How To Get A Good Night's Sleep ⋆ Holistic Lifestyle Guide

How can you get a good night’s sleep naturally, safely, and for free (or at least inexpensively?)

There are many factors that contribute to getting a good night’s sleep, and it isn’t necessary to do all these things, but the more you do, the better your sleep will be.

I have personal experience using these methods to control my circadian rhythm disorder, which was not an easy task! Following these sleep hygiene tips, I was able to wake up at a normal time without being groggy, and I was able to fall asleep at a normal time, too. So, I know these tips work. If they worked for someone with a circadian rhythm disorder, they can work for anyone!

Audio/Podcast version:

Why We Need Adequate Sleep

Sleep is vital to your health and happiness. Generally, the younger you are, the more sleep you need. Babies sleep most of the time because their bodies are still building, and sleep is when most of our healing, rejuvenation, and mental processing takes place.

Adults need between 7-9 hours a night, on average. Everybody is different, of course. If you have set work hours and kids to raise, it is not likely that you will be able to adjust your sleep schedule. But you can take steps to increase your chances of getting quality sleep.

How To Get Better Sleep

1. Make your bedroom your sanctuary. Declutter your bedroom, so you feel calm upon entering. Set up a small area to write in your journal, meditate, and any other relaxing activity. I have a few Himalayan salt lamps in my bedroom, Himalayan salt nightlights in a few rooms of my house, and a tapestry of a forest scene to gaze at while I meditate.

Purchase the nightlights on Amazon by clicking the image below (affiliate link):

2. Keep your room dark. Your body is designed to sleep when it’s dark. Use room darkening shades if you have to. Be aware that any light you can see is registering into your mind. Light from outside such a street light should be blocked out. Remove as much artificial light from your sleeping environment as possible. Paint your walls a darker color, I have done this in all the bedrooms I have had except for one and that one is where I got the worst sleep.

3. Exercise during the day. Most forms of exercise will pep you up and give you more energy immediately afterward, so make sure you exercise well ahead of bedtime. Plan your exercise routine either in the morning or afternoon or at the very least, 3 hours before bedtime.

4. Make yourself a bedtime routine. Allow your body and your mind time to unwind. Give yourself at least an hour to shift gears and relax before bed. Create a bedtime routine that involves things that make you tired, such as soft music, a warm bath, light reading material, meditation, or journaling. Many people take showers before bed, but showers are more stimulating than baths. Sitting for a few minutes in warm water can help your muscles relax and prepare for sleep.

5. Turn off electronics at least one hour before bed. The light emanating from backlit screens like cell phones can trick your body into thinking it’s daytime. It’s best to rest your eyes from bright screens before trying to sleep. Don’t watch TV for the last hour or two before bed. Television stimulates the mind too much, which can cause difficulty sleeping. It is good advice to keep the TV out of your bedroom. Using a cellphone in bed is also a big no-no, especially if you don’t have a blue light blocking app on your phone.

6. Leave daytime stress outside your bedroom. In order to rest, you’ll want to put aside things that keep your mind whirling. Write down your to-do list for tomorrow before you start winding down for bed. That way, you know you have gotten them out of your head, so you don’t need to even think about tomorrow. Make sure you’ve dealt with all the questions that keep you awake, like what bills need to be paid, what time the doctor appointment is, etc. This frees you up for sleep.

Doing stress-reducing writing and coloring exercises can help too. I have a Stress Relief Workbook just for this purpose.

7. Try to go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every day. If you get in the habit of going to bed at a particular time, your body will expect to be sleeping. Your body is much more efficient at sleeping and preparing for sleep if you can maintain a schedule. Rarely is it possible to be perfect at this, but a half an hour in either direction won’t matter too much.

8. Keep your bedroom cool. Sleep quality is improved in a cool sleeping environment. Your body temperature drops around bedtime and is at its lowest during sleep. If the room is too warm, your body won’t be able to cool down. It is much easier to sleep when you can curl up surrounded by blankets. Go cool enough to be comfortable but not so cool that your nose is cold to the couch. I have found that between 60 and 65 degrees works best.

9. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol can help you fall asleep, but sleep quality is significantly compromised.

10. Take magnesium. Magnesium works on the nervous system and helps you reach a state of calm.

11. Don’t eat right before bed. Your body takes hours to digest food, and this takes energy. If your body is digesting food while you are sleeping, it will have less energy to put you into the restorative mode. However, some foods are more difficult to digest than others. Stick to simple dinners and eat them as early as possible. Avoid heavy meats and creamy foods. If you find your stomach growling right before bed, have some raw almonds, popcorn, or something light. This isn’t the time for a heaping scoop of ice cream or fruit that has natural sugar in it.

12. Get a white noise machine or use a fan. The sound of white noise is amazing at blocking out intrusive sounds and putting yourself into a trance-like state.

13. Drink a hot beverage before bed. Warm milk or decaffeinated tea like chamomile will work great! Just don’t have too much, or you will be waking up in a few hours to use the bathroom.

14. Lavender essential oil is really good for relaxing before bed.

15. No electronics. Rid your bedroom of as many electrical items as possible or switch them off. It is especially important not to have your cellphone charging near your bed. I turn mine off at night while it is charging on the other side of the room.

16. Do some light yoga before bed. There are many gentle yoga styles that focus on light stretching and breathing techniques. These only take 10-15 minutes and can be done just before bed.

17. Listen to relaxing music. This can range from soothing music tracks to the sounds of ocean waves. These sounds have a particularly relaxing effect and will also help you sleep more soundly.

I discovered an amazing set of sleep headphones that helps with this, it allows you to lay in bed and plug in your device (phone, laptop, iPad, mp3 player, etc.). It’s soft so you can lay in any position comfortably. It sure beats using hard earbuds! This is also good for meditation when you are sitting up, but it works best for when you are laying down (disclosure: this is an affiliate link- if you use this link, I will get a small commission. Thank you!)

18. Ground yourself. Walking on the Earth barefoot is called grounding, or Earthing. When you do this, you are absorbing the negative ions from the Earth which help fight inflammation and pain as well as helping us sleep better! I did this for a few hours at a lakeside hotel, and I got amazing sleep that night even though I never have been able to sleep good in hotels.

19. Watch the sunrise and the sunset. This is probably the most important one on this list, because getting sunlight into your eyes as early as possible in the morning is what resets your circadian rhythm.

The circadian rhythm is so crucial in getting good sleep, so the more you can align your sleep schedule with this rhythm, the better you will sleep.

Sunlight early in the day triggers your body to stop making melatonin and to start making cortisol, which keeps you alert during the day. By getting outside during these two crucial times, you are aligning your body with the 24-hour cycle of the day.

If you work the night shift, you can get some sunlight as early as possible whenever you wake up and this will help you establish a 24-hour cycle set to the hours you want to be awake.

If you are unable to get outside first thing when you get up, using a sun lamp is a great help! Sun lamps also help alleviate Seasonal Affective Disorder. The one below is the exact model I have and it really was helpful in getting my sleep schedule normal.

(affiliate link)

20. Drink tart cherry juice before bed. Tart cherry juice has been proven in studies to help people sleep better. Drinking this actually increases your melatonin production, and is also full of antioxidants. I have never drank this but after doing my research for this article I am learning about all the studies that back this up, so I’m definitely going to be buying some tart cherry juice next time I’m at the store!

If you would like to apply these tips into your life, I have a Printable Sleep Journal designed for this, using all these same tips and then some! Click the image below to check it out on Etsy.