6 Lifestyle Habits for Restful Sleep

Although there are things you can do right before bed to help you relax into sleep, this may not always be enough. It may be necessary to make some changes in your lifestyle to promote sound sleep at night.

1 – Go to bed at about the same time each night. It may be a challenge to get into this habit, but it can make a world of difference. The body loves routine. It will develop a habit of falling asleep at a certain time.

2 – Make your bedroom a sanctuary. Decorate it with soothing colors, comforting and restful images and your favorite comfort items. Make sure your bed is comfortable so that you are able to truly let to and relax in it. Let it be a place where you feel pampered!

3 – Keep the bedroom for relaxing activities and sleep. Don’t bring your work and activities which require focused attention into the bedroom. If you read in bed, keep it light and relaxing.

4 – Start to unwind early in the evening, long before you go to bed. Take a relaxation break at the end of the day. As much as possible, fill your evening with relaxing activities. If you have to perform tasks at night, slow down and take it easy. You really don’t have to get it all done. It’s much more important to take care of yourself than to check one more thing off your to do list!

5 – Give up habits of perfectionism and worry. The “to do” list is never done and the “what ifs” rarely happen. Take time to celebrate what you have accomplished at the end of the day, rather than dwelling on what is left to do. As for worry, I don’t need to tell you it doesn’t accomplish anything. There are lots of ways to counteract the “worry habit” which I won’t go into here, but I’m sure a search on the web will bring you lots of ideas!

6 – Learn to relax and make relaxation a part of your daily routine. This may be the one most important thing that you can do, and there are many different kinds of programs and tools to help you to do it.

You probably are aware of many of the ideas above, and can find plenty of others on the web, but the challenge is to actually incorporate these ideas into your life. That takes motivation and a commitment to self-care. A good night’s sleep is well worth the effort!

Relaxation is one of the most important antidotes to stress and insomnia, but to “just relax” is easier said than done. That’s why we’ve created our Sleep Easy and Pure Relaxation CDs. They are especially helpful for letting go of stress, calming the mind, soothing the emotions and relaxing into sleep.

We encourage you to use these or other supports to help you create a more rested mind and body, and wish you a better, safer and more enjoyable life!

Try our Sleep Easy and Pure Relaxation CDs for restful sleep.

Read:

Why Sleep is Important and Stress-Related Insomnia
7 Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep

 

Comments

2 Responses to “6 Lifestyle Habits for Restful Sleep”

  1. Carmen on May 31st, 2010 3:55 pm

    What to do when you fall asleep and then wake up after 3 or 4 hours and be unable to go back to sleep ?

  2. Mary on June 2nd, 2010 4:08 pm

    Carmen, following points 1, 4 and 6 may help with this. Have a relaxing evening. Don’t do mental work at night or things that are very stimulating. Turn off the TV at least an hour before bedtime. If you wake up during the night, have a guided meditation or relaxation audio, or music, to listen to to help you go back to sleep.

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