How to Sleep Better: Essential Habits and Things

I am committed to sleeping well and more this year, because I know how critical sleep is for our well being. For years, I haven’t created a good sleep discipline but I committed to changing that last month and it’s already made a HUGE difference in how I go about my day. I’m over here like “wowwww y’all for real meant it when you said good sleep is medicine.” I’m tryna have a “not run down” 2024 so I can stop being raggedy. Because my eye bags had bags!

I’ve been averaging 7-8 hours of sleep these last few weeks, and here’s what I’ve been doing different, and it’s made a world of difference.

How to Get Better Sleep

• Do an ideas brainstorm. My brain does light up at night and I’ll all of a sudden have solutions to every life problem. I let myself honor this by sitting there with a notepad and joptting them all down, because if I don’t, my brain will keep running. Extracting them out my head to paper helps a lot.
• 1 hour before bed, stop scrolling on my phone. As a device addict, this was hard. But it did allow my brain to calm down. So now, I actively put my phone away, at least an hour before I want to fall asleep. I won’t even lie. This works wonders to stop me from going down rabbit holes that aren’t productive.
• Drink tea. My favorite to drink at night is either Hibiscus, Lemon Ginger or Chamomile. Fun fact: hibiscus tea has a bit of melatonin in it.
• Take a shower. And then used lavender body butter. Going to sleep smelling delicious is a top tier feeling

Below is a list of things I use that have definitely helped me sleep better.

Lemon Ginger or Chamomile Tea

Drinking tea before I go to bed, is very Commonwealth of me, but I love it so much. My tea stash is extensive but when it’s time for bed, I reach for what will calm me, or my stomach. I’m a huge fan of Tazo or Yogi teas.

SNOOZ White Noise Machine

White noise is proven to relax you and reduce your stress levels, so I got the SNOOZ machine, which is light and cute and it’s a must use for me now. I turn it on before going to sleep (and can adjust the volume) and it is such a good backdrop as I doze off. It stays on all night and once I turn it off, my day begins. It has an easy to use app too, so I can control it from bed. Plus it has a 100-night guarantee so if you use it and don’t love it, send it back. I love mine!

Deep Sleep Playlist

People are sleep on (BA DUM TSS!) sound frequency, and how it can help us get closer to outcomes that are important to us. Music reaches our subconscious in ways other things don’t. So music that is specifically for deep sleep gives you deep relaxation and allows your brain to ease into beta mode needed to sleep. I use this Deep Sleep Playlist especially on nights when I want to wake up feeling super refreshed. I use it with the SNOOZ machine also running, cuz why not? Just play it on your phone or on your bedroom speaker, turn the volume down so it’s more of a hum and get you some good sleep!

Oura ring

Sometimes, you need to get the data to inspire you to try harder to get good sleep. And the Oura ring is the right move for that. It’s a ring you wear that tracks your sleep, your heart rate and even your stress levels. It gives you daily reports on how you slept AND seasonal reports to see what patterns there are in your sleep. It gives you a score on the quality of your sleep, and you can use it to track your exercise. Beyond sleep, it’s a wellness tracker. When I got my first COVID vaccine, my ring told me to take it easy for the day because it detected my temperature was 2 degrees higher than the norm. All I wanna do is make my Oura ring proud of me, so when it tells me my sleep score is 85, I fist pump. Oh, and I bought a GOLD Oura ring so it looks like just another piece of stylish jewelry for me.

Lavender Pillow Spray

The scents around me matter to me and certain rooms of my home have certain themes. Lavender is one of the scents you want in your bedroom because it is made for relaxations. So pillow sprays are a dope addition to creating a calm space. Spray your pillows and linens and rest your head in peace.

NodPod

My friend/mentor told me about this and I ordered it immediately. And I fell in love instantly. NodPod is a weighted sleep mask you put on your face and it puts some pressure on your eyes, which relaxes you. For my mask loving folks, this is one to have. With it on your face, it blacks out the room you’re in, even if the lights are on full brightness. Plus, it helps depuff your eyes so you wake up looking probably even more more rested than you actually are. It’s fantastic.

So yeah, the older I get, the more I’m tryna hack my well being by surrounding myself with the things that enable the calmest, most relaxed version of me.

P.S. I receive commissions for purchases made through some of the links in this post. All thoughts and vouching are mine. I keep it 💯 !