How To: Sleep Better

I go through bouts of sleeping terribly. I’ll toss and turn for hours, not fall asleep until it’s almost time to wake up (at a ripe 5:30 am), or have trouble finding a comfortable sleeping position. I spent a while looking up tips on how to sleep better, and found some great suggestions, but they were scattered.

Wash your sheets

I now wash my sheets once a week. I’ll be honest here, I was pretty terrible at this before. I would go weeks without washing my sheets. Cue shivers here. If you want to read the scientific reasons why you should be washing your sheets at least once every two weeks, go for it. But be warned, it’s gross.

Martha Stewart even whipped up an article on bedding care, for your reading pleasure if you’re going all in.

Rotate your mattress

Depending on the quality of your mattress, if you’re sleeping on the same side every night, you’re going to make impressions and once you move out of those indents, things can get uncomfortable. Literally.

I experienced some neck pain and backaches until I realized I should probably be rotating my mattress. I rotate my heavy queen-sized mattress on my own (it’s not pretty – I once broke a sweat) and you can too! Don’t make excuses not to sleep better.

Wash your feet

This one sounds weird, I know. But, I live in a city and that means I’m biking 5 miles a day to and from work, walking at least a few miles per day, and generally picking up whatever the city has in the air that day. My feet are active and by the end of the day, they may not look dirty, but they sure do feel it.

After cleaning my feet and exfoliating them at night, I felt so. much. better. Anyways, why would you want to dirty up your freshly cleaned sheets?

Avoid working in bed to sleep better

Reserve your bed for sleeping. It’ll train your body to get to sleep once you lay down. I used to work in bed all the time and since I’ve stopped, I’ve been sleeping better. Keep your work to your desk, couch, coffee shop, etc.

Eat better at night

I find that if I’m eating super unhealthy, greasy food at night, I’m not sleeping as well. Partially, because my stomach is pretty upset with me. Start your evening right with a healthy, portioned meal. Try mixed grain bowls, a salad with protein, or a veggie burger for your summer evenings! Seriously, it will help you sleep better for sure.

What tips have you picked up to help you sleep better?

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