Sometimes, a day at work can overflow into your night off, even after you start counting sheep. Here are six tips for coping with the late-night work stress that’s keeping you awake.
Create a sleep environment conducive to relaxation
Creating a sleep-conducive environment means adding a few new decor items or bedding, like soft-glow lamps and the Essentia organic mattress topper.
A lumpy, old mattress can store dust that irritates the lungs, so replacing an old mattress is a must for good sleep. Soft-glow lamps can reduce harsh lighting that might keep you awake. Other upgrades, like an essential oil diffuser, can contribute to the relaxing environment you need to finally win some shut-eye.
Keep a journal
Journaling can serve as a great way to release all of the pent-up stress, emotions, and thoughts from a long day at work. You can set aside a few minutes every night before bed to jot down your thoughts and feelings.
Maybe the best part about journaling is that there are no expectations. You don’t have to present your writing to anyone, and you don’t have to reread previous entries. This judgment-free exercise is perfect for those dealing with perfectionism at work. If you need more structure to your journaling, you can look up prompts to help with stress.
Listen to something calming
You don’t have to fully commit to a meditation regime or practice deep breathing exercises to reach a calm state before bed.
Instead, you can put on some relaxing music or listen to a calming podcast, such as Calm or Headspace. These soothing stories can help ease your mind at night and melt away your work stress.
Put away your electronics well before bedtime
Staring at computer and phone screens before bed has been linked to sleep issues, especially if you spend all day in front of the blue light for work.
Set aside your devices at least an hour before you plan on going to bed for a better night’s sleep.
You can also invest in blue light glasses to wear during the day. Blue light is the particular component in electronic displays that can cause restlessness and insomnia. Blue light glasses shield your eyes from harmful rays to help combat those feelings and enjoy an easier ride into dreamland.
Make a to-do list
If you stress over what’s in store for work in the coming days, it might help you rest better if you jot down a to-do list for what’s to come. In doing so, you might alleviate some stress by seeing what you have on the agenda coming up rather than worrying endlessly about what’s to come.
Work out
Don’t start pouring sweat directly before bed. Instead, choose a time after you clock out to exercise. Performing some physical activity during the day, even if only for thirty minutes, helps your body’s natural sleep chemicals work as intended.
Plus, releasing pent-up energy during a workout can help alleviate stress and release tension from the muscles.
However, you can’t exercise once and expect to have perfect rest every night after. Instead, you might want to consider establishing a regular workout routine to help improve your sleep continuously.
Wrap up
Work can stress you out, but you don’t have to let it affect your sleep schedule. Instead, you can implement these tips for a restful sleep, no sheep required.