Improve Your Sleep, Beauty! 6 Easy Tips To Feel Your Best
Updated: Aug 3, 2022
Sleep. We're all doing it. But can we do it better? The answer to this question is probably a YES for most of us. In this post, I'm going to share some of my favorite easy tips and tricks that can help you improve your sleep. We'll have you snoozing regularly in no time and living your best life!
Why You Need To Improve Your Sleep
But first, why do you even need to improve your sleep?
Sleep is one of the most (the most?) powerful recovery tools there is. When the body is sleeping, both the brain and the body are able to rest. We wake up feeling more energized, our bodies re-charged.
So of course, the better you sleep, the better your body and mind can recover.
This is a healthy lifestyle blog heavily focused on fitness so of course, I have to mention this next...
Muscle recovery is stimulated during sleep, as restorative functions like blood flow and hormone releases take place. Science aside, I know if I have just one bad night's sleep, I'm going to feel it in my body for the next few days (especially at running practice).
Working out intensely every day, combined with any type of sleep problems in athletes, can cause athletic performance to decrease.
While our bodies love and crave it, it's not always easy to get that deep, restorative sleep that we require. Busy schedules, wandering minds, and the new season of that one show (*cough cough* guilty), all get in the way at some point.
If your ability to sleep has been a source of frustration for you, it's really important to find ways to improve your sleep. If you've ever read this Training Update, you know I suffer from a severe headache disorder. Without much of a specific remedy or cure, maintaining a healthy sleeping schedule is one of the best things I can do to lessen the severity of outbreaks.
All that's to say, trust me when I push the power of good sleep habits on you! It's important to me in more ways than one.
With these quick and easy tips, you can learn how to sleep better at night naturally.
And if you're like me, you'll start hating mornings less because you'll feel refreshed and ready to take on the day!
6 Tips To Improve Your Sleep
There are a lot of things you can do to improve your sleep. And as much as I love naps, relying on them isn't one of them.
From finding ways to improve your sleep schedule to learning how to improve your sleep environment, it's actually the simplest changes in habit that can make the strongest impact.
Let's get into these 6 ideas for improving your sleep that aren't difficult to start doing but will certainly make a huge difference in your life!
1) Turn The Temperature Down To Fall Sleep Faster
Sleeping in colder temperatures can actually help you fall asleep faster and sleep deeper. Sound like a nightmare? Hear me out on this one.
Our body temperatures naturally fall as we approach sleep, and an overly hot room directly negates this natural occurrence. As a result, falling asleep might be harder in warm rooms and the sleep you do get might be less deep and restorative.
It's also thought that colder temperatures (60-68 degrees) stimulate melatonin production in the body. Which, if you didn't already know, is a naturally occurring substance that our body produces to help it fall asleep.
While simply boosting the AC might help you, there are other options to help you optimize your sleep. If you're prone to waking up in sweats or aren't feeling recovered despite consistently getting good sleep, you might be looking for a solution.
Chili Technology has created a range of products that aim to solve sleep problems through cooling solutions. Their sleep system uses hydro-power (water) to regulate the temperature of your bed. It comes with a remote or a phone app (depending on which system you decide on) that helps you design your perfect temperature pattern.
Simply place the machine-washable mesh mattress pad on your bed and let the machine do the rest. I'm using this to take back my sleep as I've talked about on Instagram and Youtube.
2) Feel More Rested By Setting A Sleeping Schedule
If you're looking for 1 easy trick to massively improve your sleep quality, this might be it.
Knowing how to improve your sleep schedule, starting with having a sleep schedule at all.
As simple as this sounds, its not always the easiest to create a sleep schedule. It's so tempting to sleep in until noon on days without plans or stay up past midnight when you just have to see the next episode of the show you're binging.
P.S. If it does happen, don't beat yourself up for it.
But just remember that not following a sleep and wake schedule detracts from your body's natural ability to stay on its circadian rhythm. Establishing a regular pattern of sleep helps you fall asleep earlier and better because your body knows when the time is right.
Without a schedule, you might find yourself tossing and turning through valuable hours of sleep, ultimately not getting enough at night, and then nodding off during the day at the worst possible moment.
So what can you do? Set a realistic wake-up and bedtime that you can easily stick to on most days. Just because you have free time, doesn't mean you should push your sleep.
Also, research has linked not having a consistent sleep schedule to certain health problems, like high blood pressure and high blood sugar.
