3 things I started doing to get better sleep.

Better sleep. Aw, the thing that evades every night owl and insomniac…

sheets. quilt. throw pillow. bed skirt. jeans. sweater.

I’ve struggled off and on with insomnia since puberty. Sometimes, it hasn’t bothered me. I’m a night-owl by nature and my creativity really sparks at night. I’ve had many happy nights creating, baking, pouring candles, or sewing… I’ve read so many books during sleepless hours. So it wasn’t all bad. In fact, I’ve never been a person that needed tons of sleep so I didn’t mind it all that much. I even kind of considered it a super power in my 20’s when I had a litter of small children, because I would get so much done at night while they were sleeping. But as I’ve gotten a little older, and started needing more sleep, my insomnia has turned into an Achilles heel, and not being able to fall and stay asleep has become more torture than joy. When I don’t get enough sleep, I feel awful the next day, and I’m hazy and unproductive at best, exhausted and depressed at worst. Add to my night owl/insomniac tendencies, a newly discovered auto-immune disease (Graves) that requires me to get a lot more rest, and also (because the universe is hilarious) has the side-effect of, you guessed it, insomnia, discovering the secrets to getting better sleep has been at the top of priority list for the last few months.

I’ve tried a lot of things over the last 6 months while I’ve been trying to crack the code of a good night’s sleep, (no fear I’ll share them all below), but there are 3 things I started doing in particular that have been super effective for me. In fact, I’m not being dramatic when I say that these 3 simple things have completely transformed the way I’ve been sleeping at night. And getting a good night’s sleep has been even better than I dreamt (see what I did there;-) it would be. It’s been miraculous. My quality of life has gone up in every single way, just getting a good, sound 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

Here are the 3 things I started doing to get better sleep.

Put my phone in another room.

I’ve done a lot of reading about why sleeping with your cell phone in your room is so bad for your sleep patterns, but I was still shocked, literally shocked by how instantly, and effectively my sleep improved when I started plugging my phone in another room and turning it on silent at night. Like literally that night I slept better. And its only gotten better each night.

Here’s why having your phone in your room with you is so bad for your sleep. First, blue light hinders the natural production of melatonin and interrupts your circadian rhythm. (Basically the natural process your body goes through at night to go from wake to sleeping soundly.) Night owls already typically have delayed CR and low melatonin production, so adding that blue light stimulus from your phone (or computer, tablet, etc.) only makes it much worse. Not only do I keep my phone in the other room now, but I also get off all screens at least an hour before I go to bed.

Phones are designed to get our attention, constant noises and alerts from our phone disrupt sleep, so setting your phone on silent in the other room in also a wise idea. Emergencies can be dealt with in the morning. Just turn it on silent and go to bed!

When you do wake up, or are sleeping restlessly, it’s so easy to just pick up your phone and start scrolling, but that only makes you sleep worse! When your phone isn’t anywhere close, you’ll find yourself naturally falling back to sleep.

Some medical professionals have expressed concern about the impacts of electromagnetic fields on the risk of health problems. Limiting your exposure to the electromagnetic field your phone creates by putting your phone in another room at night, means 7-8 hours less exposure.

And I really feel like when I put my phone away at night, I am giving my brain a break. It’s been so nice and I am sleeping much better.

If you use your phone as an alarm, consider replacing it with one of these little echo dots (they’re only $40 and will wake you up just as easily.) We also have one of these smart plugs that we’ve programed with our Alexa app to turn our bedroom lamp on just before the alarm goes off so we wake up to light more naturally (especially in the winter when it stays dark until well after we’re up in the morning).

I invested in really great bedding.

I’ve slept with decent bedding for the last few years, but at the new year I finally invested in some seriously high quality sheets from Boll & Branch and holy cow, I cannot believe the difference in my sleep quality. It’s at least equal to the improvement I felt when we went from our crappy college mattress we bought for $200 from a discount store to our amazing hybrid memory foam mattress. I’m sleeping so much more comfortably than I ever have. I had no idea good sheets could do that for me. For a tosser and turner, I am amazed how much my sleep quality has improved since I started sleeping with Boll & Branch sheets. (I have this quilt too, and I’m obsessed with it.) If I had any notion that my sleep would improve this much with this small change I would have invested in really great bedding much, much sooner.

