6 Steps for Better Sleep

From counting sheep to breathing exercises, I have tried countless techniques to improve my sleep habits. My sleep schedule has been affected by several outside factors over the years, each presenting a new obstacle for my tired mind to overcome.

If you have found this post during a late night search for a way to rest, I hope what I have learned helps.

What has helped others I found was not personally beneficial, so I explored other areas until I crafted a sleep routine that was the perfect fit for me.

Here are the six elements to my relaxing nighttime regime:

1. Tea Time

Herbal remedies have been around for ages, history shows the ancient civilizations of Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks utilizing herbs for sicknesses and food preparation. A popular tea during this time was chamomile.

Chamomile has a myriad of health benefits including reduction of stress, supporting better skin health, aiding in digestion, and treating insomnia.

This herb is considered to be a mild sedative and can be used to treat anxiety and sleeplessness, making it one of the oldest known teas to treat sleeping disorders or irregular sleep patterns.

Another herb that is ancient in origin is lavender. Tea made with this plant is similarly used to treat the same conditions as chamomile. Lavender is wonderful for calming the nerves and assisting in better sleep.

Combining the best of both worlds, my favorite nighttime tea is Traditional Medicinals Organic Chamomile with Lavender tea. A box of this tea is always in my cupboard and I refresh my supply at Walmart or Target.

2. Melatonin and CBD

I’ll admit, I was skeptical of this topic. That was until I tried it. I was first introduced to CBD when my mom bought me the digestible kind. I personally was a fan of ingesting CBD and I gravitated towards the CBD gummy bears, which you can find here.

When I was looking into CBD products, I was careful to check the product ingredients as some may contain a trace amount of THC. To clarify, THC is what causes a user to experience a high whereas CBD is a non-psychoactive.

I have used CBD as a natural treatment for my anxiety and restlessness. This remedy is wonderful as it works better over time and helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.

Melatonin is another product I have used to regulate my sleep schedule. This is a hormone that assists in your natural sleep cycle as melatonin levels rise at night.

I try to find natural remedies to any issues I may be facing, so melatonin has been a wonderful discovery for me on this front. As it is a “sleep regulator”, melatonin is not classified as a sedative.

As a bonus, melatonin also acts as an antioxidant and improves health in the brain, heart, and helps prevent cancers and tumors.

3. Essential Oils and Aromatherapy

I am not as hardcore into oils as some, like my mother who has a stair step “shrine” to display her countless vials she’s collected. Over the years, I have warmed up to the benefits oils and aromatherapy offer.

I love when a pleasant smell fills my apartment, so I began to use essential oils as a replacement for my candles. Now I use them for much more, like cleaning and tackling menstrual cramps.

My favorite way to use aromatherapy is during bedtime. Before I settle into my comforter, I spray Bath and Body Works’ Lavender Chamomile Pillow Spray onto my pillows. This sent is retired from their website and store, but there are other relaxing options for pillow mists that I am looking forward to trying.

I also prepare my diffuser for the night with an oil that I feel fits what I need. My favorite is lavender, but I often use thieves as it’s an antimicrobial and has a calming effect for those who have stress and anxiety.

If you’re new to oils and using them to promote better sleep habits, check out this Young Living blog about what essential oils aid in sleep and how to use them!

4. Blue Light

Putting my phone away at night or turning off the TV is one of my biggest struggles when it comes to preparing for sleep. I have read countless articles, like this one, about the effects of blue light on the brain before bed.

To sum up what I have learned, blue light disrupts our sleep cycle as blue light is what we are exposed to during daytime hours, causing ours brains to be stimulated and making it more difficult to fall asleep. This is why professionals recommend we limit our screen time on devices before we go to bed.

Here is how I counteract this problem. On my iPhone, I have the “Night Shift” choice under “Display & Brightness” set for “Sunset to Sunrise.” Now my phone will automatically switch to a warmer tone to prevent disruption to my brain’s natural sleep cycle.

If you do not have an iPhone, most up-to-date Androids have a night mode that gives you this same option.

I am also practicing limiting my time on my phone before bed. I say I am practicing because I am by no means an expert at this yet. Still, I will turn off my TV at least an hour before going to bed and limit myself to a half hour of Instagram scrolling before going to sleep.

5. Spa Night

Most of the people I know fall into either the shower or bath category. I, being in the shower category, rediscovered how relaxing a bath can be after moving into an apartment with a tub. This has been a game changer for me.

Every week or every other week, I treat myself to a spa night. This doesn’t include anything specific or a repeat of the last spa night, but how I feel I want to treat myself that night.

Bath bombs are fun to watch, but I personally like bath salts for my achy muscles and bubbles. Nothing makes you feel like a kid again more than a bubble bath.

On my spa nights, I like to use a face mask or a hair mask. Since masks are not supposed to be used daily, they make my weekly spa night a little more special and relaxing.

If I’m feeling extra, I will set up my laptop with my favorite true crime show, pour a glass of wine, and snack on chocolate and ice cream. Life’s too short not to enjoy this, so I typically choose the extra option every week.

A little self care goes a long way. Spa nights are beneficial to helping my mental state and falling asleep.

6. Soundtracks and Podcasts

I saved my favorite step for last. This discovery is new for me, and I am so excited to share because I never thought of this as an option.

If you struggle with an active thought life while trying to fall asleep, I hope this changes your world like it did mine. My brain is the loudest when I am going to bed, running through to-do lists and overthinking.

I began listening to sleep soundtracks on Spotify because I have difficulty falling asleep in a quiet room. The only downside I noticed was the volume difference from song to song. While drifting off, another song would begin to play louder than the previous one, drawing me back to reality.

Then I discovered sleep podcasts. I came across the Get Sleepy podcast and haven’t looked back. What I found was that my scattered brain would focus on the soothing voices coming through my phone and I would fall asleep before I was halfway through the story.

A bonus is using the sleep timer on my Apple Podcast app that allows me set a timer for when I want my podcast to end so it does not play all night long.

My sleep routine has not been the same after using sleep stories to help me fall asleep.

I hope that this post has benefited you as much as it did me or even provided you with a new avenue to explore when improving your sleep. If you have any tips for better sleep, I would love to hear them as I’m always looking for new ways to improve my sleep schedule!