{"id":6279,"date":"2023-07-08T13:33:11","date_gmt":"2023-07-08T17:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vitality-vixens.com\/?p=6279"},"modified":"2023-07-08T13:33:14","modified_gmt":"2023-07-08T17:33:14","slug":"10-tips-to-sleep-better-beat-insomnia-for-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vitality-vixens.com\/index.php\/2023\/07\/08\/10-tips-to-sleep-better-beat-insomnia-for-good\/","title":{"rendered":"10 tips to sleep better (& beat insomnia for good)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For as long as I can remember, I’ve dealt with insomnia. Being a “morning person” has been my goal for 10+ years, but it’s something that (no matter how hard I tried)<\/em> I just couldn’t make happen. 3am racing thoughts, being woken up 5 times a night, laying in bed for hours trying to fall asleep… These issues kept me from being able to consistently wake up before 8am. But recently, I decided to do anything & everything<\/em> to make my *morning person* dreams happen. I recently listened to an episode of the Huberman Lab podcast about sleep<\/a>. The tips Dr. Huberman shared in his podcast, in addition to some ideas I’ve been trying on my own, all came together to create a much healthier relationship with sleep. Let’s get into the 10 best tips I’ve found to sleep better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disclaimer<\/a>: I\u2019m not a doctor and the information in this article is just based on my personal experience. It should not be used in place of medical advice from a doctor or medical professional. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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1. Read (something boring) for 30-60 minutes before you want to actually fall asleep<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lay on the couch an hour before you want to actually fall asleep, and READ. Not a thriller or suspenseful book that’s going to keep you up all night turning the pages. But find a self-improvement book, a biography, a historical non-fiction, or anything else that isn’t going to keep you up for hours trying to find out what happens next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Get outside first thing in the morning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Getting sunshine first thing in the morning tells your brain that it’s daytime (aka time to be awake). This helps regulate your circadian rhythms, if you’re used to staying up late into the night, and sleeping late into the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Huberman’s tip<\/a> was to get outside on a walk and spend at least 5 minutes in direct sun exposure (with no sunglasses) if it’s sunny out. If it’s overcast, spend at least 10 minutes outdoors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Brown Noise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I live in a busy area in Tampa and it can be LOUD all throughout the night. There have been countless nights spent trying to fall asleep, but hearing music from clubs, a loud motorcycle or people outside yelling at 3 am that abruptly woke me up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A game changer if you live in a loud area (or if you sleep next to someone who snores, sleep talks, etc.) is a white\/brown noise machine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve been listening to this *free* 12-hour brown noise sound<\/a> on YouTube for months now and it’s completely changed my sleep. I prefer brown noise to white and think it’s more calming, but there are so many options to fit your preference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have YouTube Premium so I have the video downloaded. That way, I don’t have to worry about losing wifi during the night, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Maintain a Consistent Sleep\/Wake Schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cliche, but completely necessary and one of the biggest things that’ll change your sleep hygiene. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve been trying to be in bed by midnight every night and wake up around 8am. This varies and I’m definitely not perfect, especially when we have unavoidable things that disrupt the sleep schedule (flights, outings, etc.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on progress, not perfection, when it comes to this tip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Cut out caffeine by early afternoon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Everyone’s different when it comes to how long caffeine stays in your system. If I drink caffeine anytime after 2pm, it’ll affect me when I try to go to bed at 11pm or midnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people can drink coffee right before they go to bed and still fall asleep as soon as their head hits the pillow. I’ll always envy those people. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure out what works for you! If you’re anything like me and caffeine impacts you for longer than 8 hours, set a time in the day to cut it out. And stick with it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. No water after 8 pm (or 3 hours before you want to go to bed)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This one’s honestly really hard for me. I swear, I end up the most thirsty at 11pm for unknown reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started setting a reminder on my phone every night to stop drinking water by 8-9pm. Do I always stick with it? Absolutely not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But on the nights I do avoid water later into the night, I’ll only wake up once in the night to pee, as opposed to 2-3x. This makes a major difference in quality of sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Exercise (to sleep better at night)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I definitely don’t do this every day, or even most days… But I’ve noticed that when I do a workout first thing in the morning (before breakfast, coffee, or anything else) I feel so motivated and productive throughout the day. It feels like you accomplished one of your hardest tasks first thing, so you can do anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if your workout isn’t first thing in the morning, your sleep will probably be better on nights thate you worked out that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s evidence that exercising during the day not only helps you fall asleep faster but also improves your sleep quality. (source<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The timing of when you should work out will vary from person to person, so find what works for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I prefer working out mid-morning to early afternoon. But with a full-time job, that’s often challenging. So fitting in exercise when I can throughout the day is normally what I’ll end up doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Have a solid morning & bedtime routine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having a nighttime routine has drastically changed my relationship with sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what I do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n