Stress can put a strain on a lot of aspects of our lives. For starters it can make daily tasks seem more difficult, it can make relationships harder to maintain, and above all, it can make it a lot harder for us to sleep at night. The worst thing is, it seems like an endless cycle. You’re stressed, which makes you unable to sleep, and because you’re unable to sleep all of the things you’re stressed about seem harder, and ultimately you become even more stressed! Everything seems so much worse when you’re lying in bed at night overthinking it, so how can we switch off our brains and get the good quality sleep that we really need, even if we’re stressed?
Spend the Last Two Hours or So of Waking Time, Preparing to Sleep
One of the most common mistakes people make is not preparing their bodies for sleep. For some strange reason, so many simply expect to be going at life full throttle, then to simply jump into our beds and sleep soundly instantly – which is bizarre when you were thinking about it. If you were about to run a 10k, you wouldn’t jump straight out of bed in the morning and go for it, would you? You’d get up, get ready, fuel your body, warm-up and do some stretches and THEN go for the long run. So why should we treat sleep any differently? When you think about it, we are literally transitioning our bodies into another state of being – from waking, to sleeping, so we should prepare it effectively. Simply by preparing our bodies to relax, it’ll help you to relieve yourself from the stresses of the day, and to focus fully on resting. Great ways of doing this include drinking calming drinks such as chamomile tea, putting down your phone and switching off the TV well in advance of sleep time, and practicing deep breathing. There are some great relaxation apps available for free to help you switch off, and drift into a deep and peaceful sleep.
Sort Out the Things You Can Control
A lot of the time we’re stressed because we feel out of control – even if we don’t realize that this is the reason behind our worries. The thing is, you’re not going to be able to control every single thing in your life and the sooner you can accept that the happier you’ll become, but why not take control of the things that you do have a say in? For example, if you were stressed because for example, you had to launch a website at work, but you weren’t knowledgeable in that field, what would you do? You’d go online, do your research and find help through a company such as Seafyweb Solutions. That’s just an example, however, you can easily apply this to all aspects of your life. If there’s something that needs solving, that can be solved, why not simply do your research and either find the help you need or the easiest way to solve the problem? By taking on the things you can control, the things you can’t control won’t seem quite as important or worrying. The less you have on your mind, the easier you’re likely to find sleep.
Stop Drinking Coffee by Midday
Did you know that caffeine stays in your body for up to as many as fourteen hours after you consume it? Now, this goes for any sort of caffeine, but coffee is absolutely the biggest issue in this field. If you can, stop drinking caffeine by around midday, or at the very least lessen your intake after that point. Not only can it affect your sleep, but actually over-consumption of caffeine is bad for your overall health – so you should try and cut down on it anyway! Try it for a few days, and you’ll sharp see the difference in your sleep quality.
Stick to a Routine
Finally, although it can be difficult, trying to stick to a routine and going to bed/waking at the same time every day and night can really help you to sleep easier, and well. By getting your body into a flow, it automatically starts to know when rest time is, and therefore you’ll find yourself not only drifting off more easily, but those early mornings will hurt a little less too. Of course, you’re bound to break the routine a little from time to time, but having it there is definitely more beneficial to you than not having it there.