I feel like I haven’t slept at all, then you can imagine how hard it gets to concentrate on tasks. Does it happen to you too? Also shorter days don’t help you with that. Mornings are dark and the late afternoons feel like evening, and we shouldn’t forget about the cold weather. For instance, people who get hypothermia (body core temperature below 35.0 °C (95.0 °F)) often get urge to sleep. So cold and shorter day combination can make you feel tired and sleepy all the time. There should be some ways to avoid the Winter tiredness and get better night sleep, right? What do you do to get better night sleep?
How to Get Better Night Sleep
Avoid Drinks with Caffeine
I know when it is cold outside, having some hot drink might be the best thing to do, but not after a certain time. When you have a cup of coffee or black tea after 8 pm and plan to sleep like 10-11 pm, you might struggle. Even Wikipedia described caffeine as “It is the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive drug“. Instead of drinks with caffeine, you could have some aromatic teas or even hot chocolate. Dairy products can help you sleep. I guess that’s the reason why most of the parents give milk to their kids before they go to bed. Did you have milk before you went to bed?
Dark Curtains
Too much light may prevent you from getting a good night sleep. It’s proven that you get the best night sleep when you sleep in complete darkness. I know having lighter colour curtains might look stylish, but if you have a street light in front of your room, it won’t eliminate the light. Before you go to bed, make sure that your room is dark enough to get better night sleep.
Avoid Snacking
Snacking is one of my guilty pleasure! Watching favourite tv show and enjoying snack&drinks… Well after certain time, we should avoid food, especially certain type that would increase your energy level. Also think about having a full meal before going to bed, will you feel comfortable with full tummy? If you really want to eat something, go for something healthy, like carrots or whatever you’d think of.
Use Relaxing Aromatherapy Oils (or Burn Candles)
You might already know that some scents like lavender can help you sleep. They make you relaxed then you can easily fall asleep. If you have some sleep sprays then you can spray it on your pillow or if you don’t have any you might want to burn a candle. If you don’t have any of them but have trouble sleeping, you should go and get yourself candle, aromatherapy oils or sleeping spray!
Take a Hot Bath Before Bed
Hot water can relax your muscles, that’s why when you leave the bath you feel some heavy feeling on the legs. Also, after a relaxing hot bath, you might find it easy to sleep. You should pick bath products with relaxing elements in it and also using similar products after bath. I prefer unscented skincare products. Scent gets irritating in time, but there’s one skincare product that helps me relax is Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate. It smells like lavender and when I put it on before going to bed, I’d feel my eyes closing slowly. Do you have any skincare product that helps you fall asleep easier?
Tech Free Time in Bed
Don’t bring your phone or laptop to the bed. I know we all do the same mistake. Doing some work when you’re laying on the bed or checking social media might be tempting but it is not the right thing. You should go to bed when you know that you will sleep.
Read Before Bed
Instead of checking social media, give yourself a break and start reading a book. After 10-15 minutes, you can feel that you’re ready to sleep. Just make sure not to pick something full off action that where you have the urge to sleep one chapter after another. I remember times where all I wanted to do is read a few chapters and ended up finishing the book until early morning. Not good…
Relaxing Music
Some people plays soft music to make babies fall asleep, so if it works on babies, it should also work for grown ups too, right? Well I know it is a silly theory, but some music have relaxing effect that will make fall asleep easier. If you struggle with the sleep, then google “relaxing music to help you sleep” and play some of them.
Make Your Bed Warm
Going from hot to cold could awaken your senses so if you think your bed is too cold (cold weather problem), you should use hot water bottle or microwaveable cuddle hottie. This owl cuddle hottie is fragranced with natural lavender seeds so whenever I put it in the bed, my bed smells like lavender field. Do you find it easy to sleep in cold or warm bed?
Do not Oversleep
Last but not least… Do not over sleep! Spending the entire day in the bed might sound like a dream but it is not good. The recommended best amount of sleep is 7-8 hours so don’t pass that limit. Sleeping 10 hours won’t make you energetic but will make you extremely tired. Always setup your alarm according to the recommended time, maybe max 30 minutes more but that’s it.
These are some of the things that I follow in order to get better night sleep. With a few tiny changes with your routine, you could end up having the best night sleep ever. Things were easier when there weren’t many distractions, but we should learn to eliminate them.
Do you struggle with your sleep routine in colder months? What do you do to get better night sleep? Do you believe in the effects of aromatherapy on sleep?