We have the signature hemmed sheets in the color “mineral.” These sheets are so luxurious and butter soft. They don’t get hot but they aren’t cold either. They just keep the temperature perfect and cozy. I was definitely a skeptic about the importance of good sheet, but I am a convert now. I’ll never go back to normal sheets again. What’s a good night’s sleep worth? I’d pay for these over and over again for how much they’ve improved my sleep.

Boll & Branch was nice enough to offer me a discount code for you guys and this is the best discount they have right now. Through the end of January you can get 20% off your entire order by using the code: CORI20 at checkout.

I do a deep stretch with deep breathing routine right before bed.

The last thing I do after my night routine, right before I climb into those luxurious sheets is do a deep stretch with deep breathing. Nothing crazy or complicated I just do some slow standing stretches while taking slow deep breaths. I stretch out my legs, arms, sides, back. It feels so good and I feel like it signals to my body that it’s time to mellow out and rest. It’s also helped me sleep more comfortably and soundly. And it feels like a little treat at the end of the day. A good slow stretch feels so good and is very centering. I highly recommend it!

There you go! 3 things I started doing to get better sleep at night! These

Here are a few other things I have found helpful for better sleep at night:

Regular exercise. I always sleep better at night if I’ve exercised during the day. Just 20-30 minutes of it makes a difference. Easy at home workout ideas here.
Power naps only. If I do feel like I need a nap during the day, I try to keep them really short. I was a devoted long Sunday napper, but I’ve noticed how detrimental a long nap is to a good nights sleep, so if I’m feeling super tired, I’ll lay down for a quick 26 minutes and I wake up refreshed and ready to go. Any longer and I don’t sleep as well at night.
Being more consistent with my bedtime. This is hard for someone like me, because I love late nights. (See above) I’m creative at night, the house is quiet, it feels like me-time. But I’ve started forcing myself to go to bed and get up at the same time. It makes a huge difference. Keeping a consistent sleep schedule is scientifically proven to improve sleep.
Take a melatonin supplement. Some of us night-owls just need a little extra help. If I can tell I’m extra restless or not particularly sleepy, I’ll take a very low dose of melatonin. I don’t do this often, because it can actually hinder your ability to make it on your own if you take it to often, but when I need it, it helps.
Create a relaxing bedroom environment. I used to always put our bedroom last on my priority list of space for our home because no one saw it. So it became a dump zone, was messy, with unfolded laundry, and undecorated. Now our room is a calm, tidy, pretty retreat. Going to bed feels like a luxury, instead of walking into the space and feeling stressed. I also keep my closet tidy and organized. (I teach a course about that!) Because a messy closet also disrupted my peace of mind and sleep. Read more about how clutter negatively impacts your life here.
Have a warm drink about an hour before bedtime. About the time I put my phone away for the evening, I make myself something warm to drink. A cup of cocoa, tea or warm cinnamon milk really helps me relax. I get out a book and read while I sip away.
Take a warm bath. Sometimes if I feel extra stressed or wound up, I’ll take a warm bath before bed at night and it just relaxes everything and helps me mellow out.
Create a bedtime routine. A bedtime routine helps signal to your body that sleep is what’s up and whats coming. So create on that works for you. I drink something warm, wash my face, brush my teeth, pray, stretch, and then climb into bed and read until I start feeling sleepy. When my eyes start to droop, I turn out the light and go to sleep. Need some book ideas? I wrote about some of my favorite books I read last year here.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol. I am not a coffee or alcohol drinker, but pretty much every single sleep expert recommends avoiding both anywhere near bedtime. So if you do like either, consider having them earlier in the day.

I hope you found these helpful! Please share what works for you to get better sleep in the comments!