3) Avoid Screens Close to Bedtime To Improve Your Sleep
It's become pretty normal to take your phone to bed with you or to watch TV in bed. But, there have been studies proving that the blue light from these screens can actually delay the body's production of melatonin (what helps you naturally fall asleep).
It might be sad, but having good sleep habits means putting the phone down for a good while before bed. If you want to get sciency (AKA, not that sciencey) here's why you should put the phone down:
Our bodies are inherently programmed to be awake during the day when there is sunlight, so extra blue light before bed is very likely to contribute to sleep problems. It's fake light, but it's the same concept- it keeps us awake!
Some lights around the house can also cause this issue, but they do make blue light-blocking bulbs that make falling asleep easier. Other ways to avoid excessive exposure to blue light too close to bedtime are with blue-light glasses and nighttime mode on devices.
The only true way to make sure that blue light isn't affecting you? Lose the devices an hour before bed and read a book or write instead.
4) Putting Bookends On Your Day Helps Your Sleep Schedule
We are living within a generation of morning and evening routines. I can't go on Instagram without seeing at least 2 on my timeline. Outside of showing off our days and our aesthetics, there's a reason AM/PM routines are so popular...
They work! Building routines is a huge part of forming healthy habits, and they can look a million different ways. And it's totally fine that they'll change throughout the years.
But one thing that everyone should try that can improve a sleep schedule is putting "bookends" on the day. This helps you establish a routine and prepares your body and mind for taking on the day or getting a good night's rest.
Without a way to officially "end" the day, the mind might wander to things that happened earlier in the week, to the big meeting you have in the morning, or anything else that decides to pop into your mind and prevent you from falling asleep.
Ideas For "Bookending" Your Days To Help With Sleep Patterns
You might try 5-10 minutes of mediation to go through the things that happened in your day or what you're looking forward to. Actively going through these thoughts is a really good way to process things on your own terms, not when you're trying to fall asleep.
Try developing specific habits for your day bookends. This could be reading a book, a yoga routine, or writing in your gratitude journal. Anything that helps you wind down or gear up. Eventually, your body will recognize these as a precursor to sleep time or the start of a day.
I love using bookends to improve my sleep schedule and they also make me feel way more productive.
5) Sleep Better With A Bedroom Sanctuary
I'm a firm believer in the idea that the space you're in provides energy to your mood and mentality. I prioritize decorating and furnishing my spaces, even if I have to do it on a budget.
If your bedroom is a place you absolutely hate to be in, there's a high chance you're not going to sleep well there. Having trouble feeling calm and sleepy in your room? This might even subconsciously be happening, and that's all the more reason you should try to improve your sleep environment.
Fill your space with healthy indoor plants, photos of friends and family, a color scheme that soothes you, and anything else that makes you want to curl up in your bed just by looking at the bedroom.
If possible, remove your work desk, TVs, or any other sources of stress and stimulation from your sleeping space. If you have to have these items near the bed, (I've been in small apartments too!) try configuring a setup that is organized and attractive to you.
6) Seeking Morning Sunlight Can Help Your Sleep
This is a great sleeping hack because of how simple it is to do! Seeking sunlight the first thing when you wake up is as easy as opening the blinds.
Even dark, rainy days have some natural light. Don't hide in the darkness of your home!
Why does seeking sunlight when you first wake up help improve your sleep? Even though the sleep portion of your day is technically coming to an end, exposure to sunlight directly influences your circadian rhythm.
Like I said in an earlier tip, you should avoid blue light at night to fall asleep better and improve your sleep cycle. Sunlight in the morning has the same inherent purpose- it tells your body that it's time to wake up!
Teach your body that now is the time to wake up and get ready for the day simply by exposing yourself to sunlight. It will help regulate your circadian rhythm so you'll feel more awake when you should be and sleep deeper when it's time.
Plus, the morning sun has such restorative powers! You might actually feel happier in the mornings and more energized if you take a few seconds to soak it in. Vitamin D (which the sun gives you) is linked to having a better mood. Don't count it out!
Friendly reminder, don't reach for your phone first. Get that natural light and peace in before you check your messages!
Happy Sleeping!
I hope that some of these tips help you out if sleeping has been challenging for you. Even if it hasn’t been a noticeable strain on your lifestyle these tips for improving your sleep can still be extremely beneficial.
All this talk of sleep has me ready for bed, how about you!? Before you head off to bookend your day, make sure to comment what other sleeping tips have been helping you improve your sleep! Now, go get that beauty sleep! (Not that you need it😍)
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