10 Tips for Getting a Good Night's Sleep

Getting a good night's sleep can be tough. Stress, events from the day, and the anticipation of what's coming up tomorrow can all interfere with a good night's rest. These tips for best way to sleep at night will help you catch some zzz's.

A Good Night's Sleep

Even health coaches have a few problems, and I will admit one of mine to you now: falling asleep isn't always easy for me. Sometimes I lie in bed thinking about the days events and sometimes my mind races with anticipation of what I have to do tomorrow.

I've always been jealous of my cats' ability to sleep peacefully anywhere, at anytime with no regard to noises or events going on around them. They have really perfected the art of sleeping and I think we could all learn a thing or two about relaxation from them.

The Problems Not Getting Enough Sleep

Not getting enough sleep is a problem I often see in my health coaching clients, too. It's important to know that when we sleep, our bodies are hard at work detoxing, repairing and rebuilding. When we don't get enough sleep, we're denying our bodies the time it needs for these functions and we're compromising our immune systems. Studies have shown that lack of sleep leads to weight gain, and we tend to eat more to fuel our bodies through our waking hours.

Studies have also shown that sleep deprivation causes increased levels in cortisol in the body, which means we're all walking around feeling stressed out. I know that I feel awful when I don't catch enough z's, so I'm going to share some of my top tips for getting a good night's sleep.

10 tips for getting a good night's sleep

Give yourself downtime.

I can't just stop doing whatever it is I'm doing, hop into bed and fall asleep. I need time to chill before I hit the hay. I've found that I need to give myself about an hour of downtime to calm my mind (and body) before I go to bed, so I schedule accordingly.

Exercise

Certainly not right before bed though! (See tip number 1.) Studies have shown that exercising during the day leads to better sleep at night. I exercise first thing in the morning to give me energy for the day, and to make sure I get it in before I get too busy.

Aromatherapy

I'm a big user of essential oils. I diffuse them, add them to drinks and rub them all over. My favorites for bedtime are lavender, ylang ylang and Young Living's Peace and Calming blend. (Make sure your oil is food grade before you consume it!)

Take Supplements

Melatonin, 5HTP, valarian root all help with sleep. Of course, check with your doctor before taking any supplements for the first time.

Drink Tea

Just don't drink it right before you go to bed or you'll find yourself running to the bathroom a few times in the night! Camomile tea is great for relaxation and there are many sleepy-time blends on the market now. I like Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra tea. Of course, stay away from caffeinated teas. I can't drink green or black tea after 3:00 or 4:00 pm or I'll be jittery all night.

Meditate or do yoga

Mediating or doing a relaxing yoga routine before bed can help quiet the mind. I have a few relaxing yoga DVDs that I rotate between.

Take a hot bath

I really love hot bubble baths! They help both my mind and body relaxed. Add some essential oils to water to increase relaxation.

Listen to music

I have several relaxation CDs, but I've found the most effective ones have subliminal pulses that affect brain waves. Dr Jeffrey Thompson's Delta Sleep System and Kelly Howell"s Stress Free Forever usually help me fall asleep.

Use a white noise machine

I am a light sleeper, and I've found that white noise helps me fall asleep and stay asleep. My mind stays focused on the sound of the machine and I don't get as easily distracted by other noises such as Dennis's snoring or the cats playing with their toys.

Close the bedroom door

And speaking of cats, they all tend to wake and are ready to play around 5:30 am. Clementine likes to climb all over me and she's even been  known to play with my alarm clock. (Perhaps she realizes I don't need it since I have her.) Tallulah has a tendency to meow really loudly until someone gets up. To avoid being woken up by them, sometimes it's just necessary to keep the bedroom door closed.

Those are all things that have worked for me. Is there anything I've missed that's helped you sleep?